Priority 7

RAF Syerston was connected to aviation legends such as Guy Gibson VC, Gus Walker and Bill Reid VC, who were all based there during the war and used the officers’ mess which was built in 1940 for dining, drinking and accommodation. During 11 months at Coningsby and later Syerston Gibson flew 20 more operations. At … Read more

Sleaford ‘Bass’ Maltings was specifically designed to encompass the three key stages in the production of beer. It is easy to imagine just how impressive these buildings must have been in their heyday. The three stages of the beer making process begins with the harvesting of the Barley Malt when the grains are dormant, they … Read more

Following the departure of the RAOC, the depot was occupied by Government departments for a further eighteen years. Some of the buildings were used as a supplies store by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works dispatching furniture and equipment to embassies overseas. Other buildings were used by the Home Office as a transport store. … Read more

Westbrook House School wass Folkestone’s only preparatory school.Founded in 1947 by Kenneth ‘Fozzie’ Foster who hailed from Selby, the school was a dream job that he ran until 1968 (When he retired). It was then taken over by Naill Washington-Jones, who was determined to bring it back into prominence in Kent after years in the … Read more

Orient House (which is actually the name of the sister building to our explore) was built in between 1913 and 1915 as premises of Kettering Industrial Co-operative Society. It was first used for making clothes and then later, for manufacturing packing materials. However, the building ceased to be used and fell into disrepair. After speaking … Read more

The Mental Deficiency Act, gave local County Councils the power to compulsorily detain such certified patients, allowing their segregation from the community. WW1 delayed any progress but by 1919, the Middlesex County Council began to examine various options. In 1920 its Mental Deficiency Committee decided to establish a colony for such patients. 1924 saw the … Read more

The Oriental shopping centre was previously owned by the Yaohan Corporation collapsed, it was then sold to Malaysian owners. The centre contained a large oriental supermarket, and a food court with a range of foods from around South-East Asia. The stalls offered Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese foods. There were also a number … Read more

Thurleigh was one of 28 fields listed for use by the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 4 June 1942, tentatively designated station B-4, and was allocated on 10 August 1942. The RAF had found that the initial construction of Thurleigh was inadequate for the combat weight of B-24 bombers. After the departure of the RAF, … Read more