Langham Airfield
1. Control tower and adjacent buildings (TF995421)
2. The remains of a pipeline that runs alongside the runway. Could this be related to FIDO (Fog, Intensive Disposal Of), especially as the airfield is located close to the coast?
3. Part of the airfield runway
4. Dome trainer building used for the instruction of ground to air anti-aircraft gunnery. I believe the building is now protected as a Scheduled monument by English Heritage (TF996418)
| Command - Coastal |
| Formation - 16 Grp [Gillingham] |
| Function - Operational |
| Opened 1940 - Closed 1961 |
| An unfenced road runs directly through Langham Airfield between the villages
of Cockthorpe and Langham allowing observation of a few key buildings which
still remain on site. The airfield is the most northerly of all WWII airfields
in Norfolk and is now used by a well known turkey farmer to rear produce
and access to the majority of the site is, therefore, prohibited.
There are, however, two footpaths which give access to the north and south areas of the airfield. The northern footpath closest to Cockthorpe follows the perimeter track past a dispersal area before heading off to the coastal village of Morston. The southern footpath runs directly across the perimeter track through a small coppice of trees and then through part of the runway before leaving the site towards Binham where the extensive remains of Binham Priory are situated. Returning to the road running through the airfield, it is possible to pull up alongside the dome trainer shown above. A colour photograph in the book 'Round the Clock' by P.Kaplan & J.Currie shows the same structure in a poor condition with the majority of the black render lost. Obviously, at some point during the past, significant restoration (possibly funded by the turkey farmer) has occurred to bring the structure to its current improved state of appearance. The control tower and the adjacent buildings can also be easily viewed from the public highway. |