Building record BAW 207 - OUTLINE RECORD: Old Generator House, Bawdsey Manor (SA) HBR

An English Heritage Level 2 building recording was undertaken of the ‘Old Generator House’ located on the Bawdsey Manor Estate, prior to its conversion into a two storey domestic residence. The building is situated within the former area of RAF Bawdsey, a radar base that was in use from 1937 until 1972. Part of the base later became a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site which was operational from 1979 through to final closure in 1991. RAF Bawdsey is important in the history of the development of radar in the UK as it is a site of early research and was also the first of the ‘Chain Home radar stations’ to be established. The Old Generator House, as its name suggests, originally housed a large diesel powered generator. This has since been removed although significant evidence relating to its installation was still extant at the time of the survey. The building consists of a tall single storey structure built of brick with a single apex roof. A lean-to that runs the full width of the building is located at the north end and a rectangular extension supporting water tanks is at the southern end of the west wall. The external wall surfaces are painted green, presumably to provide a degree of camouflage; the external brickwork was originally red. A large section of the western wall of the main structure is also cement rendered. The roof is clad in corrugated asbestos sheets whilst the lean-to is roofed with clay tiles. The interior of the building comprises one main space in which the generator set was located, the mountings for which can be seen running along the central axis. On overhead gantry crane for servicing the generator and the diesel engine runs the full length of the space and remnants of associated equipment and signage is affixed to the walls. Running below the tiled floor are a series of services ducts covered by steel sheets. The lean-to houses modern transformers which appear to still be in service. The date of the building’s construction is unclear. It is believed to be part of the original Chain Home radar installation around 1937. It can be clearly seen on aerial photograph of 1945. To the west of the main building a concrete slab surrounded by a low brick and blockwork wall was extant. This enclosed area once held a series of fuel tanks and comprised the fuel store for the generator.
Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2016 (S1)