# Worms Heath Anti-Aircraft Battery, Warlingham



## godzilla73 (Feb 20, 2009)

I've banged on at some length about the historical and tactical importance of the Tatsfield/Warlingham area (BBC Monitoring Station, USAAF Botley Hill, The Aerial Lighthouse etc etc), and I suppose I should have figured that, what with it being the highest point on the North Downs and right outside London, there would be a fairly hefty AkAk facility somewhere. I chanced upon this one though, entirely by accident, while I was looking for the Surrey Police communications facility on Google Earth.(Its actually at Gravelly Hill, some miles away but thats a different story). Its right next door to the NATS facility at Worms Heath, and you can see those masts in the aerial picture as well.







Anyhoo, I went for a bit of a walk up there a while back and these are the pics. It seems to me to be a fairly standard Heavy artillery arrangement - I'm no expert, but the four emplacements are definitely too big to have carried Bofors guns. Perhaps one of the AA boffins could confirm this? Looking at the OS maps, there don't seem to be any public footpaths directly up to it, but there was certainly a well trodden path leading across the heath (and it is a heath, rather than just a field) with plenty of boot prints and horseshoe prints all over it. It is well fenced off from the NATS facility next to it, which needless to say has some fairly heavy barbed wires and cctv type protection.

There are four emplacements - unfortunately, these photos don't give you a sense of the fact that the site is quite big.











Each of the emplacements has the grooves in the floor where presumably, the gun was mounted, and then a small shelter type structure next to them. Again, not being an AkAk expert, I'm not sure what these were for but someone could probably shed light on them.











Also, at the back of each amplacement is another bunker. These have metal doors that have apparently been welded shut. I suspect that these are engine/equipment rooms, but again I am only speculating. 






There is still some of the original electrical/mechanical wiring equipment present, as you can see from these two pics











If anyone knows anything else about this site, I'd be really interested to hear about it. Its marked on the Surrey historical survey, so they know its there, but there doesn't seem to be anything else out there about it. Anyway, enjoy the pics

GDZ


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## kernowexpeditionary (Feb 20, 2009)

its a heavy aa battery so either 3.7" or 4.5" guns, 

nice report


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## kernowexpeditionary (Feb 20, 2009)

also pretty sure the groove in the emplacement was to channel the hydraulics to the gun


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## godzilla73 (Feb 20, 2009)

Thanks Kernow - I knew someone could tell me more! Much obliged!


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## Foxylady (Feb 21, 2009)

kernowexpeditionary said:


> its a heavy aa battery so either 3.7" or 4.5" guns,



Not entirely sure, but I think that would encompass a bofors gun, sizewise...you'd probably know more, Kernow.
Excellent site, gz. Very nice find.


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## Urban Mole (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow thats a pretty well preserved one, and looks good from the air, nice find matey, usually the local farmer mashes them into the ground 

Also, are the buildings on pic one part of the AA battery too?


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## kernowexpeditionary (Feb 21, 2009)

3.7" like this 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChathamAmherst6536.JPG


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## godzilla73 (Feb 22, 2009)

Urban Mole said:


> Wow thats a pretty well preserved one, and looks good from the air, nice find matey, usually the local farmer mashes them into the ground
> 
> Also, are the buildings on pic one part of the AA battery too?



Thanks for your comments everyone! Very helpful, as ever

The buildings behind the battery are part of the NATs facility up there - because of the proximity of the area and its height I guess they must be pretty important for the Gatwick/Biggin Hill control towers. There is one oddity though. At the right hand end of the battery, there is the remainder of a building, as you can see from the aerial pic. In actuality this is really havily fenced off. I don't know what it is/once was, but it looks like someone doesn't want Joe Public going anyway near it.

GDZ


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## godzilla73 (Feb 22, 2009)

kernowexpeditionary said:


> 3.7" like this
> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChathamAmherst6536.JPG



Thats a biggun'! And definitely bigger than the Bofors which is in place at Dover Castle, which is the only thing I've got to compare it to!

GDZ


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## Foxylady (Feb 22, 2009)

godzilla73 said:


> Thats a biggun'! And definitely bigger than the Bofors...



Definitely! That's a real 'I mean business' gun.


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## godzilla73 (Feb 22, 2009)

LOL! I didn't realise you were such an expert Foxy!


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## kernowexpeditionary (Feb 22, 2009)

bofors are 40mm i think, if u search for my recent thread "the guns of pendennis" youll see one!


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## Foxylady (Feb 22, 2009)

godzilla73 said:


> LOL! I didn't realise you were such an expert Foxy!



 



kernowexpeditionary said:


> bofors are 40mm i think...



Yup, there's one at the entrance to Upottery airfield. First time I've actually seen one for real. It's a pussycat compared to the 3.7".


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## Urban Mole (Feb 23, 2009)

godzilla73 said:


> There is one oddity though. At the right hand end of the battery, there is the remainder of a building, as you can see from the aerial pic. In actuality this is really havily fenced off. I don't know what it is/once was, but it looks like someone doesn't want Joe Public going anyway near it.
> 
> GDZ



Get any pics of this bit?

Anything thats more heavily fenced off than the rest is always a curiousity


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## rockhopper (Feb 23, 2009)

Bofors are indeed 40mm, i have a round standing next to my fire place at home! Many of these AA site were used well into the cold war and were automated and controlled from a central sunken command bunker.


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## godzilla73 (Feb 23, 2009)

Urban Mole said:


> Get any pics of this bit?
> 
> Anything thats more heavily fenced off than the rest is always a curiousity



Not at the mo - trying to get down there in the next week or so....


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## penance (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi all, first post!

Nice find there, deffinatly an Haa emplacement, bofors was part of Laa defences and normally mobile.

Good shot of bofors on display at Fort Nelson





Heres a 3.7 with the above bofors in the background


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## godzilla73 (Feb 23, 2009)

Great pics Penance . Welcome and thanks for that info. I've found a couple fo pictures in books that show a HAA emplacement like the one at Worms Heath so I'll scan em and stick em up. This is really great stuff!


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## Lady Anne (Dec 9, 2020)

godzilla73 said:


> I've banged on at some length about the historical and tactical importance of the Tatsfield/Warlingham area (BBC Monitoring Station, USAAF Botley Hill, The Aerial Lighthouse etc etc), and I suppose I should have figured that, what with it being the highest point on the North Downs and right outside London, there would be a fairly hefty AkAk facility somewhere. I chanced upon this one though, entirely by accident, while I was looking for the Surrey Police communications facility on Google Earth.(Its actually at Gravelly Hill, some miles away but thats a different story). Its right next door to the NATS facility at Worms Heath, and you can see those masts in the aerial picture as well.
> 
> View attachment 35251
> 
> ...


I remember a lot about the office side of the BBC Tatsfield Receiving Station as I worked there from 1966 to 1969.


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