RAF Barnham

A few weeks ago I joined other CCC members for a trip to the former RAF Barnham.  Now an industrial estate, and a scheduled historic monument, during the 50s/60s, RAF Barnham was one of two storage locations for Blue Danube, Britain's first nuclear bomb.  Blue Danube was a physically large, 'Manhattan Project' era technology, bomb, intended to be delivered by the V-bombers (Valiant's, Victors & Vulcans).  Theses bombs required constant maintenance, hence the central storage.

Inside a double fence, Barnham was roughly pentagonal in layout.  There were three main buildings, each surrounded by an earthwork banking.  These stored and maintained the bomb casings and the high-explosive elements of the weapons.  Additionally, there were 55 small storage buildings, called 'hutches', that held the fissile cores. Today, the two remaining main buildings (one burnt down in the 80s) and the ancillary buildings are used for light industry.  The double fence, guard towers and hutches have been maintained and where possible restored, as part of the obligation to historic monument status.  Three of the four guard towers have been restored to their original condition, as have a couple of the hutches which have had the inner storage safes replaced.  Much of the work has been done by the firms who rent space within the site.