RAF Stenigot

RAF Stenigot is a former Second World War radar station situated at Stenigot, near Donington on Bain, Lincolnshire.

RAF Stenigot
Stenigot, Lincolnshire. in England
Chain Home Radar tower at RAF Stenigot
Abandoned Tropospheric scatter Dishes, once part of NATO ACE HIGH communication system, since removed for scrapping.
RAF Stenigot
Shown within Lincolnshire
Coordinates53.327°N 0.116°W / 53.327; -0.116
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Site history
Built1939 (1939)
In use1939-1996 (1996)
Battles/warsSecond World War
Cold War

It was part of the Chain Home radar network, intended to provide long range early warning for raids from Luftflotte 5 and the northern elements of Luftflotte 2 along the approaches to Sheffield and Nottingham and the central Midlands.[1]

After the Second World War, the site was retained as part of the Chain Home network. In 1959 it was upgraded to a communications relay site as part of the ACE High programme, which involved adding four tropospheric scatter dishes.[2]

The site was decommissioned in the late 1980s and was mostly demolished by 1996.

The radar tower is a Grade II listed structure and is now used by the RAF Aerial Erector School for selection tests for possible recruits, but this operation will be done elsewhere as part of MOD restructuring.

There is a memorial at the top to a former RAF aerial erector.

Demolition of three radar dishes (October 2018)

Three of four dishes on site were scrapped in the winter of 2018. A local construction firm admitted to scrapping three of the four dishes, the legality of this is disputed.[3] The first dish was removed from its supports sometime before 14 October,[4] with two more dishes being felled over the following days. The fourth and last remaining dish was removed in mid to end–November 2020.

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Stenigot (1309703)". PastScape. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  2. Historic England. "Stenigot (1309788)". PastScape. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  3. "Construction firm reveals what happened to three huge radar dishes removed from Lincolnshire Wolds". Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. "Photos of RAF Stenigot on 14th October 2018 (3 dishes, 1 partially demolished)". Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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