A bit of history that for once I did NOT steal 
..... well from anyone on here
History
Since 1982, the Nene Valley Gliding Club [1] has conducted its glider operations from a field that occupies the site of the old runways. Initially these operations were under an agreement with the Ministry of Defence. However, in 1995 the club was told they would need to find a new home as the land was going to be sold off. The club was unable to locate a suitable new home and was preparing for the possibility of having to close when the purchaser of the land, Marshal Papworth, agreed to lease the land to the club for 10 years. This has allowed the club to continue flying from Marshals Paddock (so named by the club after their benefactor's death in 2000).
Much of the RAF Upwood is unused, closed by the Ministry of Defence in 1994. Most of the station was vacated and the land and buildings sold off to civil ownership.
Upwood is also the home of No. 511 (Ramsey) Squadron Air Training Corps who have been on the site since the early 70s. Originally housed in the old fire station the squadron moved to a number of buildings before settling in the old nissen hut church building. When the station was closed by the MOD in 1995, the squadron moved to the Upwood school. The squadron finally settled into the present building inside the fence in 1997.
In 2004 Turbine Motor Works purchased a large amount of property on the former base including the four C-type hangars. Their plan is to convert the property into a state-of-the-art jet engine overhaul facility. Together with the Nene Valley Gliding Club and the Air Cadet Squadron, this facility will ensure that the former RAF base will continue its aviation legacy well into the 21st century.
Part of the facility is now used by paintballing players.
The explore
Visited with my better half, Hamtagger After quite a nice day mooching about we rocked up to Upwood in the early evening, it was a beautiful day. The sun was still beating and it must have been half 7!!
Got in and soon found out it was going to be a very leisurely explore. We scaled up the many buildings and started making our way around the site. A lot bigger than I expected to be honest. I did expect the level of trashing though as I had seen in various other reports.
We made our way to the medical centre as had seen those lamps, considering I'd seen reports from January this year not looking too bad I was shocked at just how trashed it was. Never mind, it made for a few decent pics.
We left there and headed for the tower to get some pics from above.. Now I am not usually one for climbing but I was all game for this, was even ready to go first. Didn't even have time to get the gloves out to climb the ladder, I was on it! With HT still clambering to get his gloves on I started climbing.. one step, one fucking step was all I took when I looked up, saw a pigeon and then low and behold the flying rat shit on my forehead!!! I stepped down, HT didn't know what was going on, I just looked at him, pointed to my head and said a pigeon has shit on my head!! Well.... he may as well have been rolling around on the floor in hysterics! Thank god I saw the funny side..
Anyway, I cleaned the pigeon shit off...or so I thought! HT went first this time, with me following.. got all the way to the top and that fucking bird was still flapping around. I knew he was after me so I hastily made my way back down leaving HT up there and he escaped completely bird shit free!
I carried on taking pics of some of the buildings and when HT came back down we carried on, laughing about pigeons. Done quite a lot of the site, there is a beautiful state of decay in this place. he buildings looks shit from the exterior but the insides have some real peely goodness. We finished up and walked back to the car.. walking along, HT kept saying he could smell shit, thinking it was dog shit we carried on and it wasn't until he leant in to kiss me he could smell the pigeon shit! I just started laughing, with me and him standing in this quiet little cul de sac with him pouring water over me to get rid of the smell it was the end to a good day
Anyway on with the pics
1 - The start of the explore.... someone's excited....
2
3 - kid in a sweet shop....
4
5
6 - Those lamps, with neither of us taking a tripod it was the best I got..
7
8
9 - Peely porn
10
11 - One for us...
12
13
14
15 - Think the electricity has gone..
16 - He likes to get naked... this is the 'before' shot...
17
18 - Pigeon Shit tower..
19
..... well from anyone on here History
Since 1982, the Nene Valley Gliding Club [1] has conducted its glider operations from a field that occupies the site of the old runways. Initially these operations were under an agreement with the Ministry of Defence. However, in 1995 the club was told they would need to find a new home as the land was going to be sold off. The club was unable to locate a suitable new home and was preparing for the possibility of having to close when the purchaser of the land, Marshal Papworth, agreed to lease the land to the club for 10 years. This has allowed the club to continue flying from Marshals Paddock (so named by the club after their benefactor's death in 2000).
Much of the RAF Upwood is unused, closed by the Ministry of Defence in 1994. Most of the station was vacated and the land and buildings sold off to civil ownership.
Upwood is also the home of No. 511 (Ramsey) Squadron Air Training Corps who have been on the site since the early 70s. Originally housed in the old fire station the squadron moved to a number of buildings before settling in the old nissen hut church building. When the station was closed by the MOD in 1995, the squadron moved to the Upwood school. The squadron finally settled into the present building inside the fence in 1997.
In 2004 Turbine Motor Works purchased a large amount of property on the former base including the four C-type hangars. Their plan is to convert the property into a state-of-the-art jet engine overhaul facility. Together with the Nene Valley Gliding Club and the Air Cadet Squadron, this facility will ensure that the former RAF base will continue its aviation legacy well into the 21st century.
Part of the facility is now used by paintballing players.
The explore
Visited with my better half, Hamtagger
After quite a nice day mooching about we rocked up to Upwood in the early evening, it was a beautiful day. The sun was still beating and it must have been half 7!!Got in and soon found out it was going to be a very leisurely explore. We scaled up the many buildings and started making our way around the site. A lot bigger than I expected to be honest. I did expect the level of trashing though as I had seen in various other reports.
We made our way to the medical centre as had seen those lamps, considering I'd seen reports from January this year not looking too bad I was shocked at just how trashed it was. Never mind, it made for a few decent pics.
We left there and headed for the tower to get some pics from above.. Now I am not usually one for climbing but I was all game for this, was even ready to go first. Didn't even have time to get the gloves out to climb the ladder, I was on it! With HT still clambering to get his gloves on I started climbing.. one step, one fucking step was all I took when I looked up, saw a pigeon and then low and behold the flying rat shit on my forehead!!! I stepped down, HT didn't know what was going on, I just looked at him, pointed to my head and said a pigeon has shit on my head!! Well.... he may as well have been rolling around on the floor in hysterics! Thank god I saw the funny side..
Anyway, I cleaned the pigeon shit off...or so I thought! HT went first this time, with me following.. got all the way to the top and that fucking bird was still flapping around. I knew he was after me so I hastily made my way back down leaving HT up there and he escaped completely bird shit free!
I carried on taking pics of some of the buildings and when HT came back down we carried on, laughing about pigeons. Done quite a lot of the site, there is a beautiful state of decay in this place. he buildings looks shit from the exterior but the insides have some real peely goodness. We finished up and walked back to the car.. walking along, HT kept saying he could smell shit, thinking it was dog shit we carried on and it wasn't until he leant in to kiss me he could smell the pigeon shit! I just started laughing, with me and him standing in this quiet little cul de sac with him pouring water over me to get rid of the smell it was the end to a good day
Anyway on with the pics
1 - The start of the explore.... someone's excited....
2
3 - kid in a sweet shop....
4
5
6 - Those lamps, with neither of us taking a tripod it was the best I got..
7
8
9 - Peely porn
10
11 - One for us...
12
13
14
15 - Think the electricity has gone..
16 - He likes to get naked... this is the 'before' shot...
17
18 - Pigeon Shit tower..
19
