The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read
the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our
online HER enquiry form.
This site is designated as being of national importance and is afforded additional protection. Consult West Berkshire Council's Archaeology team if more information or advice is needed.
| HER Number | MWB15799 |
|---|
| Record Type | Building |
|---|
| Name | Combat Support Company Building 273, Greenham Common airbase |
|---|
Summary
Grade II listed Cold War building intended to provide protected accommodation for key personnel
Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status
- Listed Building (II) 1419547: Former Combat Support Building (Building 273), Greenham Common
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
The hardened Combat Support Building was built in the late 1980s. The building's purpose was to provide protected accommodation for around 100 personnel, who would be immediately available, even after a conventional, biological or chemical attack, to defend the base against infiltration. It contributes to the early 1980s character of the southwest corner of the airfield, which was redeveloped for cruise missiles.<1> Its colloquial name of 'The Armoury' also reflected the fact that weaponry for the soldiers would also have been stored here.
The former Combat Support building was listed at Grade II in 2014, because of its political, historic and architectural interest as well as its group value with the cruise missile shelters and support buildings of the Scheduled GAMA site and also the listed Control Tower and adjacent Wing Headquarters building <5>. It was also noted that it may be a unique design: no examples of comparable buildings are known from other Cold War airfields <5>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Cocroft, W. 2000. Former RAF Greenham Common. [Unpublished document / SWB12876] |
| <02> | RCHME. 1994. Historic Building Report: Greenham Common Airbase, Greenham, Berkshire. NBR No 93234. 2021 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB12267] |
| <03> | English Heritage. 2001. Cold War Monuments: an assessment by the Monuments Protection Programme. 2016 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB147883] |
| <04> | CgMs. 2006. Historic Building Record in respect of Former RAF/USAF Greenham Common Base, New Greenham Park, Near Newbury, Berkshire. CgMs Ref IF/JL 4020. 2018 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB14710] |
| <05> | Historic England (previously English Heritage). 2011-present. The National Heritage List for England (NHLE). 01/08/2012. 1419547. [Website / SWB12648]
http://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/ (Accessed 06/02/2019) |
Related Monuments
| MWB6570 | Greenham Common Airbase (RAF Greenham Common) (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1121 | Cold War Monuments: an assessment by the Monuments Protection Programme |
| EWB884 | Historic Building Record in respect of Former RAF/USAF Greenham Common Base, New Greenham Park (Ref: IF/JL 4020) |
| EWB858 | Historic Building Report: Greenham Common Airbase, Greenham, Berkshire (Ref: NBR No 93234) |
If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.