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| HER Number | MWB23397 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Flag pole, Greenham Common |
|---|
Summary
Flag pole set in a square concrete slab, of later 20th century origin when it was erected alongside the Cold War runway of RAF Greenham Common
Monument Type(s):
- FLAGPOLE (Cold War to Late 20th century - Present - 1967 AD? to 1985 AD?)
Full Description
A flag pole was recorded on Greenham Common during a survey in 2009-10 <1>. It was adjacent to an access road east of the circular hard standings located to the north of the airbase runway cross. The flag pole was made from three tubular sections secured by a bolt to two 'I' beams with large weights at one end near the base (for lowering the pole). The pole is set in a square concrete slab, which is 1.5 metres across. The I beams are stamped "B.S.C. GLENGARNOCK G.T. BRITAIN". They were produced by the British Steel Corporation in the Glengarnock works, which were taken over from Colvilles in 1967 and closed in 1985, according to Grace's Guide on the Glengarnock Iron and Steel Company <2>.
The flag pole is not individually marked on the Fifth Edition OS map of 1970 <3>, but the lines of the circular dispersal areas and the runway are depicted. The pole was sited about 270m to the north of the central part of the runway. The shadow of the pole is visible in vertical aerial photographs of 2003 <4> and 2021 <5>, although in the intervening decades much of the of the hardstanding of the airfield has become vegetated.
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 137. [Unpublished document / SWB148355]
http://www.westcombe.org.uk/appindex.html (Accessed 07/09/2015) |
| <02> | Tweedie, A (founder). 2007-. Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk. Glengarnock Iron and Steel Co. [Website / SWB149365]
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk (Accessed 25/03/2025) |
| <03> | Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14665] |
| <04> | GeoInformation Group. 08/04/2003. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2003 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. 1:7000. [Photograph / SWB146766] |
| <05> | 2021. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2021 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. [Photograph / SWB150450] |
| <06> | Ordnance Survey. 16/05/1998. Sortie OS/98569, Frame 64. Aerial Photo. [Photograph / SWB150855] |
Related Monuments
| MWB6570 | Greenham Common Airbase (RAF Greenham Common) (Monument) |
| MWB17568 | Runway, Greenham Common airbase (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1256 | Historical Environmental Survey and Management Plan for Greenham and Crookham Commons |
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