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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.



HER Number MWB22236
Record Type Building
Name Building 280, Greenham Common

Grid Reference SU 492 642
Map Sheet SU46SE
Parish Greenham, West Berkshire
Map:Show location on Streetmap

Summary

Unlisted 20th century building originally used as an electricity sub-station for the Cold War air base, and possibly also for training in fire-fighting

Monument Type(s):

  • ELECTRICITY SUB STATION (Mid 20th century to Late 20th century - Present - 1953 AD? (between) to 1992 AD? (between))
  • TRAINING AREA? (Late 20th century - Present - 1980 AD? (between) to 1992 AD? (between))

Full Description

A landscape survey of Greenham and Crookham Commons <1> identified an electrical sub-station built of concrete breeze blocks with the military number plaque 280. Its main part had a concrete slab roof and a south-western annex had a corrugated roof. At the time of the survey it was being used as a roost for bats. The building is is visible on the 1994 masterplan of RAF Greenham (RAF Greenham Common Masterplan Sheet 6 of 7).

It has also been suggested to have been a training building utilised by the airbase fire brigade to practise building evacuation. A metal mock-up of a plane is sited 50m to the north-west, and this was used in the late 1980s for fire-fighting training.

Sources and further reading

<01>Berkshire Archaeological Services. 2011. Historical Environmental Survey and Management Plan for Greenham and Crookham Commons. 2011 WBC Network. Gazetteer ID 462. [Unpublished document / SWB148355]
http://www.westcombe.org.uk/appindex.html (Accessed 07/09/2015)
<02>Department of the Air Force. 06/09/1988. RAF Greenham Common - Record Site Plan. S 77/89. 1:5000. [Map / SWB14709]

Related Monuments

MWB6570Greenham Common Airbase (RAF Greenham Common) (Monument)
MWB20643Fire plane, RAF Greenham Common (Monument)

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

EWB1256Historical Environmental Survey and Management Plan for Greenham and Crookham Commons