Parachute Store at former RAF West Raynham, Raynham, Norfolk

Summary

Parachute store at the former RAF West Raynham, built between 1936 and 1939.

Description

Parachute store, built between 1936 and 1939, later used as a Fabric Store and now (2022) as an industrial unit.

MATERIALS: built of monolithic poured concrete walls 12 inches thick with steel framed windows and cast iron rain goods throughout. The entrance consists of a steel outer door and timber inner door.

PLAN: rectangular in plan

EXTERIOR: a single storey, rectangular building with a glazed clerestory above. The north-west elevation has a row of three 15-pane steel casement windows with the clerestory lighting above in the form of six-pane open-lights horizontal steel casements. The south-east elevation is blind. The entrance, in the south-west end is formed small concrete porch on the south-west end provides the entrance marked by a steel door. Cast iron rain goods survive throughout.

Interior: internally the building measures 21ft wide, 48ft long with a height of 10ft at the lower level and 16ft into the clerestory. A small lobby at the north-east end is formed by the outer steel door of the entrance and an inner timber door. The lobby ensured the store remained as dust and moisture free as possible.

Fitted in the ceiling of the clerestory level are a series of hooks where parachutes could be hung from their apices. A suspended ceiling has been inserted across the clerestory level, but the hooks remain visible. A long table runs down the centre of the building and would have been used to lay rigging lines whilst parachutes were hung and to fold the parachutes. At the south-west end of the building are two storage rooms, likely to be storage areas for the packed and dried parachutes, away from harmful sunlight.

History

Construction of RAF West Raynham commenced in 1936, as part of the RAF expansion scheme, and officially opened in April 1939. As built, the site conformed to the typical layout of the 'Expansion Period' aerodrome, consisting of a roughly rectangular grass surfaced landing ground with runways in triangular plan, with the technical site, hangars and accommodation blocks grouped close together at the north-west corner; bomb stores were located to the south-east.

Towards the end of the Second World War, the base was identified as the location for the Central Fighter Establishment. For flying control the construction of a new Very Heavy Bomber (VHB) control tower was specified and completed in 1948. Other work included a cannon test butt, additional officers’ single quarters, technical buildings and supporting infrastructure.

Post-war, RAF West Raynham became the RAF's premier fighter development station. The main roles of the Central Fighter Establishment included the development of fighter tactics and aircrew training. The station maintained both an operational and training role until its closure. From the mid-1960s it also accommodated Bloodhound Mk II surface to air guided missiles, located within its own compound on the East side of the airfield. In 1983, it became the main centre for training operators of Rapier, a short-range air defence missile system, and home to units responsible for this system.

The station closed in 1994, although the Ministry of Defence did not dispose of it until 2006. Most of the Bloodhound Missile site has been cleared. The VHB Control Tower was listed at Grade II in 2012 and later converted to a dwelling. Part of the site was converted to a business park.

The parachute store was built between 1936 and 1939. From 1927, parachutes became standard RAF equipment with all aircrew being measured for and issued with their own. Each had to be regularly inspected under the supervision of a senior NCO to ensure that they were fit for service. Each parachute pack was issued with a small card on which was noted the date of the last inspection, details as to whom it was issued, and RAF form 1125 was signed to confirm that the parachute was fit for use.

Condensation was one of the key problems with parachutes, to prevent shrinkage they had to be dried out. It was necessary to remove 6lb of moisture per parachute every 24 hours. A dry atmosphere with constant ventilation and a temperature of between 55 and 65 degrees F was required. The building had to be free of dust and built with a lobby so that the outer door could be closed before the inner was opened. The main room had to have sufficient height to permit parachutes to be suspended by their apices for airing and drying without any part of the silk canopy touching the floor. In this position, rigging lines were placed on a smooth table which ran down the centre of the building. The natural lighting from the windows allowed each parachute to be thoroughly inspected while the storage of the packed parachutes required a blind wall away from harmful sunlight.

In the later years the parachute store was used as the Fabric Store for the station workshops and is now (2022) an industrial unit.

Reasons for Listing

The Parachute Store at RAF West Raynham, built between 1936 and 1939, later used as a Fabric Store and now as an industrial unit is listed at Grade II for the following principle reasons:

Architectural interest:

* although built to a standard design, the distinctive form and moderne design influences illustrates how the RAF was successful in introducing a homogenous architectural quality for post-1934 expansion scheme airfield buildings;
* the parachute store retains all its original fixtures and fittings pertaining to its original use.

Historic interest:

* as well-preserved examples of the building type, encapsulating the aims of the RAF’s expansion scheme in the lead up to the Second World War;
* for its contribution to the overall significance of RAF West Raynham as one of the best-preserved RAF expansion scheme bomber bases, retaining the layout and fabric relating to both 1930s military aviation and the development of Britain's strategic bomber force.

Group value:

* for its strong functional and historic relationship with the surviving airfield buildings generally, particularly the adjacent C-type hangars and watch office, all listed at Grade II.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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