Tatsfield Monitoring Station UPDATE 2008 Part 1

Ok - so this is a follow up to the good work done by Cybergibbons who took some great photos of this site in 2005. I should start by saying that I'm not really an Urbex-er at all. More a sort of "history of communications" anorak - which comes out of my day job. I've also got a bit of an interest in Cold War history and transmitter masts, so this was right up my alley as it were. I became interested in the site, when I was driving along the road from which the site is on. There are a half a dozen masts on that road, most of them for mobile comms (though one was/is the site of USAAF Botley Hill, which was a super secret communications link for the Americans in Europe during the Cold War, running a system called Autovon). I started off looking at the BT above ground tower which is there and Googling for information on its role when I came across a load of stuff on the BBC Monitoring Station. These pictures are from my first visit earlier on today. I didn't get across to the bunker so ably documented by Cybergibbons (the brambles around it are now about 6ft high and I wasn't dressed ahem, appropriately!) but I did manage to get some shots of the workshop, which has now been burnt out and in a much worse state than it was 2-3 years ago. I also got a shot of what must have been the main entrance gates. I don't know what the green covered things are - they might be capped bunkers as well. They are in the road opposite the site. There is a sign there but it is faded, though you can make out the word block . (I seem to remember somebody saying something about this on the forum. ) I'll be going back there in a couple of days so I'll try and get some shots of the bunker and other things. You can see why they built it there. Looking back from the base of the masts you could see all the way back past the Dartford Cross and over the Essex hills - magic!

More soon....

GDZ










Or visit http://s336.photobucket.com/albums/n353/mechagodzilla73/Tatsfield Monitoring Station/

to see more pics and comments!

Oh wow, those green covered bunker-type um...bunkers are so cool. It looks like the entrance covers are on sliding hatches. Nice find. Look forward to seeing some more when you go back.

The green things are something to do with gas. Saw a southern gas van parked there while on a walk a few days ago.

As a radio comms anorak myself and ex-signals person I too find these places fascinating. Is there any more history available? Pity there aint much stuff like this to explore up this way.

Zero said:

The green things are something to do with gas. Saw a southern gas van parked there while on a walk a few days ago.

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Thanks - I wondered about that. What do you think? Access to the Transco pipeline? I thought, on reflection that they might be diesel tanks for powering the main site on the other side of the road, as Transco has a presence there.

Lithium said:

As a radio comms anorak myself and ex-signals person I too find these places fascinating. Is there any more history available? Pity there aint much stuff like this to explore up this way.

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The two links below are quite interesting. The People's war Contribution makes mention of a building 100 yards from the main entrance. Its unclear whether or not this was the gates that I photographed in the picture or where the main entrance to the BT site is now, but the building is almost certainly that identified as the Workshop in the above pictures. As an ex- Signals person, you might also be interested in Botley Hil Farm which is just across the road. Go to http://www.nevadamicrowaveandtower.com/timevault1.html to see some great photos taken by a USAAF mast rigger at the height of the Cold War (clearly only recently that he's felt able to put them up without being court martialled). Botley Hill Farm ran the Autovon system during the 70s and 80s and was also connected to Projects Mould, Ace High and Silk Purse, all of which you probably know about, but if you would like to contribute more info on them it would be great - especially at subbrit.org, which as you may have guessed I am also a member of.Needless to say that site (while only recently decommissioned) still enjoys quite a high level of security and should probably not be approached by anyone not connected with the military!



http://www.crew-green.com/BBC Monitoring.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/21/a7157621.shtml

Thanks for your comments

GDZ