Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire

A Building and Photographic Survey

for Stepnell Ltd

by Peter Reeves and Clare Challis  

Wardell Armstrong and 

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code RHA03/85

October 2003

i

Summary

Site name: Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire Grid reference: SP 8848 0950 Site activity: Building Recording Date and duration of project: 9-10th September 2003 Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Peter Reeves Site code: RHA 03/85 Area of site: 3551 sq m Summary of results: Four Air Raid shelters dating from the Second World War were found to have been unused. The structures were in a good state of repair for recording. Monuments identified: Air raid shelters. Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at Buckinghamshire County Museum in due course. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 02/10.03 Steve Preston 02.10.03

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Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire A Building and Photographic Survey

by Peter Reeves and Clare Challis

Report 03/85a

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological building recording carried out at Henderson Mess, RAF

Halton, Buckinghamshire (SP 8848 0950) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Dave Mawby, Stepnell

Ltd, Cane Lane, Grove, Wantage, OX12 0AB. Planning consent has been granted by Aylesbury Vale District

Council for the extension and refurbishment of Henderson Mess. As a condition of this application an

archaeological building recording is to take place during groundworks.

This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology

and Planning (PPG16 1990) and Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15 1994), and the District policies

on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr David Radford of

Buckinghamshire County Archaeological Service. The fieldwork was undertaken by Peter Reeves of Wardell

Armstrong and Clare Challis of Thames Valley Archaeological Services on 9th and 10th September 2003 and

the site code is RHA03/85. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading

and will be deposited at Buckinghamshire County Museum in due course. .

A watching brief also required as part of the planning consent following the building survey will be

reported on separately (Hammond 2003).

Location, topography and geology

The site lies to the north east of Wendover and the disused Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal passes the

site to the west (Fig. 1).The shelters are located on the eastern side of the Halton RAF camp to the east of the

parade ground in an area of currently unused grassland (Figs. 2 and 3). The underlying geology is Lower Chalk

(BGS 1990) and this was also observed on site. The site lies at approximately 170-175m above Ordnance Datum.

Archaeological background

It is thought that the shelters were constructed during the Second World War, the majority of air raid shelters

were constructed in the period 1939 – 1941. It is known that the entrances to the shelters and the escape exits at

the rear of each shelter were blocked up in 1985. The railings that would have prevented personnel from falling

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down the entrance steps were cut off at ground level and placed within the shelter entrances prior to their being

sealed up (Fig. 3).

Objectives and methodology

The specific aims of the survey were:

(i) To record those surviving components of the buildings prior to the complete demolition

(ii) To describe the development of the structures

(iii) To highlight the most important historical components of the buildings

The standing building survey involved two methods of study. These were:

A descriptive text of the materials and methods of construction used in the building. The description was

also to cover the chronological development of and alteration(s) to the building.

A photographic record of the building covering each of the rooms and important features was undertaken.

The photographic record utilizes colour slides, colour print and black and white print in 35mm format.

The descriptions of the shelters are based on those used in the Defence of Britain project and as all the

shelters are identical one is described in detail and the others have notes where slight differences in construction

or state of preservation were noted.

Photographic conditions were very difficult. Therefore due to the similarity of all the shelters, one was

photographed extensively the others were photographed only to show more complete features or degradation.

Results

The results are set out with reference to Figure 4. The entire photographic record is catalogued in Appendices 1

(Colour prints) 2 (Colour slides) and 3 (monochrome contact prints).

All the shelters are of an ‘Anderson’ type. The main structural elements are a rough concrete floor above

which are set conjoined curved corrugated iron sheets. The ‘chamber’ created by the sheets measures 8m by

2.95m and has a central height of 1.7m (Fig. 5 and Pl. 4). The rear of the chamber contains an escape shaft to the

surface set in the middle of the roof (Plate 3). The square shaft is formed of a reinforced iron collar surrounded

by cement. Access to the escape hatch from within the shelter was provided by a simple iron ladder bolted to the

side of the escape shaft collar. On the surface a simple iron hatch cover that was either lifted up from above or

pushed up from below covered the shaft. The depth of ground above the shelters was 0.80m.

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Shelter 1

Unlike the other three shelters located to the south shelter 1 is orientated along a north-south alignment. The

‘Anderson’ shelter is 8.10m long, has a width of 2.95m and the central height (top of the curving roof) is 1.70m

above the concrete floor.

The floor consists of rough concrete which has not been ‘finished’ to give a smooth surface. To prevent

movement of the galvanized corrugated iron sheets they are held in place by the construction of concrete lips

along the long sides of the shelter. The shelter is buttressed against the surrounding soil at either end through the

use of vertical cast iron reinforcing bars.

The steps leading into the shelter descend at a right angle to the doorway and are constructed from

concrete, the retaining wall housing the steps is constructed with concrete blocks.

A small standard road drain is placed at the foot of the steps to collect rainwater falling in the access

passage, which prior to blocking would have been open.

The blast door constructed of heavy cast iron is not in situ and rests against the outside of the shelter in the

stairwell. The door is very heavily corroded by damp and one of the two simple latches is missing. A folded pile

of badly decayed heavy brown fabric discarded in the centre of the concrete floor may be the original blast

curtain that was suspended on the inside of the blast door.

The entrance steps from the surface are blocked by cast iron railings so detailed inspection of the area was

impossible. These railings would have protected personnel from tumbling into the open stairway, these were cut

off at ground level and dumped in the stairwell when the shelters were capped eighteen years ago (Plate 2).

In the centre of the roof to the rear of the shelter an escape hatch is reached via a simple runged ladder

made of iron. The escape opening measures 0.75m by 0.60m and is 0.80m below the external ground surface.

The escape shaft is lined with a heavily corroded cast iron collar set in concrete. The surface opening was

protected by a cast iron hatch but this is missing.

The interior of the shelter had been used for disposal of rubbish from the base.

Shelter 2

Identical to shelter 1 but orientated along an east-west axis. The height of the shelter is 1.65m and is the lowest

of the four shelters studied. The access stairs are located at the west end of the shelter and the steps rise to the

north.

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The shelter is in pristine condition and empty of rubbish. The shelter has the appearance of never being

used. The blast door is intact with very little corrosion and both turn latches are in place (Plate 1). The blast

curtain appears to have been torn from the door in the past.

As with the previous shelter the railings preventing personnel falling into the open access stairway have

been cut at ground level and dumped in the stairwell prior to capping. The concrete capping is failing and the

covering slabs are in a dangerous condition.

The surface cover for the escape hatch is intact and in situ.

Shelter 3

The layout of this shelter is identical to Shelter 2. The maximum height of the shelter is 1.8m making it the

highest of the four studied.

Subtle differences in the concrete lip and floor suggest that this shelter was hurriedly constructed, the

concrete is significantly coarser than observed elsewhere and the surrounding lips are wider and less square than

observed elsewhere.

The whole shelter may have been completed before the concrete set properly. The north side of the

Anderson shelter is bulging inward as though the side has shifted outward. The stairwell exhibits severe cracking

and appears to be subsiding in its south-west corner.

Shelter 3 contains some rubbish below the escape shaft at the eastern end.

Shelter 4

Shelter 4 is identical in size to the other three observed on site and its orientation is the same as that observed for

Shelters 2 and 3.

Due to blocking up of the access stairs entrance into the air raid shelters can only be gained through the

escape shafts. During removal of the concrete slab covering the entrance to shelter 4 the iron collar was badly

damaged and access is difficult and dangerous (Plate 5). The shelter is filled with a lot of rubbish and appears to

have been used as a den.

Shelter 4 will be missed by the proposed new development.

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Chronological Development

All the structures recorded are single-phase construction and the group was almost certainly constructed at the

same time.

A construction pit would have been excavated and levelled. The concrete floor would have been set out and

the ‘Anderson’ shelter lowered into the pit. The concrete steps and access corridor would then have been

constructed to line up with the door and the escape shaft attached to the roof at the rear of the shelter. The shelter

would then have been covered with the excavated spoil.

The appearance of all the shelters on the site suggests that they were never used neither were they

furnished.

A second phase of activity occurred when the shelters were decommissioned in 1985. The railings

surrounding the entrances were cut off at ground level and thrown down the entrance steps. The steps were then

covered in concrete slabs, the gap between the top step and the base of the slab was bricked up. The escape hatch

to the rear of the shelter was covered with a single cast slab of concrete.

Conclusion

All the shelters are in a good state of repair although the cast iron blast doors are severely corroded. Shelter 2 is

in the best state of preservation and the most intact.

The shelters are standard ‘Anderson’ type shelters constructed in the early days of the war to protect base

personnel from Luftwaffe attacks. With the development of new munitions the shelters have become obsolete

and were sealed up eighteen years ago.

The shelters are not important as historical structures and comprise four out of 130 shelters that were

constructed on this base. Internally none of the shelters recorded contained furnishings or fittings. None of the

shelters contained any cultural artefacts contributing to the social history of the base during wartime.

Shelters 1, 2 and 3 will be completely removed by the proposed development. Shelter 4 is located to the

south of the proposed retaining wall surrounding the mess extension and is unlikely to be impacted upon during

construction.

The fifth shelter is located to the east of the site boundary and will not be affected by the extension to the

mess hall.

It should be noted that approximately 130 shelters are located around the air base and that the majority of

these will be identical to those recorded above. It is recommended that further discoveries should warrant in the

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first instance no more than confirmation that they are identical to the shelters described above. Detailed

photography and recording should only be afforded to those shelters demonstrating a differing function or to

shelters containing furnishings, fittings or containing artefacts of social history value.

References BGS, 1990, British Geological Survey, 1:50,000, Sheet 238, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Hammond, S, 2003, ‘Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, an archaeological watching brief’,

Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 03/85b, Reading PPG15, 1994, Planning and the Historic Environment, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 15,

HMSO PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO

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APPENDIX 1: Catalogue of Colour Print Photographs Cat. No Description Scale Note 1 Hatch, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West facing 2 Hatch, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West facing 3 Doorway, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East facing 4 Doorway, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East facing 5 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East facing 6 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East facing 7 Interior, Shelter 3 West facing 8 Interior, Shelter 3 West facing 9 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East facing 10 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East facing 11 Stairwell, Shelter 3 1x1.0m Looking North 12 Stairwell, Shelter 3 1x1.0m Looking North 13 Overland, Shelter 1 1x2.0m 14 Overland, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 15 Overland, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 16 Overland, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 17 Overland, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 18 Overland, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 19 Overland, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 20 Overland, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 21 Overland, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 22 Overland, Shelter 4 1x2.0m 23 Overland, Shelter 4 1x2.0m

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APPENDIX 2: Catalogue of Colour Slide Images Cat. No Description Scale Note 1 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 2 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 3 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 4 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 5 Internal Elevation, Shelter 3 2x1.0m West Facing 6 Internal Elevation, Shelter 3 2x1.0m West Facing 7 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East Facing 8 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East Facing 9 Surface, Shelter 1 1x2.0m 10 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 11 Surface, Shelter 1 1x2.0m 12 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 13 Surface, Shelter, 2 1x2.0m 14 Surface, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 15 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 16 Surface, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 17 Surface, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 18 Surface, Shelter 4 1x2.0m 19 Surface, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 20 Surface, Shelter 4 1x2.0m

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APPENDIX 3: Catalogue of Monochrome Images Cat No Description Scale Note 0 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East Facing 1 Surface, Shelter 1 1x2.0m 2 Surface, Shelter1 1x2.0m 3 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 4 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 5 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 6 Surface, Shelter 2 1x2.0m 7 Surface, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 8 Surface, Shelter 3 1x2.0m 9 Surface, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 10 Surface, Shelters 3 and 4 1x2.0m 11 Surface, Shelter 4 1x2.0m 12 Surface, Shelter 4 1x2.0m 27 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 28 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 29 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 30 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m West Facing 31 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 32 Internal Elevation, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 33 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 34 Blast Door, Shelter 2 2x1.0m East Facing 35 Internal Elevation, Shelter 3 2x1.0m West Facing 36 Internal Elevation, Shelter 3 2x1.0m West Facing 37 Blast Door, Shelter 3 2x1.0m East Facing

Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, 2003

Building Recording

Figure 1. Location of site within RAF Halton and Buckinghamshire.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1118 SP80/90 1:25000at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence AL523324A0001

08000

09000

SU88000 89000

SITE

RHA03/85

SITE

N

0 500m

Figure 2. Location of site. RHA 03/81

88400 88600SP88200

09600

09800

09400

A4011

Halton Camp SITE

ParadeGround Site of

NeolithicLongbarrow

(27126)

Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, 2003

Henderson Mess, RAF Halton,Buckinghamshire, 2003

Building RecordingFigure 3. Location of shelters within site boundary

RHA03/85

Shelter 1

Shelter 2

Shelter 3

Shelter 4

Extent of shelter visible on surface

Extent of shelter underground

0 100m

N

Henderson Mess, RAF Halton,Buckinghamshire, 2003

Building RecordingFigure 4. Plan of Air Raid Shelter 2

RHA03/85

Esc

ape

Hat

ch

Con

cret

e L

ippe

d Fl

oor

Bla

st D

oor

Dra

in

05m

N

SN

Henderson Mess, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, 2003

Escape Hatch

LipConcrete floor

0 3m

Cast iron reinforcing bars

RHA03/85Figure 5. West Facing Elevation, Shelter 2

Plate 1. Complete Blast Door, Shelter 3, scales: 2x1m Plate 2. Blocked Stairwell, Shelter 3, Common to all, scales: 1m.

RHA03/85

Plate 3. Escape Hatch, Shelter 2, scales: 2x1m

Plate 4. Blast Doorway, Shelter 2, scales:2x1m

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Plate 5. Surface of Shelters 3 (foreground) and 4 (background), scale: 1x2m.

RHA03/85