Introduction
This was actually a bit of a failure day as I mainly wanted to revisit the Officer's Mess but we tried every single potential access point except for the roof and couldn’t get in, there’s some fairly fresh fencing around the rear of the site and despite climbing it there didn’t seem to be a way in after looking in every nook and cranny, the only part I didn’t check was on the roof! Anyway, I did manage to get into the Airmens Restaurant for the first time since 2014 and it is a lovely building, so I thought it would be worth sharing these shots as I’ve been sitting on them for a few months now, and hopefully when I next try the Officers Mess I can get in and can share those pics with you all. Visited with @JakeV50.
Information & History
RAF West Raynham was constructed between 1938 & 1939 and was used by the RAF Bomber Command during WW2. The Bomber Command was responsible for the bombing of Germany during the war and during its operating period between 1936 and 1968, it dropped over a million bombs. The base played a crucial role in carrying out bombing missions against enemy targets in mainland Europe. The base hosted a number of squadrons over the years operating various bomber aircraft, some of the notable ones included the Vickers Wellington and Avro Lancaster.
Vickers Wellington in flight (Source: Tangmere Museum)
After World War II the base was still very much in use and became a base for fighter aircraft. Raynham hosted squadrons operating jet aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor and Hawker Hunter. Later, during the cold war, West Raynham’s squadrons contributed to NATO’s defense strategy in Western Europe ensuring the security of NATO countries. It was also the home to the Royal Observer Corps annual summer training camp which was an 8-week long programme.
The site was shut down in 1994 by the MoD and fell into disrepair. Today, some of the site has now been converted into industrial units similar to that of Coltishall and small parts of Sculthorpe. Other parts of the site have remained derelict over the years and are in poor condition, but the level of vandalism isn’t actually too bad at all and is still in far better condition than the likes of Sculthorpe. The control tower was converted into a lovely private home a few years ago, I’m glad it didn’t get demolished like the Sculthorpe Tower. Other noteworthy changes are the thousands of solar panels that have been built around the old runway.
West Raynham and Sculthorpe will always have a special place in my heart as I went to these during my first ever day exploring derelict places in 2014, I never knew I would become such an addict all these years later!
The Explore
The visit was chilled out, as it usually is here. The best tip really is to park somewhere which isn’t too blatantly obvious and try to stay fairly low-key. I haven’t been inside the Airmen’s Restaurant for years so it was nice to get back in there, shame about the Officer’s Mess but I will certainly get a new report up once I cover more bits and bobs with the camera. I did get in during 2022 but only got phone photos sadly and they were not of the best quality.
Onto the photos, starting with externals as usual:
Here’s a shot I took of the restaurant entrance in 2014, it hasn’t changed a huge amount over the years:
2023:
The money shot here is of the main foyer with the doors and staircases, my lens wasn't quite wide enough though!
Some of the kitchen areas have some nice decay, but considering the length of time it has been closed it could have easily ended up much worse:
The main eating areas were spectacularly bare but there's some nice peel and greenery coming through which more than make up for this:
I like the decay on the wall:
Another set of stairs, notice the little tea-pot designs on the tiles:
Got to throw a few corridor shots in:
Upstairs and some other miscellaneous shots:
And finally - a few external pics of the Officer's Mess on the day, even though we couldn't get in:
Thanks for looking.
This was actually a bit of a failure day as I mainly wanted to revisit the Officer's Mess but we tried every single potential access point except for the roof and couldn’t get in, there’s some fairly fresh fencing around the rear of the site and despite climbing it there didn’t seem to be a way in after looking in every nook and cranny, the only part I didn’t check was on the roof! Anyway, I did manage to get into the Airmens Restaurant for the first time since 2014 and it is a lovely building, so I thought it would be worth sharing these shots as I’ve been sitting on them for a few months now, and hopefully when I next try the Officers Mess I can get in and can share those pics with you all. Visited with @JakeV50.
Information & History
RAF West Raynham was constructed between 1938 & 1939 and was used by the RAF Bomber Command during WW2. The Bomber Command was responsible for the bombing of Germany during the war and during its operating period between 1936 and 1968, it dropped over a million bombs. The base played a crucial role in carrying out bombing missions against enemy targets in mainland Europe. The base hosted a number of squadrons over the years operating various bomber aircraft, some of the notable ones included the Vickers Wellington and Avro Lancaster.
Vickers Wellington in flight (Source: Tangmere Museum)
After World War II the base was still very much in use and became a base for fighter aircraft. Raynham hosted squadrons operating jet aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor and Hawker Hunter. Later, during the cold war, West Raynham’s squadrons contributed to NATO’s defense strategy in Western Europe ensuring the security of NATO countries. It was also the home to the Royal Observer Corps annual summer training camp which was an 8-week long programme.
The site was shut down in 1994 by the MoD and fell into disrepair. Today, some of the site has now been converted into industrial units similar to that of Coltishall and small parts of Sculthorpe. Other parts of the site have remained derelict over the years and are in poor condition, but the level of vandalism isn’t actually too bad at all and is still in far better condition than the likes of Sculthorpe. The control tower was converted into a lovely private home a few years ago, I’m glad it didn’t get demolished like the Sculthorpe Tower. Other noteworthy changes are the thousands of solar panels that have been built around the old runway.
West Raynham and Sculthorpe will always have a special place in my heart as I went to these during my first ever day exploring derelict places in 2014, I never knew I would become such an addict all these years later!
The Explore
The visit was chilled out, as it usually is here. The best tip really is to park somewhere which isn’t too blatantly obvious and try to stay fairly low-key. I haven’t been inside the Airmen’s Restaurant for years so it was nice to get back in there, shame about the Officer’s Mess but I will certainly get a new report up once I cover more bits and bobs with the camera. I did get in during 2022 but only got phone photos sadly and they were not of the best quality.
Onto the photos, starting with externals as usual:
Here’s a shot I took of the restaurant entrance in 2014, it hasn’t changed a huge amount over the years:
2023:
The money shot here is of the main foyer with the doors and staircases, my lens wasn't quite wide enough though!
Some of the kitchen areas have some nice decay, but considering the length of time it has been closed it could have easily ended up much worse:
The main eating areas were spectacularly bare but there's some nice peel and greenery coming through which more than make up for this:
I like the decay on the wall:
Another set of stairs, notice the little tea-pot designs on the tiles:
Got to throw a few corridor shots in:
Upstairs and some other miscellaneous shots:
And finally - a few external pics of the Officer's Mess on the day, even though we couldn't get in:
Thanks for looking.
