# RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire. Oct 08.



## Kaputnik

* If some of this makes confusing reading, it's because i c*cked up, and initially thought this site was RAF Norton Disney, and not nearby RAF Swinderby. had to edit several mistakes, my appologies!*

RAF Swinderby was for nearly 30 years, the airman's school of recruit training, training moved to Halton in Buckinghamshire, after the closing of swinderby in 1993, the site later being sold off in lots, in 96.
the tech site remains fairly unchanged, the large ex airfield area being used occasionally as a showground/commercial fair area.
the domestic site, including all the barracks, messes, post office and medical facilities was demolished in 2003/4.
The beautiful 12 century church, in the village of Norton Disney, St. Peters, south of the airfield, has a memorial on the south isle, commemorating 300 sqn, and 301 sqn's operations from Swinderby.some of the airfields buildings are in use by private firms on a small industrial estate near the entrance, some newer buildings replacing what would have been there, but many abandonned original buildings are still to be seen, i took a wander around, and got a few pics, would have got more if the batteries i thought were ok were actually charged!





















Loved the control tower, not sure if it's original, seems to look like slightly later brick work, could be wrong though,





amazingly thick glass in those sloping windows, must have been about 8 or 9mm thick.





view through a missing lower floor window in the tower




















yet more eerie airfield windows.....















inside the much more modern, blue brick building, full of large lecture rooms, classrooms, and a small film theatre....





not singing anymore.... the odd unsold 'antique' tends to get left behind after the big car boot and antique fairs held on the large site during the summer










a few Nissen huts still survive (just) in a bad way, may have been offices, accomodation or briefing rooms.





one of my favourite pics of the day....




Thanks for looking.


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## shatters

I agree, very modern looking tower for a 1958 closure, was it used as a civilian airfield later?

Great pics, alwaya nice to see new airfields

Phil


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## Bryag

looks like an interesting site. The art deco style building in your 2nd and 3rd pics is the original control tower. The other control tower is more cold war (50's to 70's I reckon, I am sure Krela will be more informed than I- it's his thang)


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## Kaputnik

possibly ,Shatters, as flashearth pictures, which are obviosly not bang up to date, but fairly recent, show the runways and painted numbers on the runways, apparently in pretty good condition.


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## shatters

Could the building in pics 2 and 3 be the ww2 watch office ?

Phil

Edit;; Bryag beat me to it


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## Kaputnik

The 30's style building does look similar to the control tower an nearby RAF Newton, Bryag, so you may be onto something there!
i suppose the fact that odd buildings have much newer looking brickwork add-ons, and the much more modern blue brick training type building, means it must have still been used after it's 58 closure, will try to find out more.


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## Neosea

Nice photos of RAF Swinderby. Raf Norton Disney is about 2 to 3 miles North.


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## shatters

Well that explains the tower, Swinderby was a 1990's closure

Phil


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## Kaputnik

heres the flash earth.....
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.146033&lon=-0.680784&z=14.1&r=3&src=msl
Swinderby is nearer than Norton disney, Neosea, looks like iv'e got the two well confused!


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## Neosea

Yep, look a little south and that's a lake I sometimes fish

Raf Norton Disney is here

And here's some history

Don't worry, it's a confusing site with the name changes.


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## Kaputnik

passed that lake, Neosea. the one that the canoe club uses?
seem to remember now, that the norton disney site is where hazardous (possibly mustard gas) waste was detected, a few years back. i always thought that it was here, at the airfield pictured, have thought for years wrongly then, that this was RAF Norton Disney!


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## Neosea

Kaputnik said:


> passed that lake, Neosea. the one that the canoe club uses?
> seem to remember now, that the norton disney site is where hazardous (possibly mustard gas) waste was detected, a few years back. i always thought that it was here, at the airfield pictured, have thought for years wrongly then, that this was RAF Norton Disney!



That's it, they can be a pain coming too close to the bank but normally they are good and stay away from us anglers.

Yes Raf Norton Disney used to store mustard gas, I saw no signs of it and didn't get sick. They now breed game birds on the site and they look healthy. 

As for Raf Swinderby here is some history


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## Foxylady

Bryag said:


> The art deco style building in your 2nd and 3rd pics is the original control tower.



That's what I was thinking, but I got a tad confused when I saw the other pic of the control tower. That explains it then!  
Good site and photos, Kaputnik.


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## krela

The first one is the 1939 original ww2 watch office, the second one is a later 1955 local control tower.


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## odeon master

i have been in the more modern control tower in 2002 during the swinderby antiques and collectors fair that is held on the old runways.
it wasnt too vandalized back then, but was getting filled with unsold antique junk from the fairs held there.
i remembered that old airfield maps were still up in some of the rooms.
it was an interesting building and full of abstract rooms. i remember a spiral staircase leading up to the large viewing area to where you could see out for miles.
didnt know any of the other buildings could be accessed as i drove into the swinderby industrial estate (the old camp) and there were people working there and most buildings were in use.


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## tims

Been a while since I've seen a report from here, The cinema on site is quite nice but not to easy to get in to when I did it last.
Good to see the place again.


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## RAF_Firenat999

ah Swinderby! my partner did his Basic here _way way _back (he browses the site sometimes, he'll put me on jankers for saying that if he see's this!) I will get him to have a look and see if he can remeber what any of the building were used for and yes, trainings at Halton, i was there, it's a bit of a ....ahem, i shan't say anything! lol!


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## Kaputnik

Bet he'll remember that blue brick training building well, then. 
it's in a bit of a state now though.


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## RAF_Firenat999

The unusually thick glass up in the 'fishbowl', i suspect is like that because of the sound vibrations coming from any jet engines, which would shatter any window made from normal domestic glass, i'll ask my friend tomorrow at scoff, she'll know for sure


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## John Kreelman

Hi I'm RAf Firenat999s partner, I went through Swinderby Oct-Dec 86. I remember the blue brick building, but I can't remember exactly what we did in there. Regt training maybe, not sure. Anyhow some good pics there. Don't suppose any of the 3 storey barrack blocks are still there are they? Mine was the one opposite the NAAFI (The Newcomers Club - in which I was not allowed to buy alcohol, my cardboard ID card was orange showing I was under 18!! Curse them) top floor 6 Flight No.1 Training Squadron. Got memories of marching by the hangars ponchos on in the rain. Recruits had not long started wearing DPM (with puttees still!!) when I got there, prior to that they wore fetching blue denims/coveralls. Niiiice!


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## Kaputnik

heres a flashearth link to the site, John, but it's not very up to date... more big industrial units are there now, north of where those hangars are i think, and i'm sure i read somewhere that the barrack blocks and some other buildings were knocked down.
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.147426&lon=-0.675239&z=16.8&r=3&src=msl


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## MaBs

Below is the site in 1994, nowadays everything to the right of the road through the site is now a housing estate.


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## traindrain

Kaputnik said:


> * If some of this makes confusing reading, it's because i c*cked up, and initially thought this site was RAF Norton Disney, and not nearby RAF Swinderby. had to edit several mistakes, my appologies!*
> 
> RAF Swinderby was for nearly 30 years, the airman's school of recruit training, training moved to Halton in Buckinghamshire, after the closing of swinderby in 1993, the site later being sold off in lots, in 96.
> the tech site remains fairly unchanged, the large ex airfield area being used occasionally as a showground/commercial fair area.
> the domestic site, including all the barracks, messes, post office and medical facilities was demolished in 2003/4.
> The beautiful 12 century church, in the village of Norton Disney, St. Peters, south of the airfield, has a memorial on the south isle, commemorating 300 sqn, and 301 sqn's operations from Swinderby.some of the airfields buildings are in use by private firms on a small industrial estate near the entrance, some newer buildings replacing what would have been there, but many abandonned original buildings are still to be seen, i took a wander around, and got a few pics, would have got more if the batteries i thought were ok were actually charged!
> 
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> Loved the control tower, not sure if it's original, seems to look like slightly later brick work, could be wrong though,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> amazingly thick glass in those sloping windows, must have been about 8 or 9mm thick.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> view through a missing lower floor window in the tower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> yet more eerie airfield windows.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> inside the much more modern, blue brick building, full of large lecture rooms, classrooms, and a small film theatre....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> not singing anymore.... the odd unsold 'antique' tends to get left behind after the big car boot and antique fairs held on the large site during the summer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> a few Nissen huts still survive (just) in a bad way, may have been offices, accomodation or briefing rooms.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> one of my favourite pics of the day....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking.



..........


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## traindrain

*RAF Swinderby*

The Nissen Huts were accomodation. I went through Basic Training at RAF Swinderby in 1978. We were moved out of the relative luxury of brick accomodation half way through our 6 week course and put in the Nissen Huts. Two men to a room. Good to see the pics.


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## Goldfishrock

*Nissan Huts*

In the mid 80's they were taken over by the Rock Apes for GDT. I can remember several sessions of trying to stay away in there!


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## Mr Sam

this one looks worth a visit!!! poor old singer! is that the whole table with it too


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## stevie

Mr Sam said:


> this one looks worth a visit!!!




Sadly a hell of a lot of Swinderby has been demolished since those photos were posted. The lovely art deco tower has now been levelled along with the nearby fire shed and flight office. Two of the big 'j' Hangars behind the tower have now gone as well as the majority of the tech site including the water tower, Station HQ, Guard Room etc. I've visited the site several times over the years and it's one of my favourates to look over but it was a really sad visit time to see and hear the diggers and cranes smashing the place to bits.

Thankfully the more modern tower still stands for the time being as it's on another landowners land.

Cheers,

Steve


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## chaoticreason

Had a girlfriend from Swinderby,years back when I was up the road.
Looking forward to a gander at the place next time I visit my mum who still lives up yonder,an praying there is a bit left for me to see.Great photos my good man,much appreciated.


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## Judderman62

licking that lots - nice report


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## Walrus75

Goldfishrock said:


> In the mid 80's they were taken over by the Rock Apes for GDT...


They were in use for GDT in Jan 1980 when I went thru Swinderby. In fact it may well be that very corridor that I sat in feeling very, very sad for myself after failing one of the rifle drills and the rock Cpl told me to get out! I could do all the drills individually but not when all strung together - I thought I'd blown my RAF career before it had even started  Fortunately they took pity, gave me another chance and I got the hang of it. Taught me a valuable lesson and in later years I became a dab hand with various weapons 
I gotta say I don't recognise the blue brick building at all. I've just been looking on Google Street View at the site where my old block was, it's now the end of "Owl Close" (this is the exact spot - http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...3Y5pbeqhxH4KM-onOEEUEg&cbp=12,220.02,,0,21.36 ), not even an inkling that it was a military camp at all


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