Alconbury Weald is rich in military heritage and has retained a selection of historic assets spanning its time as an airbase, which have been conserved and integrated into the new development.
On 11 September 2021, as part of the National Trust’s Heritage Open Days, Urban&Civic gave guided tours around the Cold War bunker and avionics building, which was built to process intelligence data collected by the TR1 reconnaissance aircraft. This Grade II listed building, completed in 1989 as tensions between the West and the Soviet Union thawed, was one of the largest and most sophisticated building of its kind in the UK.
The Heritage Open Day also saw the Alconbury Weald transported back in time with live music from The Umbrella Band playing classics from the 1940s, vintage military vehicles, performances from Cambs and Beds Lindy Hop dancers, a reading from the published recollections of Margaret Faulkner and John Lovell who lived close to the airfield during WWII and the Airfield Research Group showcased various artefacts uncovered at RAF Alconbury.
The military past of Alconbury Weald has shaped the legacy of the land we inherited, and the design of the development incorporates both echoes of the airfield’s evolution, through key footprints, views and features, as well as the listed buildings. All of these will come together as the development rolls out into a Heritage Trail as well as a specific Cold War Heritage Area telling the unique story it military history.”
REBECCA BRITTON
Communities and Partnerships Director from Urban&Civic.