projectzip
Active member
Hi there long time lurker first time posting.
This post is about a now disused airfield in Bovingdon.
Its not an easy site to get onto as the control tower now has a prison about 10 feet away from it.
The runways are now used for saturday market and motorcycle training.
There is also a banger racing track on site.
I managed to sneak in here one late Saturday evening.
My love for this place stems from a film featuring David Essex “Silver Dream Racer”
In the film if you haven’t seen it Nick Freeman (Essex) is given his brothers custom one off prototype race bike and the film goes on.
In one of the near to end montage scenes Nick decides to go off training with his girl friend Julie and they end up at this disused airfield. It took me a little while to figure where it was with the help of a control towers website I soon located it and was on my way.
Here is my goal (1950s)
So here we are approaching the building.
1978ish
Here we see the only way in as the tower is surrounded by a large mud bank.
In the film the bush on the right hand side was where nick and Julie enter the tower.
Today
1978ish
This is the area where Nick and his Julie are standing in the film you can see the floor has now given way and there’s nothing left of it.
Today
1978ish
Picture from ground floor
And out on the balcony from the rooftop
There you can see the remains of the top of the tower which collapsed in the 80s
Where the tower stood.
Nick and Julie on the balcony eating
Other roof structure and storage
Ground floor frontage now collapsed in with mud
David Essex may have pee’d here during filming
So there you have it once a film set now reduced to a shell.
Heres a bit more info taken from control towers website.
Originally built as an R.A.F. Bomber Station.
8/42 to 1/43, 325th, 326th, 327th and 407th Bombardment Squadrons of the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) 'Fames Favored Few' with B-17 Flying Fortress, moved to Alconbury.
4/43 to 4/46 transferred to USAAF Command, became a B-17 operational training base, B-17 Combat Crew Replacement Centre (CCRC), 11th CCRC, and 8th USAAF HQ Squadron.
Several film stars served here including Clark Gable, James Stewart and William Holden. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, General Eisenhower and Glenn Miller.
04/46 to 05/51 RAF resumed control.
05/51 to 1962, the USAF took over with B-26, B-29 and B-50's.
'The War Lover', '633 Squadron', 'Mosquito Squadron' and 'Hannover Street' were filmed here in the along with several TV episodes of 'The Avengers' and 'Blakes 7'. The USAF left in 1962, flying ceased 1969 and all MOD property was sold off by 1976.
JB
This post is about a now disused airfield in Bovingdon.
Its not an easy site to get onto as the control tower now has a prison about 10 feet away from it.
The runways are now used for saturday market and motorcycle training.
There is also a banger racing track on site.
I managed to sneak in here one late Saturday evening.
My love for this place stems from a film featuring David Essex “Silver Dream Racer”
In the film if you haven’t seen it Nick Freeman (Essex) is given his brothers custom one off prototype race bike and the film goes on.
In one of the near to end montage scenes Nick decides to go off training with his girl friend Julie and they end up at this disused airfield. It took me a little while to figure where it was with the help of a control towers website I soon located it and was on my way.
Here is my goal (1950s)
So here we are approaching the building.
1978ish
Here we see the only way in as the tower is surrounded by a large mud bank.
In the film the bush on the right hand side was where nick and Julie enter the tower.
Today
1978ish
This is the area where Nick and his Julie are standing in the film you can see the floor has now given way and there’s nothing left of it.
Today
1978ish
Picture from ground floor
And out on the balcony from the rooftop
There you can see the remains of the top of the tower which collapsed in the 80s
Where the tower stood.
Nick and Julie on the balcony eating
Other roof structure and storage
Ground floor frontage now collapsed in with mud
David Essex may have pee’d here during filming
So there you have it once a film set now reduced to a shell.
Heres a bit more info taken from control towers website.
Originally built as an R.A.F. Bomber Station.
8/42 to 1/43, 325th, 326th, 327th and 407th Bombardment Squadrons of the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) 'Fames Favored Few' with B-17 Flying Fortress, moved to Alconbury.
4/43 to 4/46 transferred to USAAF Command, became a B-17 operational training base, B-17 Combat Crew Replacement Centre (CCRC), 11th CCRC, and 8th USAAF HQ Squadron.
Several film stars served here including Clark Gable, James Stewart and William Holden. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, General Eisenhower and Glenn Miller.
04/46 to 05/51 RAF resumed control.
05/51 to 1962, the USAF took over with B-26, B-29 and B-50's.
'The War Lover', '633 Squadron', 'Mosquito Squadron' and 'Hannover Street' were filmed here in the along with several TV episodes of 'The Avengers' and 'Blakes 7'. The USAF left in 1962, flying ceased 1969 and all MOD property was sold off by 1976.
JB
