RAF West Raynham

RAF West Raynham is an abandoned RAF air base in the heart of Norfolk. It was opened in 1939 after an expansion of the RAF in the UK. It is made up of a grassed airstrip, technical site, hangars, a bomb store, accomodation blocks and two concrete runways. It lies abandoned and partly derelict now but is an almost complete example of a pre World War Two aerodrome as it is well preserved and most buildings have survived. It was used during WW2 as a bomber command airfield. RAF Great Massingham and Sculthorpe were built nearby soon after in support of Raynham.
The site was closed in 1994 and was held by the MOD until 2004. The housing on the base has been refurbished and sold off and the technical area of the site has been converted to a business park with the C-Type hangars being used for industrial purposes. The officers mess, Airmen's restaurant and accommodation blocks remain derelict. We were able to roam freely around the site to take the photos below but we couldn't get into any of the accommodation blocks or many of the buildings. I only managed to get into what I believe is the boiler room, which remains in pretty good condition, the boilers, tanks and controls are still there. The only tell-tale sign of it no longer being in service is the peeling paint on the walls and the layers of dust everywhere! I saw the Sports and Social club, the Chapel, the restaurant, the accomodation blocks, some of which appear to be in use for businesses, as well as unknown (to me) buildings and storehouses, but all were securely locked thankfully. I found it quite eerie and scary wandering around where many people once stood! We managed to find our way to the control tower from across the runway but as it is now residential, we declined to go any further. The roads around the site are very good because there are various businesses on site, some occupy the hangars and warehouse buildings near the runways, with others just dotted about in the old buildings. Perhaps another visit is in order to explore further, as we only touched the surface! The pictures below were taken in August 2019.