THE AVIONICS BUILDING

THE AVIONICS BUILDING, ALCONBURY AIRFIELD

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II*
List Entry Number:: 1392251
Date first listed:: 10-Sep-2007
List Entry Name:: THE AVIONICS BUILDING
Statutory Address:: THE AVIONICS BUILDING, ALCONBURY AIRFIELD

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II*
List Entry Number:: 1392251
Date first listed:: 10-Sep-2007
List Entry Name:: THE AVIONICS BUILDING
Statutory Address 1:: THE AVIONICS BUILDING, ALCONBURY AIRFIELD

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: THE AVIONICS BUILDING, ALCONBURY AIRFIELD

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Cambridgeshire
District:: Huntingdonshire (District Authority)
Parish:: The Stukeleys
National Grid Reference:: TL 21566 76882

Details

49/0/10007,

ALCONBURY, ALCONBURY AIRFIELD, The Avionics Building

10-SEP-07

II*

The Avionics building, constructed c. 1989 by US Air Force, is a two storey, partly sunken reinforced concrete bunker, rectangular in plan. The building accommodates a drive-through access roadway and is capped with a rough concrete buster cap designed to absorb the impact of a missile before penetrating the bunker's roof.

INTERIOR: The purpose of the avionics building was to service the electronic components of reconnaissance aircraft and process the data retrieved. The interior of the building housed life support systems, stainless steel decontamination rooms, electronics workshops, photographic dark rooms, handling and storage areas. It is protected internally by subterranean 'portcullis' type blast doors on a hydraulic release mechanism. By the main doors are a suite of decontamination rooms and male and female toilets. An internal vehicular decontamination facility is also present. Large rooms on the lower floor housed the computers (now removed) where the data was downloaded and analysed. One of these rooms has a painted motto 'Aircrews live by the knowledge, skill, awareness and integrity of their maintenance people' over the door. A unique feature is the system for maintaining air pressure in the case of attack, by the use of compressed air cylinders on the lower floor, still present. All fixtures and fittings apart from the air cylinders and generators, floor surfaces, wall panelling and doors have been removed.

HISTORY: Land for an airfield at Alconbury was first acquired in 1938 as a satellite landing ground for RAF Upwood and when war broke out, the base was used by Blenheims from RAF Wyton. As part of the US 8th Air Force, it fulfilled a variety of roles until being handed back to the RAF in November 1945. In June 1953, the base was reactivated for the US 3rd Air Force and from 1959, Alconbury assumed its principal Cold War role as the home to various reconnaissance squadrons. In 1983, U2/TR-1 spy planes were permanently based at Alconbury, resulting in the construction of a number of hardened structures including the Avionics building and a number of Hardened Aircraft Shelters which have group value. Following the cessation of the Cold War, flying ceased in March 1995 and the base was released for disposal.

SOURCES. RCHME/English Heritage 'MPP Cold War Survey' 1999. Cocroft, W.D and Thomas, R.J.C 'Cold War, Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989', English Heritage, 2003.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The hardened Avionics building at Alconbury airfield was constructed by the US Air Force in 1989. It is a very rare surviving example of this building type, and along with other buildings from this period, represents the physical manifestation of the global division between capitalism and communism that shaped the history of the late 20th century. The Avionics building is unique amongst the few such buildings in England, because of its size, form and internal survival of the vehicular decontamination unit and compressed air re-pressurising system. It is uniquely associated with the U2/TR1 aircraft, stationed only at Alconbury. As one of the last Cold War structures built in the country, it is the most sophisticated hardened structure remaining and as such has very special architectural and historic interest.

Listing NGR:TL2156676882

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 502671
Legacy System:: LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.