# Bovingdon Airfield Control Tower



## projectzip

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


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## krela

Wow, that's a very sad looking control tower 

Thanks for posting.


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## projectzip

krela said:


> Wow, that's a very sad looking control tower
> 
> Thanks for posting.



Yeah it is sad to see but at least she has been caught on film many times.


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## Sabtr

Gordon Bennett! It's had a hard life eh? It's a real shame (and quite a shock) when you see how buildings once were. You've given me a possible lead up here in Northumberland now. Thanks for posting.


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## projectzip

Sausage said:


> Gordon Bennett! It's had a hard life eh? It's a real shame (and quite a shock) when you see how buildings once were. You've given me a possible lead up here in Northumberland now. Thanks for posting.



Thanks for your comments ive waited an age to post this up but no response on that "other" site i was a member off for so long.
Theres loss DP's gain!
Thank you for making me feel welcome.


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## smileysal

Jeez, that looks so sad looking at the pics you've taken and seeing what it looked like in the 1950's, and again in the film. 

Excellent pics mate, Sad to see it look in that state. 

Cheers,

 Sal


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## projectzip

Heres another reason why im so in love with this film, my own scooter themed after the bike in this film.


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## Sabtr

projectzip said:


> Thanks for your comments ive waited an age to post this up but no response on that "other" site i was a member off for so long.
> Theres loss DP's gain!
> Thank you for making me feel welcome.



This is a really good forum. I've never looked back since leaving that other one.


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## projectzip

Sausage said:


> This is a really good forum. I've never looked back since leaving that other one.



Let us never speak of the others again and forever remove there bookmark from thou hallowed mozzilla

LMAO


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## fire*fly

cool place to have a picnic nice pictures, thank you


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## smiffy

Thats a brilllaint posting mate...really like yer 'then and now' theme to it !!! 
And that's just about one of the roughest control towers I've seen....any rougher and it'd be a pile of rubble.....
Some good old films were shot there too then?...
'The War Lover' with Steve McQueen was a great film...............


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## Foxylady

That is so sad to see it in that 'orrible state now.  Great to see the film stills along with your own pics. Very nice report, projectzip, and welcome to DP, btw.


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## Random

I really like this post, good effort. I love seeing stuff in the 70s for some reason, I think because that was when I first got "into" dereliction. 

Seeing Bovingdon actually makes me really sad, thinking back to how tidy it was on 633 Squadron. A criminal waste, burying it with a landfill site.


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## lutonman12

nice report fella!!!not far from me either,ive been to the market loads and did nt even know it was there!!!i I agree about the "other site"too, bit elitist i thought!!!!
keep up the good work!!!!!!


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## projectzip

Interesting news. 
More filming has taken place at Bovingdon for an upcoming independent film called Ten Dead Men!


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## whostolemymonkey

Nice Pics. I Haven't been to the Bovingdon market for a few years now, may have to take the trip just to check this out, saw the tower in the corner of the field once, didnt realize what it was. If anyone watches chop shop the test drives are done at Bovingdon.


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## DigitalNoise

Nice post, such a shame to see it treated the way it is.


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## shatters

Any idea why the watch office has deterioated so much more than many other ww2 buildings ?

Phil


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## jonnyt

*hi*

hi people i take it you are talking about bovingdon near watford which was home of bovingdon raceway i used to go racing there untill the end of this year because they closed the track due to market might go on there but i been going here for 10 years and aint seen the tower can any one update me if it still there and where on bovingdon ???


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## huffhuff

The external pictures looks like something from LOST


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## night crawler

Such a shame to see a once proud tower is such a state. Good photo's Most embarissing thing is I remember going to the cinima to watch the film, not one of the best I have seen and proably best forgotten.


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## sneaks

This is the place we went back to recently. 

I first looked a it last year, but did not have the guts to go over... i then found this site and it gae me a little more confidence.

I didnt know anyone else had been, but as its not hidden away i know we would not have been the first photographic explorers

Anyway, a few months later, i went for it! 


Its changed alot since the above visit... as they've cleared all of the surrounding area and i suspect will be shortly knocking it down. 

Its a really great building to visit, the way the light comes through the small windows is stunning, and mother nature continuing to advance at a pace has left vines and trees sprouting wherever they can.

Its also quite tall, and the stairs are still in good shape so you can get all the way to the top. 



I took a model and MUA and we had a great few hours, got completely muddy and scared ourselves on occasion... 


but was very pleased with the result. A bit of glamour for a tired old building.


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## foz101

It's not the most suitable clothing for exploring...


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## sneaks

We had wellies on for most of the time..


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## night crawler

Nice brightened the place up


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## BMWM535

Sneaks now that is some wicked pics, I was going to hire a model and get some pics some were, beaten to it tho! Has any one else done OTHER things at urbex sites or is that just sick me?


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## mookster

Is there much left of the banger track? It closed a couple of years back as apparently the MOD wanted the land back or something, a sad loss to the sport


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## krela

BMWM535 said:


> Sneaks now that is some wicked pics, I was going to hire a model and get some pics some were, beaten to it tho! Has any one else done OTHER things at urbex sites or is that just sick me?



Judging by the amount of dodgy 70s and 80s porn I'm always seeing I think you're not the only one, but this site isn't about that


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## smiffy

Unless that doorway in photos 4 and 5 was built fer midget airmen that girl is mighty tall ...
.........


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