West Raynham Control Tower

18/01/2026

We recently came across a gentleman who had stopped off at the airfield to reminisce.
David Ainge last arrived at RAF West Raynham on 2nd January 1966 to join 1(F) Squadron.
We welcomed him in for a chat and we have since been entrusted with a fascinating personal account of the squadron's activities here during that time.
David's exploits included Operation Mop Up (the Torrey Canyon incident) and being grilled upon his return to West Raynham after his wingman had his infamous excursion under Tower Bridge!
We will reproduce his account for visitors to read when we are able to reopen for events. The photos below give a taste of the fantastic insight we now have into daily life within 1 Sqn at that time.

In the meantime, it's back to floorboarding!

27/11/2025

The Gaffer passed away today following a sharp downturn in his health following a prolonged illness.
Shell's Uncle, Brian Coote was a real stalwart of the tower restoration, making sure we didn't slack on a weekend, as well as teaching us many skills.
His experience and enthusiasm gave us the confidence to take on jobs which we otherwise would have considered to be beyond our capabilities.
All of this when many retirees would have been putting their feet up!
We'll miss Brian and we will be forever in his debt.

We extend our sincere condolences to Jen, the rest of the family and all those who loved him.

Rest in peace Brian, we know you'll be supervising us from somewhere. We promise not to give up after you put so much of your time and passion into this unique building.

Brian spent the end of his life at Tapping House.
We would be grateful if you could consider a small donation to help them continue their important work.
https://tappinghouse.org.uk/support-us/donate/

02/11/2025

The dark art of conduit bending, cutting to length, and drainage installation continues.

Once the floor boards are laid, all of this will be inaccessible. Fingers crossed that our measurements are correct!

Ingress protection also has to be considered. The trunking cannot run under the bathroom area due to not being sufficiently water resistant. In these areas, where circuits pass under the floor, only conduit meets the protection levels required in case a spill occurs.

09/10/2025

We've got the Jewson lot!
We aren't sure how many of you remember that TV advert, but what we are sure of is that taking this lot upstairs won't be fun!
Many thanks to Jewsons Fakenham for a great deal and a quick delivery of our T&G redwood floorboards.
All 1512 metres of them. That's not far shy of a mile of floorboards in old money.😮

05/10/2025

More expensive shiny stuff going into the building, never to be seen again!
At least this time the electrical trunking and conduit under the floor should last longer than what was removed.
Water leaks caused a lot of rusting of the original installation. The new components are all galvanised and should last indefinitely in the new water-tight environment.

26/09/2025

With the chill of Winter becoming more obvious as the days shorten and the geese fly South, we look back to the last decent snowfall we experienced at the former station. It was a great excuse to get the camera out.
Even decrepit buildings take on a new life after a good sprinkling of snow!

22/09/2025

What a find, and great to see another Mk9 saved and under restoration!

We’ve rescued something really special – a Thornycroft Nubian Major RAF fire engine that’s been parked up and forgotten for the last 10 years.Armed with litt...

17/09/2025

32 years later, we are still repairing fire damage!
These floor joists are being replaced due to fire damage and rot.
The fire occurred in the early nineties. A call to the Fire Section informed them that the tower was on fire.
The response initially was rather dismissive due to the Fire Section actually being at the Tower, however a quick walk outside and look up soon confirmed the emergency call wasn't a hoax.🙂

05/08/2025

The second part of Craig's visit highlights some of the many surviving buildings here as well as a great story about a time when the Red Arrows were upstaged once at RAF Lyneham!
You can't beat the stories told over a beer and a camp fire!🙂
Some of Craig's Escapade outdoors products are also showcased.

https://www.escapade4x4.co.uk/

https://youtu.be/x_KPpD3OANE?si=Ay2MPKq4qSX5lWwK

Today I have been mostly.... camping at RAF West Raynham in my Ex-Army Sn**ch land Rover with Jet my Boarder Collie. Reliving my time in the Royal Air Force,...

26/07/2025

Our neighbours at the RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre need your help.
It has been in the planning for a while, but the centre has been offered the replica F-5 from RAF Alconbury.
They need support to help lift and shift the aircraft to its new home at Sculthorpe.
Please donate, or alternatively boost their funds by visiting the centre during one of their events.

19/07/2025

An eerie low fog rolls across the airfield tonight