# ex MOD and MQ sites 1979 - 2014



## welbeck (Dec 14, 2014)

I was the son of an RAF Aircrew Officer with 43 years service and lived in Married Quarters between 1946 and 1970 at RAF Driffield, Hemswell, Waddington, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, Khormaksar Aden, Wildenrath Germany and Northolt. After I left school and college after training as a surveyor in London l made a conscious decision to specialise in the purchase, preservation of not only married quarters but technical domestic and airfield sites. In 1979 Mrs Thatcher's government announced there were a surplus of MQ sites and disused airfields which were to be sold. After returning to the UK from our two housing schemes opposite the Pentagon Washington DC in 1980 I purchased the first site which comprised 127 former NCO quarters at RAF Faldingworth, north of Lincoln. As this was the first of our purchases I applied an American concept to these houses by the installation of a swimming pool and club house which were donated to all the buyers. The state was renamed The Virginia Estate as our offices were in Arlington Virginia and the roads renamed after areas around Washington such as Washington Drive, Prince William Road, Fairfax Road and so on. This proved very successful so I went on to acquire a further 35 sites over the following 30 years and include the following:

66 RAF & Army MQs RAF Ballykelly/Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland (Walworth Estate)
570 USAF MQs RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. (Lords Walk Estate) Joint venture with Hodge Group
266 Hirings Tricomm Portfolio let to MOD located in Bristol & Bath
172 Married Quarters RAF West Raynham 185 acre airfield site including tech site & 4 hangars.
127 Married Quarters RAF Faldingworth, Lincs (renamed Virginia Estate)
133 Married Quarters RAF Middleton St George Durham (renamed Virginia Estate)
70 Married Quarters RAF Driffield, Yorks
80 Married Quarters RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts	(Thickwood Estate)	
30 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Hermes Place)	
20 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Lyster Close)
110 Married Quarters RN Chatham, Kent (Walderslade MQ’s)
20 Married Quarters Army Quarters, Barlow, Yorks	
55 Married Quarters RAF Halton, Bucks
80 Married Quarters RNAS Eglinton, Londonderry (City Airport) Northern Ireland
60 Married Quarters RAF Brize Norton, Oxon	
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Southwell)	
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Easton) 
Airfield & Tech. Site RAF Hemswell, Lincs 
70 Married Quarters RAF Manby, Lincs (Siskin Crescent MQs) 
42 Married Quarters RAF Brawdy, Dyfed (St Davids Estate Haverfordwest)
Bomber Command HQ RAF Bawtry, S.Yorks	
22 Married Quarters RAF Hemswell, Lincs 
70 Married Quarters RAF North Coates, Lincs. Airfield & 260,000 sq ft Tech.Site.
42 Married Quarters RAF Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges) 
210 USAF MQs RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk and 235 Acre Tech. Site
90 Army MQs Tidworth Garrison Wilts. (Perham Down MQs) 
110 Married Quarters RAF Scampton, Lincs
101 Married Quarters RAF Harwell, Oxon	(UKAEA housing)	
93 Married Quarters RAF Finningley, Doncaster
300 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Bicester, Oxon
150 Married Quarters RAF Upwood, Cambs
50 Married Quarters RAF Linton on Ouse, Yorks	
30 Married Quarters RAF Cranwell, Lincs
92 Married Quarters RN Rosyth, Edinburgh, Scotland
321 Officers NCO MQ RAF Kinloss, Forres. Scotland
144 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Edzell, Brechin, Scotland

If any other member would like further information on these sites I would be happy to try and help.


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## flyboys90 (Dec 14, 2014)

That's a heck of a list have you any before and after images?


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## dealer (Dec 14, 2014)

That is very impressive, FYI work has started on the last remaining H block at Tangmere turning it into apartments


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## UrbanX (Dec 14, 2014)

I spent my childhood in base at Waterbeach - that's been sold off now, and is going to be 15,000 homes soon. As you probably know all of the married quarters there have been returned and passed on for social housing. 

You'll find a lot if pics if Upwood and West Raynham on here


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## Chopper (Dec 14, 2014)

dealer said:


> That is very impressive, FYI work has started on the last remaining H block at Tangmere turning it into apartments



Noooooo. When did work start? I had no idea there was anything left at Tangmere. I live so close :'(


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## dealer (Dec 18, 2014)

Work started 3 weeks ago, the air raid shelter from out side the H block was moved to The museum around 5 years ago. The NAAFI has been social housing for around 20 years but 3 T2's, one crash rescue building and watch tower remain


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## Ellogena (Dec 19, 2014)

Is it just ex RAF quarters that you buy? I used to live in Marchwood. think they sold off the Military Port and the married quarters.


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## Walrus75 (Dec 22, 2014)

I lived in one of the Chatham (Walderslade) MQs as a 5 year old back in the late 60s, on what is now called McKenzie Drive. https://goo.gl/maps/icV1a ... just saying like


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## neil (Oct 7, 2021)

welbeck said:


> I was the son of an RAF Aircrew Officer with 43 years service and lived in Married Quarters between 1946 and 1970 at RAF Driffield, Hemswell, Waddington, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, Khormaksar Aden, Wildenrath Germany and Northolt. After I left school and college after training as a surveyor in London l made a conscious decision to specialise in the purchase, preservation of not only married quarters but technical domestic and airfield sites. In 1979 Mrs Thatcher's government announced there were a surplus of MQ sites and disused airfields which were to be sold. After returning to the UK from our two housing schemes opposite the Pentagon Washington DC in 1980 I purchased the first site which comprised 127 former NCO quarters at RAF Faldingworth, north of Lincoln. As this was the first of our purchases I applied an American concept to these houses by the installation of a swimming pool and club house which were donated to all the buyers. The state was renamed The Virginia Estate as our offices were in Arlington Virginia and the roads renamed after areas around Washington such as Washington Drive, Prince William Road, Fairfax Road and so on. This proved very successful so I went on to acquire a further 35 sites over the following 30 years and include the following:
> 
> 66 RAF & Army MQs RAF Ballykelly/Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland (Walworth Estate)
> 570 USAF MQs RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. (Lords Walk Estate) Joint venture with Hodge Group
> ...


Would you know where I can find the plans for houses built in 1955 at RAF Marham - I've just bought and and am fascinated to know more about it.


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## night crawler (Oct 7, 2021)

Yes quite a list but I doubt you would be able to purchase the old Harwell MQ site and they have been empty for years and still are


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## Openfields (Oct 8, 2021)

night crawler said:


> Yes quite a list but I doubt you would be able to purchase the old Harwell MQ site and they have been empty for years and still are


A friend's son has recently bought an old MQ on the Harwell site, semi-detached complete with a ground level Anderson shelter. These shelters were regarded as surplus immediately after WW2 and many were built in the gardens of the then new prefabs by councils as garden sheds. Close by there were MQs off the camp at RAF Grove near Wantage. Some of these were set up with American type power sockets.


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