Information for record number MWA8029:
RAF Long Marston

Summary A Second World War RAF airfield. It was in use up to 1944 and intermittently thereafter until the late 1960s. It is situated 1km north east of Long Marston.
What Is It?  
Type: Airfield
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Long Marston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 17 48
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Built on 426 acres, the runways were mostly of tarmac laid over ash and yellowstone. The original buildings included two large hangers and one smaller. Large areas of steel square mesh track were laid beside the runways in 1944 to stop stray aircraft becoming bogged down if they left the runway. Was a satellite to RAF Honeybourne. Closed at the end of WW2 but was reopened during the Korean War. Closed to flying 1954 and was reopened to light aircraft in the late 1960s. The few hard areas, dispersal pads and the end of one runway were taken up in the 1970s.
2 Three vertical air photographs.
3 Planned as a satellite station for RAF Honeybourne, and was under construction from late 1940 through most of 1941. Three tarmac runways were constructed in the standard A configuration, with one measuring 1500 yards and the other two 1100 yards each. Twenty seven hardstandings were laid down and three hangars erected - two Type T2s and a single B1. Temporary living and technical huts were installed to accomadate the 1000 or so permanent staff. A large communal sites along with four dispersed sites and a separate WAAF domestic site were situated well away to the East of the airfield (see MWA19272). Detailed information.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: Aerial photograph
Author/originator:
Date: 1946
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Fifty years of changing land use
Author/originator: Freeman, H
Date: 1989
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Airfields in the Second World War
Author/originator: Smith G
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument HARD * A firm beach or foreshore used for landing and loading of ships and other vessels. In more recent times hards have been reinforced with concrete. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument RUNWAY * A hard level roadway or other surface from which aircraft take off and land. back
monument DOMESTIC SITE * Sites used for the accommodation, welfare and recreation of servicemen, especially those serving in the Royal Air Force. Use only for sites associated with military installations. For non-military sites use DOMESTIC class and its narrower terms. back
monument DISPERSAL * An area of hardstanding for parking aircraft, in a state of readiness, usually around the perimeter of an airfield. back
monument HUT * A building of basic construction, usually smaller in size than a house and constructed from a variety of materials such as mud, turf, branches, wood, brick, concrete or metal. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument DISPERSED SITE * Accommodation and facilities for aircrew away from the main RAF airfield. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument AIRCRAFT * An aircraft, either whole or in part. Aircraft often survive as commemorative monuments, gate guardians or crash sites. back
monument AIRFIELD * An area or site used for the landing and take-off of aircraft, often including associated buildings, equipment and other installations. back
monument HANGAR * A large shed for the housing of aircraft, etc. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record