# RAF Culmhead & Upottery & Westonzoyland Wander (PIC HEAVY)



## fluffy5518 (Apr 12, 2011)

Back again !! This time we're orf to the West Country (Bristol actually) where my good ol' buddy 31130 lives.He has just acquired a secondhand 1992 Landrover Defender and wondered if i'd fancy a trip out in it !!! As soon as he said the words 'where shall we go', i had a flash of inspiration.......
RAF Culmhead !!! Unfortunately as time wasn't mega plentiful we decided to concentrate on the NW area of the airfield as this contained some structures that just had to be photographed.So here we go then.....
This is (or was) the original watch office and was converted to the battery room when the new control tower opened with the expansion of the airfield in the early 1940's.





Inside still features the original door and flare cupboard.




The next stop was the later Watch Office/Control Tower (with the early one at the rear)




Inside is now a bit of a mess and a lot of structural damage has occured over the years but it still retains the original paint scheme.
This is the entrance corridor...




...this a downstairs room...




....and this,upstairs in the viewing area.




Now a quick visit to the defence structures on this area of the field.There are 6 Pillboxes in the vacinity (5 intact and one damaged) The 5 intact ones are loosely based on the Type 24 design but are (as far as i'm aware) unique.
Pillboxes 1 and 2.




Pillbox 1.




and showing embrasure from outside and in......still with shutter in situ.








Pillbox 2.




Pillbox 4.




Pillbox 5.




and the all but destroyed pillbox 6.




Many other buildings still survive in this area and these are just a selection......
This (i think) was the main stores.




This a latrine block.




..as (possibly) is this.




Right exit stage left now. Down a couple of miles and over the border into Devon to photograph the Control Tower at RAF Upottery.This one is ringed with barbed wire fences and is gradually being reclaimed by nature.








Last stop coming up and this is RAF Westonzoyland. (I believe) on the Somerset levels near Bridgewater.
Once again time constraints meant that this was another whistle stop visit and was concentrated on the NW side of the site.
Yet another disused Tower.








.....keeping company with the Fire Tender Shed.




Again there are many buildings dotted around the site but they are some of the most heavilly overgrown examples that i have seen (bear in mind that Spring has bearly sprung !!!)
This is the rear of the Parachute store......




....this an AML Bombing Trainer.....




.....and this is possibly the Guard Room.




This building still retains an asbestos lagged hot water boiler -presumably original-




and has what appear to be hinged vents on the external wall.








Well there you have it...all in all an excellent, if somewhat hectic few hours. !!!




Ta-Ta !!!!!
PS Big thanx to 31130 and his monsta of a Landie !! CHEERS MATE !!!


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## Curious Dragon (Apr 12, 2011)

Awesome piccies!!! You sure picked a good day for it, the sky is gorgeous!!

A lot of good buildings there... Overall not fairing to badly.

I have a feeling that if my boyfriend continues to get as interested as me then we could be visiting a fair few Raf related sites soon


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## outkast (Apr 12, 2011)

great pics, looks like you had a fantastic day with some interesting sites visited.


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## krela (Apr 12, 2011)

They're great sites, upottery / churchstanton has got a *lot* more overgrown and tumbledown than the last time I went.

Everyone always misses the best bits of Culmhead though... 

I changed the title to be a bit more descriptive btw.


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## Foxylady (Apr 12, 2011)

krela said:


> ...upottery / churchstanton has got a *lot* more overgrown and tumbledown than the last time I went...


Hasn't it just! There wasn't a fence around it when I went either. 
The second watch office at Culmhead wasn't accessible when I visited. Is the boat still there, fluffy? 
Fab pics. Agree with Krela, though...you missed some great bits.


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## skeleton key (Apr 12, 2011)

Looks like a great day fluffy
and the landrover certainly came in handy 

Some interesting structure there indeed

SK / Neil


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## fluffy5518 (Apr 12, 2011)

krela said:


> Everyone always misses the best bits of Culmhead though...



NOT SO OL' MATEY !!!!! Crawled round the entire site with Newage last year searching desperately for the Battle HQ, which we now know has been demolished !! And, YES, Foxy that bloody boat is still there.....:icon_evil
It never ceases to amaze me just what gets dumped at these sites !!!!!


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## exal66 (Apr 12, 2011)

*Culmhead boat*

I was up at culmhead a few weeks ago experimenting with my new 5d mkII. The boat was quite odd, how the hell did it get there? There were also bits of boat junk left lying around inside the control tower.


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## Curious Dragon (Apr 12, 2011)

That boat is so random!!! Does anyone know it's story?


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## night crawler (Apr 12, 2011)

Nice one Fluffy an excellent report as usual, I especially like the pillboxes.


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## hydealfred (Apr 12, 2011)

Good stuff there Fluff - cant beat a derelict control tower or three - thanks for posting


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## Andymacg (Apr 13, 2011)

ohh pillbox porn 


cracking work there mate


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## Winch It In (Apr 13, 2011)

Another pure class explore Fluffy, what a result finding the shutter still intact on the pillbox.


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## Newage (Apr 13, 2011)

*Pictures*

Mate 

Outstanding, you are starting to get the hang of this photography thing at last. 

Hey Krela 

So whats the "best bits" ?????
Not the defended fighter pens or maybe the anti aircraft gun pit or even the well sexy
intact Nissen hut over the back side of Church stanton ???

Go on let us poor mortals in on the gen 

Cheers Newage


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## Coal Cutter (Apr 20, 2011)

These are great man. I used to work at the CSOS Culmhead station years ago and I cannot remember ever seeing these. Is it on the same site or am I getting confused in my old age?


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## gingrove (Apr 24, 2011)

OK i'm being thick! What does the AML in Bombing trainer stand for ? 
Great Photos Thanks for posting


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## 4737carlin (Apr 26, 2011)

Them embrasures covered are great, dont see many like that


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