Buildings 7, 8, 9 and 13 (Airmen's Barracks)

BUILDINGS 7, 8, 9 AND 13 (AIRMEN'S BARRACKS)

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

Explore this list entry

Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1392875
Date first listed:
01-Dec-2005
List Entry Name:
Buildings 7, 8, 9 and 13 (Airmen's Barracks)
Statutory Address:
BUILDINGS 7, 8, 9 AND 13 (AIRMEN'S BARRACKS)
User submitted image
Contributed by Kamil Boehm This photo may not represent the current condition of the site. Over 400,000 images and stories have been added to the Missing Pieces Project so far. Share your story.
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places. 

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Icon Buildings
Icon Scheduled monuments
Icon Parks and gardens
Icon Battlefields
Icon Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Local Heritage Hub

Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.

Discover more

Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1392875
Date first listed:
01-Dec-2005
List Entry Name:
Buildings 7, 8, 9 and 13 (Airmen's Barracks)
Statutory Address 1:
BUILDINGS 7, 8, 9 AND 13 (AIRMEN'S BARRACKS)

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

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

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

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

Location

Statutory Address:
BUILDINGS 7, 8, 9 AND 13 (AIRMEN'S BARRACKS)

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

County:
Cambridgeshire
District:
South Cambridgeshire (District Authority)
Parish:
Whittlesford
County:
Cambridgeshire
District:
South Cambridgeshire (District Authority)
Parish:
Thriplow and Heathfield
National Grid Reference:
TL 45680 46270, TL 45716 46223, TL 45772 46322, TL 45795 46269

Details

WHITTLESFORD

1767/0/10017 NORTH CAMP, IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (FORME 01-DEC-05 R RAF DUXFORD) Buildings 7, 8, 9 and 13 (Airmen's Bar racks)

GV II Group of 4 barracks buildings. 1933. By the Air Ministry's Directorate of Works and Buildings. Drawing Nos 7651/32 (7,8,9) and 461/32 (13). Stretcher bond red brick in cavity walling, slate roof on steel trusses. Concrete floors.

PLAN: Two- storey blocks with central entrance and staircase hall flanked by small rooms for corporals, and larger dormitory spacers, accommodating 4 NCO's and 56 airmen in the smaller units, and 4 NCO's and 64 airmen in the larger block (Building 13). To the rear, centre, a slightly lower hipped service wing.

EXTERIOR: Windows are all wood glazing-bar sashes, to brick voussoirs, and with cast stone sub-sills. The front has central 3 bays slightly stepped forward and with a small barred oculus within a closed pediment, above 8:12:8-pane sashes, with central paired panelled door to plain over-light in stone pilaster surround with cornice and blocking course - the date 1933 carved above doors. To each side an 8-pane. At either side in the main range are two 12-pane to each floor (but 3 each side to Building 13). The end gables have a closed pediment with oculus, above 8:12:8-pane to each floor, and the back has three 12-pane to each floor (four to Building 13), each side of the service wing, which has a vertical 8-pane adjacent to the main range, and two small 6-pane (8-pane to Building 13) at each floor. The outer end has a small light above a large louvred door to a battery room. The gabled ends have 'rusticated' quoins formed by recessing, for 2 brick widths, 1 course in every 5. A small flat eaves soffit all round has a small fascia and cornice mould or ogee-gutter to regulate cast-iron downpipes.

INTERIORS: Some doors and joinery survive, with central staircase, otherwise remodelled for storage purposes.

HISTORY: The architectural treatment of these buildings reflect, in their careful detailing and proportions, the impact of Air Ministry consultation with the Royal Fine Arts Commission, who were involved in airfield architecture and design after November 1931. Detail is economical, but carefully considered and carried out, with attention given to overall grouping and proportions, reflecting the impact of the RFAC monitoring of military architecture. Externally these buildings remain unchanged. They are grouped, one block each side of the parade ground (8 and 9), and one each side of the Institute (Building 6, qv). Duxford represents the finest and best-preserved example of a fighter base representative of the period up to 1945 in Britain, with an exceptionally complete group of First World War technical buildings in addition to technical and domestic buildings typical of both inter-war Expansion Periods of the RAF. It also has important associations with the Battle of Britain and the American fighter support for the Eighth Air Force. For more details of the history of the site see under entry for the Officers' Mess (Building 45).

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
500318
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.

Ordnance survey map of Buildings 7, 8, 9 and 13 (Airmen's Barracks)

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 22-Jun-2026 at 23:28:47.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Previous Overview
Next Comments and Photos