Report - RAF Horsham St Faiths Station HQ.. Norwich, December 2021

[Mikeymutt🐶]

I have drove past this so many times over the years and always been curious about it. But always looked tight with bars on most windows. I had spotted what looked like maybe a way in a little while back. So went to have a look and low and behold it was an opening. It was though on a main road in an industrial estate with a police station up the road. So just waited for it to go quiet and got in quickly and not so gracefully ha ha. The block is the former station HQ for the former RAF base. It was last used for offices for the Heatrae Sadia group that was based behind it, they closed the whole Norwich site a couple of years ago. But they had not used the admin block for so long I can't even remember when it was in use last. I have not seen any pics from here or know anyone who has been in. So was curious, did it have any retro office equipment in. Did it have any original features, or had it been modernised. Well it had been stripped which was I expected if I am honest. Upstairs had been modernised. But downstairs still has the nice corridors and original doors. Even saw glimpses of the original parquet flooring. It's built to a fairly standard RAF type design seen on a lot of the old former RAF stations. Raynham and Coltishall still have there Station HQs. It was a nice explore and fairly clean throughout and was nice to finally see inside another HQ.
RAF Horsham St Faiths was a former bomber command airfield that began life in June 1940. From 1942 the Americans took over the base and it is as expanded with new concrete runways and taxiways. The site had five hangars plus the standard range of buildings seen in these airfields. Many still stand, some in use and a few derelict. I did try another one with no joy. The airfield continued use after the war in to the cold war by the RAF again. It finally closed in 1967 and has since been developed into Norwich International Airport.
Externally it's like most HQs

The upstair offices have been modernised.

Liked this heating control box

Downstairs has a more military feel to it.

This circle in the roof, I am not sure if original or not. But above it they had a,circular rail which was random with no opening.

Very big safe

The circular rail.

 

[Wally_urbex]

That's alright that :

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

That's alright that :

Cheers mate. Not a bad little wander.

 

[mookster]

The circular rail would probably have surrounded a lightwell at some point before the false ceilings went in I'd imagine.

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

The circular rail would probably have surrounded a lightwell at some point before the false ceilings went in I'd imagine.

Ha that makes total sense. Been racking my brains as well. Thought were they going to install a spiral.

 

[HughieD]

Quite sparse inside but you made it look decent mate...

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Quite sparse inside but you made it look decent mate...

Cheers mate. Yeah bit sparse, but thankfully still a nice traditional station HQ which you don't have many of them left now.

 

[tigger]

Your photo of the circle in the ceiling shows the location of the light well inside the Operations Block. In old money the left doorway would have lead to the telephone room and the right one to the battery room with the wireless room just beyond that. Behind you the signals officers room and COs office then the Ops room. Behind the wall on your right the traffic office and met office

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Your photo of the circle in the ceiling shows the location of the light well inside the Operations Block. In old money the left doorway would have lead to the telephone room and the right one to the battery room with the wireless room just beyond that. Behind you the signals officers room and COs office then the Ops room. Behind the wall on your right the traffic office and met office

Amazing. How do you know exactly which room was for what..I had a good idea to what different things went on in an HQ. But would never be able to pinpoint them to the different rooms.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Interesting this. Like the downstairs. Og bits still about. With the comments above it really makes you imagine what this use to look like. Grr they painted that parquet flooring black, sacrilege. The toilets have some nice peel going on, looks by design in one shot.

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Interesting this. Like the downstairs. Og bits still about. With the comments above it really makes you imagine what this use to look like. Grr they painted that parquet flooring black, sacrilege. The toilets have some nice peel going on, looks by design in one shot.

The parquet flooring been painted was shocking. Was still lots in the halls, but covered in carpet. I was excited by the amount of bogs inside. Here is an example of the HQ at West Raynham..

 

[Calamity Jane]

The parquet flooring been painted was shocking. Was still lots in the halls, but covered in carpet. I was excited by the amount of bogs inside. Here is an example of the HQ at West Raynham..

Nice decay there. Good original features too.

 

[rudicantfail]

Interesting this. Like the downstairs. Og bits still about. With the comments above it really makes you imagine what this use to look like. Grr they painted that parquet flooring black, sacrilege. The toilets have some nice peel going on, looks by design in one shot.

I does like a bit of Parquet flooring. If you are from a certain age, as like myself, then you have a real fondness for Parquet......

 

[Calamity Jane]

I does like a bit of Parquet flooring. If you are from a certain age, as like myself, then you have a real fondness for Parquet......

Indeed. I appreciate the og features in these places, as I grew up in two manor houses and never appreciated either back then.

 

[Norfolkred1]

Across the road was the Guardroom which was converted into a social club for serving personnel from RAF at Coltishall and Neatishead. When they closed the site was sold off for what is now, a parking lot. I was the house member and did the final handover of the club. Shame it was a great building with potential.