# RAF Coleby Grange, Lincs, Februrary 2016



## HughieD (Feb 20, 2016)

This was a revisit for me as had a mate with me who had never seen the control tower here before and we were passing, so thought 'why not'. This time made sure I took in the other RAF buildings nearby. Here's the history bit from the first time around.

_RAF Coleby Grange was a World War 2 Royal Air Force station situated alongside the western edge of the A15 between the village of Coleby and Nocton Heath, some 12 km south of Lincoln. It first opened in 1939 as a relief landing ground for RAF Cranwell before being transferred to RAF Digby. It then operated as a fighter and night fighter airfield. Despite this it never had the feel of permanence of its parent station with its three grass runways, temporary Nissen and Quonset huts and solitary Type T1 hanger. The nearby Coleby Hall was commandeered Officers' Mess during the war.

Encircled by concrete perimeter track, by 1944 it boasted 9 hangars and accommodation for around 1800 personal. In August 1944 RAF Digby took on a non-operational role leaving Coleby Grange to combat the threat of night raids in Lincolnshire on its own.

It closed after the war but then re-opened between 1959 and 1963 when it housed a Thor missile unit and three launchers before closing again and the land auctioned off. Most of the buildings have now been demolished and only a small number have been adapted to alternate uses by local farmers. The original air operations control tower and part of a Thor blast wall still stand. Apparently the control tower is reputed to be haunted!_

On with the pix. Let's start with the control tower:


img3774 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3776 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3778 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This was a new addition since my last visit:


img3779 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3782 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3790 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Up top we go...


img3785 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3786 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3793 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On to the other buildings close by:


img3781 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3792 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3795 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This looked like a roofless pillbox:


img3797 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3798 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3799 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3803 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## flyboys90 (Feb 20, 2016)

Great write up and images.


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## fluffy5518 (Feb 20, 2016)

Nice one HughieD. Done this control tower a couple of times now-once by day and once at night (never spotted anything spooky-apart from Newage- and we were aware of the rumours.) Shame theyve put that bloody awful fence around it after all these years. !! However i never realised that there was any other RAF remnants close by, so well done on spotting those !
I think that your pillbox without a roof is possibly part of a defended dispersal pan. Basically if i'm right Dispersal Pans were dotted around the periphary of airfields in order that aircraft could remain on stand-by with their crews ready for a quick scramble if needed. So as well as a Hardstanding for the aircraft,crew accommodation shelters together with Bomb/blast shelters were also required. Here they also have loopholed firing positions littered around which resemble pillboxes. The same as at Kings Cliffe and a few other locations. However i dont think that they are common, so thanx for the pics.


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## krela (Feb 20, 2016)

What fluffy said, it's a dispersal pan, they sometimes have defended points behind them like that.


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## Newage (Feb 20, 2016)

Hi Guys
If you look at the google earth view of CG you will see in the middle of the site some very large
concrete hard standinds and the remains of some big concrete blast wall.

Coleby grange was a THOR missle site.

Look at the layout of North Luffenham and you will see the tell tail shape.

Cheers Newage


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## Jon6D (Feb 20, 2016)

Interesting place and nice post, its funny how you see a lot of tyres dumped at these old abandoned places, may be a good idea to go to your local tyre supply to ask them a list of abandoned places in the area if you can find any because these people know where they all are haha


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## Rubex (Feb 20, 2016)

Nice write up and photos HughieD


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## druid (Feb 20, 2016)

Next to the loop-holed wall there was a picket post near the gateway. In a sorry state at the time of the visit by Newage, Fluffster and tigger. On the opposite side of the gateway is a garage and it uses a handcraft hut as one of the workshops. One of the Thor pads used to be in quite reasonable condition nut under about 20 feet of well rotting organic fertiliser. There were also a couple more fighter pens though only the loopholed wall of one and the concrete hardstandings of both remain. The farmer at that Northern edge was OK about people looking round as long as they asked.
Arco fencing was put up soon after the Newage/Fluffy night posts when the watch office was put up for sale again (yours for around £70,000 if it is still for sale).


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## tazong (Feb 20, 2016)

Nice write up - good photos - thanks for sharing


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## Mikeymutt (Feb 20, 2016)

Great set of this lovely control tower hughie..nice to see you found some other bits too.


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## druid (Feb 20, 2016)

fluffy5518 said:


> ...........(never spotted anything spooky-apart from Newage- and we were aware of the rumours.)



The ghost of Newage



_ILT5427 by Iain Taylor, on Flickr


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## URBANMYTH (Feb 21, 2016)

Very nice some great shots


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