# Water Tower, RAF North Witham, Lincolnshire, May 2019



## HughieD (May 22, 2019)

*1. The History*
RAF North Witham is a former World War II airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located in Twyford Wood, off the A1 between Stamford and Grantham. It opened in 1943 and was used by both the RAF and US Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a transport airfield. It was allocated to the USAAF Troop Carrier Command in August 1943. Its immediate task was to distribute transport aircraft and the means of maintaining them to operational groups of the USAAF. USAAF C-47 maintenance repair activities continued at North Witham until May 1945, albeit on a reducing scale.

After the war it was closed in late 1945. The site was originally partially wooded and some of this remained to the northeast of the runways throughout the military period but after closure, the Forestry Commission planted most of the airfield with oak (Quercus robur) and conifers. Part of it is now a reserve for butterflies and the concrete is slowly being broken up and removed. Outlines of large numbers of loop dispersal hardstands can be seen in aerial photography, with the perimeter track being reduced to a single lane road. 

*2. The Explore*
Walked the runways and explored the old watchtower and a while back but never got around to the water tower as it is quite a bit south of the watch tower. Hence a revisit was always on the cards. Very little info about the water tower and no pictures that I could find. Having parked up, I hopped the barb-wired gate followed the treeline and arrived at the coppice that has now engulfed the water tower. It’s fenced off but having negotiated that found that the metal ladder was caged and locked at the bottom. Perhaps with a bit of perseverance and if I hadn’t been on my tod, I could have got around it and up there. Once past that obstacle you can get right up to the top of this impressive water tower. One for next time. Previous report HERE.

*3. The Pictures*

Didn’t go back to the watch tower:


img7795 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7811 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Or walk the runways this time:


img7824 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Headed straight for the water tower:


img0898 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Not sure if this dates back from WWII:


Watertower 04 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The water tower peeps out of the trees:


img0897 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Full frontal:


Watertower 03 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The old depth measure:


img0895 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Pipping rusting away:


img0893 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0891 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The reason I couldn’t get up:


img0888bw by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0885 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0882bw by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0878 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0896 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## BikinGlynn (May 23, 2019)

Very nice, the ladder shot is ace


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## Sabtr (May 23, 2019)

You know those moments when your brain connects two places after the rusty gears have been stuck? Mine just did that!
There's an almost identical tower near the old RAF Morpeth (Tranwell) airfield. The Tranwell one is basically two separate tanks with a narrow gap in the middle for access to the roof.
For all these years I've known that the Tranwell tower is a private water supply for some nearby houses - I hadn't realised it was far older and from the airfield lol. Oh dear I slipped there!

Water towers fascinate me. They're basically exposed engineering. The one in your pics - must be close to 200 tons of water when full and yet stood on spindles for supports. It worked though and still stands many decades later.
I'm wondering - is this tower still in use too? The fact that the ladders are locked off tells me it is. At Tranwell the residents got so annoyed they had the ladders cut away at about half way up because some people were climbing it and being stupid.

Interesting stuff that.
I suspect that shelter is original too. Looks like asbestos sheeting? If so there must be a reason why metal wasn't used for it? Prevention of sparks perhaps?

As a side note: About 12 years ago I put sealed bids in to buy an old concrete water tower in Northumberland. I wasn't madly keen on the purchase (lack of parking) and so kept my offers low. In the end it sold to a couple from London - that's all I can find out. It was bought by them as an investment. I guess when water tower conversions were all the rage but this one is more like a lighthouse shape and not wide.
The tower still stands and is untouched and has never been entered. Whoever bought it either ran out of money of have vanished.
A possible explore for passing people perhaps...


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## steviefry125 (May 23, 2019)

Love how it hasn't been destroyed by twats or councils,maybe more local authorities should take a leaf


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## wolfism (May 23, 2019)

That's cool, it looks like an old Braithwaite tank, made from identical steel pressings bolted together. Surprisingly the firm is still in business - Braithwaite Engineers



Sausage said:


> As a side note: About 12 years ago I put sealed bids in to buy an old concrete water tower in Northumberland.


Out of interest, whereabouts is it roughly, as I'm sometimes passing through the area?


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## Sabtr (May 23, 2019)

Easier by PM. PM sent.


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## HughieD (May 24, 2019)

BikinGlynn said:


> Very nice, the ladder shot is ace



Cheers mate. Just a shame I couldn't get up it!



Sausage said:


> I'm wondering - is this tower still in use too? The fact that the ladders are locked off tells me it is.



I don't think it is to be honest with you mate.


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## krela (May 24, 2019)

There's lots of these dotted around the country, usually hidden in wooded areas. They were used extensively at domestic sites around ww2 airfields. I always think they look great, rusting away.


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## Sabtr (May 24, 2019)

krela said:


> There's lots of these dotted around the country, usually hidden in wooded areas. They were used extensively at domestic sites around ww2 airfields. I always think they look great, rusting away.




Yup and it's making me wonder about other sites close to me here. I've probably not spotted them because of how they're hidden off to one side.
I can think of two old airfields which need further investigation..


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## steviefry125 (May 24, 2019)

sausage where abouts you from?


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## krela (May 24, 2019)

steviefry125 said:


> sausage where abouts you from?



A pig, obvs.


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## Sabtr (May 25, 2019)

Lol! I was going to say a frying pan.

Dude(ette?) it tells you on my profile.


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## steviefry125 (May 25, 2019)

butchers boy &#55357;&#56834;


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## Dirus_Strictus (May 25, 2019)

The asbestos cement sheeted agricultural shelter has nothing to do with with the original site - it is late '50's - early '60's and produced by one of three companies who started up again after WW11.

As a point of interest asbestos sheeting was not used on buildings in WW11. Asbestos was a far too important commodity for that mundane use - unless the structure was special, and the supplies of it that survived the long wartime sea passages were used in gas protection, engineering insulation and armoured vehicles - to name a few uses. It was the good old Corrugated Iron Sheet that was mandatory choice for building usage. Initial wartime supplies were made from the mountains of low grade 'scrap iron' that was collected, along with the aluminium pans, from every household in the UK. In the late '50's I can remember travelling around the steel working areas of Sheffield with Dad, and seeing mountains of this wartime scrap still standing around. Of very poor grade, it had been no use for wartime production and eventually found its way into reinforcing mesh used in the reconstruction and post war development of our bombed major Cities.


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## Mikeymutt (May 28, 2019)

I love these towers..there is actually quite a few my way considering Norfolk had so many airfields I guess there would be. Great set


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## steviefry125 (May 29, 2019)

Normally hidden in trees and forgotten about


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## HughieD (May 29, 2019)

Mikeymutt said:


> I love these towers..there is actually quite a few my way considering Norfolk had so many airfields I guess there would be. Great set



Cheers Mikey. Just a shame I couldn't get up there and enjoy the treetops!


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## Sidsdx1988 (May 30, 2019)

Always wondered what that jobbie was!


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## The Wombat (Jun 15, 2019)

been the airfield many times, and never knew the water tower was there. Been in the control tower a few times
good work, as usual.


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## P Bellamy (Jul 8, 2019)

My Dad had to haul a theodolite and tripod up to the trig point on the top of that tower in the late 60s, when he was surveying for the local iron ore quarries.
Back then the trees were only just planted and a couple of feet tall at most, it was a tad breezy up on top.


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## P Bellamy (Jul 8, 2019)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> The asbestos cement sheeted agricultural shelter has nothing to do with with the original site - it is late '50's - early '60's and produced by one of three companies who started up again after WW11.
> 
> As a point of interest asbestos sheeting was not used on buildings in WW11. Asbestos was a far too important commodity for that mundane use - unless the structure was special, and the supplies of it that survived the long wartime sea passages were used in gas protection, engineering insulation and armoured vehicles - to name a few uses. It was the good old Corrugated Iron Sheet that was mandatory choice for building usage. Initial wartime supplies were made from the mountains of low grade 'scrap iron' that was collected, along with the aluminium pans, from every household in the UK. In the late '50's I can remember travelling around the steel working areas of Sheffield with Dad, and seeing mountains of this wartime scrap still standing around. Of very poor grade, it had been no use for wartime production and eventually found its way into reinforcing mesh used in the reconstruction and post war development of our bombed major Cities.



Not entirely true, especially on WWII airfields in the UK.

Virtually every Temporary Brick airfield building had an asbestos cement roof, usually Super Six or Trafford Tile pattern.
Many airfields had Handcraft Hut barracks, entirely of Trofsec asbestos cement sheeting, or the simpler Curved Asbestos Hut, basically a self-supporting asbestos Nissen hut. Larger buildings such as messes and dining halls would have asbestos extractor ventilators on the roof, and asbestos sheeting would be fitted behind pot-belly stoves in non-brick huts.


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