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| HER Number | MWB16505 |
|---|
| Record Type | Building |
|---|
| Name | Blacknest, Brimpton (AWE) |
|---|
Summary
Former country house and farm, a satellite of the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and home to the Forensic Seismology department
Monument Type(s):
- COUNTRY HOUSE (Late 19th century to Second World War - 1880 AD? to 1939 AD?)
- LABORATORY (Mid 20th century to Early 21st century - 1960 AD? to 2050 AD)
- SEISMOLOGY STATION (Mid 20th century to Early 21st century - 1960 AD? to 2050 AD)
Full Description
Blacknest is a house used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment as a centre of seismic research and treaty verification. Scientists of the Forensic Seismology department monitor earthquakes and underground explosions around the world in order to detect any illegal nuclear weapon testing that would contravene the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty <1><2><3><4>.
Work by Atkins on the characterisation of the three AWE sites <5> highlights the developments that Blacknest has been at the forefront of, although its surviving country house character is in sharp contrast to the 20th century purpose built military buildings at Aldermaston and Burghfield.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Hawkings, D J. 2000. Keeping the Peace - The Aldermaston Story. p68. [Monograph / SWB12980] |
| <02> | pre 2006. AWE Official Website. http://www.awe.co.uk/main_site/about_awe/history/. Accessed 22/05/2006. [Website / SWB14713]
http://www.awe.co.uk/aboutus/our_history_f77a4.html (Accessed 02/04/2012) |
| <03> | AWE plc. 2005. AWE Aldermaston & Burghfield - Site Development Context Plan 2005-2015. [Unpublished document / SWB14714] |
| <04> | AWE plc. 2002. The AWE Aldermaston Site Development Strategy Plan. [Unpublished document / SWB14715] |
| <05> | Atkins. 2007. AWE Aldermaston, Burghfield and Blacknest - Historic Characterisation and Management Strategy. 2007 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB147193] |
| <06> | Brimpton Parish Research Association. 1999. The Brimpton Story - History of a West Berkshire Parish. p128-9. [Monograph / SWB12971] |
Related Monuments
| MWB17508 | Blacknest Farm (Monument) |
| MWB16503 | Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Monument) |
| MWB16504 | Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB966 | AWE Aldermaston, Burghfield and Blacknest - Historic Characterisation and Management Strategy |
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