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- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
RAF Saltby is an ex-World War II airfield in Leicestershire, located in-between Melton Mowbray and Grantham. Its eastern end pushes it across the border into Lincolnshire by a few hundred metres. It opened in 1941 as a grass strip and surrounding support buildings until a year later when it was up-graded to Class A airfield standards with three converging concrete runways. It was used by both the RAF and the US Army Air Forces with RAF Vickers Wellingtons first to fly out of it. It was used primarily as a transport airfield and closed after the war and kept in reserve until 1955. The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen huts and included mess facilities, a chapel, hospital and armoury and bombsite storage amongst other buildings. An ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track and surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens. At its peak it accommodated up to 2100 staff members and boasted five hangars which were used to store 32 Horse gliders in 1943.
On its release from military use in 1955, much of the airfield was returned to agriculture. Today, a large amount of the airfield is intact, including almost the entire main runway remains, utilised by the Buckminster Gliding Club for gliding, motor gliding and glider aerobatics.
2. The Explore
Seem to be on a bit of a WWII roll at the moment. A revisit from when I covered it a few years ago. This former RAF base is pretty much off the radar and few reports crop up. It might be down to the fact it isn’t a spectacular site and the bits that remain are dispersed over quite a large area. A lot of key buildings have been demolished (such as the old control tower) but there’s still enough to hold your attention for a couple of hours or so. I still have vivid memories of when I was a child cycling out to the base and there being more higher-slung buildings still standing than there currently is. The most striking thing about the site today is perhaps the number of intact and pretty pristine stanton shelters dotted over the area.
3. The Photos
Let’s start with the base’s water purification plant. Completely hidden from the road in a coppice in the middle of a field and barely visible from Google Maps, this bit of the base gets overlooked. Nothing amazing but some quite interesting shapes:
img0962 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0959 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0958 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0957 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0955 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0952 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nature has reclaimed the crumbling red-brick structures:
img0950 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0949 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0947 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0951 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Further up the road is a number of demoed buildings but many Stanton shelters remain:
img0965bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0966 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0969 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0973 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0974 by HughieDW, on Flickr
This one wasn’t quite so lucky:
img0978 by HughieDW, on Flickr
One of a number of remaining RAF pattern blast shelters:
img0979 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0981 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0985 by HughieDW, on Flickr
An old water tower:
img7262_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Not too sure what this is:
img7258_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
On the inside:
img0988 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More building bases:
img0989 by HughieDW, on Flickr
…and blast shelters:
img0991 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And more Stanton shelters:
img7273_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img7268_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img8631_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img8625_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img8624_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
RAF Saltby is an ex-World War II airfield in Leicestershire, located in-between Melton Mowbray and Grantham. Its eastern end pushes it across the border into Lincolnshire by a few hundred metres. It opened in 1941 as a grass strip and surrounding support buildings until a year later when it was up-graded to Class A airfield standards with three converging concrete runways. It was used by both the RAF and the US Army Air Forces with RAF Vickers Wellingtons first to fly out of it. It was used primarily as a transport airfield and closed after the war and kept in reserve until 1955. The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen huts and included mess facilities, a chapel, hospital and armoury and bombsite storage amongst other buildings. An ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track and surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens. At its peak it accommodated up to 2100 staff members and boasted five hangars which were used to store 32 Horse gliders in 1943.
On its release from military use in 1955, much of the airfield was returned to agriculture. Today, a large amount of the airfield is intact, including almost the entire main runway remains, utilised by the Buckminster Gliding Club for gliding, motor gliding and glider aerobatics.
2. The Explore
Seem to be on a bit of a WWII roll at the moment. A revisit from when I covered it a few years ago. This former RAF base is pretty much off the radar and few reports crop up. It might be down to the fact it isn’t a spectacular site and the bits that remain are dispersed over quite a large area. A lot of key buildings have been demolished (such as the old control tower) but there’s still enough to hold your attention for a couple of hours or so. I still have vivid memories of when I was a child cycling out to the base and there being more higher-slung buildings still standing than there currently is. The most striking thing about the site today is perhaps the number of intact and pretty pristine stanton shelters dotted over the area.
3. The Photos
Let’s start with the base’s water purification plant. Completely hidden from the road in a coppice in the middle of a field and barely visible from Google Maps, this bit of the base gets overlooked. Nothing amazing but some quite interesting shapes:
img0962 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0959 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0958 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0957 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0955 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0952 by HughieDW, on FlickrNature has reclaimed the crumbling red-brick structures:
img0950 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0949 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0947 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0951 by HughieDW, on FlickrFurther up the road is a number of demoed buildings but many Stanton shelters remain:
img0965bw by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0966 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0969 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0973 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0974 by HughieDW, on FlickrThis one wasn’t quite so lucky:
img0978 by HughieDW, on FlickrOne of a number of remaining RAF pattern blast shelters:
img0979 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0981 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0985 by HughieDW, on FlickrAn old water tower:
img7262_1 by HughieDW, on FlickrNot too sure what this is:
img7258_1 by HughieDW, on FlickrOn the inside:
img0988 by HughieDW, on FlickrMore building bases:
img0989 by HughieDW, on Flickr…and blast shelters:
img0991 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd more Stanton shelters:
img7273_1 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg7268_1 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg8631_1 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg8625_1 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg8624_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr
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