WW II Structures

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Complex of nine WW2 structures adjacent to 5 Nicholson’s Road, Kilkeel. This complex formed the core of Communal Site 1 of the Greencastle Aerodrome. A) Air raid Shelter, B) Stand-by set house, C) Blast shelter, D) Blast shelter, E) Blast shelter, F) Squash Court, G) Officers Mess, H) Officers Baths, I) Sergeant's Mess, J) Boiler house.

A) Air raid shelter aligned NW-SE.

Single storey rectangular structure built on a concrete base. Flush cast in-situ concrete roof (corrugated to underside), overhanging to either end where it rests on brick blast walls. All walls are red brick in stretcher bond laid broadside up to form a double skin with concrete filled cavity. There is an entrance at each end of each principal elevation, each sheltered under the concrete roof and protected by the end blast walls. Walls otherwise blank.

B) Stand-by set house, aligned SW-NE.

Two storey high structure, square in plan with lower abutments to SE and NE elevations. Roofs are flat cast in-situ concrete coated in a waterproof bitumen material. Permanent red brick walls laid in English bond (200mm thick.) Wall surface is broken by the occasional air vent, in terracotta or concrete.

SW elevation has a single vehicle opening, widened and heightened and without doors.

SE elevation is blank. Abutted by a shallow single storey return (details as main block) with a single central door (replacement). Both cheeks blank.

NE elevation is blank and abutted by a 1½ storey return (detailed as main block) advanced to right. On its left cheek is a metal sheeted timber door set within a larger infilled doorway. The return wall to NE has a modern arched opening. Right side is abutted by blast wall (now modern toilet with a flat concrete roof, sheeted door to left cheek with timber vent over.)

NW elevation is blank.

C) Blast shelter, aligned NE-SW.
Low structure c10m x 4m, consisting of four walls with an entrance at middle of front and rear elevations. Modern shallow pitched corrugated iron roof on a single course of concrete blocks has been added. Constructed on a concrete plinth. Walls are red brick laid in English bond, 1.5m high and 300mm thick. To centre of front elevation are two projecting walls, framing the entrance and tapering to ground level. Same to rear. The tapering entrance walls suggest that this structure may have been embanked with earth on all sides. Now used as an animal byre.

D) Blast shelter, aligned NE-SW.
As structure C, but only SE portion roofed.

E) Blast shelter, aligned NW-SE.

As structure C but much altered. Corrugated roof added, wall-head raised, rear entrance (SW) blocked up. Doors added to right gable and whole structure rendered. Stripped inside.

F) Squash court aligned SW-NE.

Double height single bay structure. Pitched corrugated asbestos cement roof with semicircular ridge with circular asbestos cement stops. Moulded asbestos cement bargeboards and half round asbestos rainwater goods. Permanent red brick walls (200 mm thick) are cement rendered with occasional brick buttresses.

SW gable has three bays and is abutted by a single storey return. Wall above is blank but for a rectangular vent in gable. Return has a partially collapsed lean-to corrugated asbestos roof and walls as main block. Sheeted entrance door is to centre and is flanked by 1/3 top opening paned steel casement windows with no cills. Left (NW) elevation is blank. Rear (NE) gable is blank but for a vent (as other) in gable. Right (SE) elevation has had a pair of sliding doors inserted.

G) Officer’s mess aligned SW-NE.

Much altered and extended single storey structure now ruinous. May have originally continued further to SW. Pitched corrugated asbestos cement roof with semicircular ridges and circular asbestos cements stops. Walls are rendered temporary (100mm thick) brickwork with buttresses.

SW gable of surviving portion was originally an internal party wall. It has a large pair of modern corrugated metal doors. SE elevation is four bays long. Left two advancing beyond and wider than the right two. From L-R: first bay has a door, second and third each has a window and fourth has large opening to ground floor and small window to upper right. NE gable is abutted to centre by a rendered brick water tower with flat concrete roof. To its right is a slightly taller brick chimney. To left is a lower flat roofed block. Ruinous foundation remains to front. Rear elevation (to NW) is abutted by modern concrete block lean-to.

H) Officers’ baths.

Single storey, eight (uneven) bay structure aligned SW-NE. Pitched corrugated asbestos cement roof with semicircular ridges and circular asbestos cement stops. No rainwater goods. Temporary red brick walls (100mm thick) are cement rendered with buttresses between each bay.

SW gable has two buttresses and a modern two paned window to centre. SE elevation has a single two paned steel casement on each bay with the following exceptions: bay one (to left) has a pair of modern corrugated iron doors to left of its window. Bays two and three each have two windows. The fourth bay has a porch and timber sheeted door. NW elevation is also has an assortment of two and three paned metal windows to each bay. Bay three and seven both have a porch and sheeted door. Bay one is abutted by a modern outbuilding which links it to building (J). NE gable has three bays and is blank.

I) Sergeants’ showers.

Single storey / five bay (second one double width of others) structure aligned NW-SE. Pitched corrugated asbestos cement roof with semicircular ridges and circular asbestos cement stops. No rainwater goods. Temporary red brick walls (100 mm thick) are cement rendered with buttresses between each bay. NW gable has three bays. Sheeted door to right side and three pane casement to middle. SW elevation is as follows (L-R): bay one blank; bay two has two paned steel casement window to left and door (blocked up) to right; bay three has a two paned window; bay four three-paned window; bay five has a pair of modern corrugated doors. SE gable is abutted by the boiler house (J). NE elevation has three pane casement windows to bays one, two and five. Bay three has a two pane window and bay four has two pane windows.

J) Boiler house aligned NE-SW.

Three storey / single bay structure abutting SE gable of sergeants’ showers. Flat concrete roof with cement rendered permanent brickwork (200mm thick) red brick walls. NE elevation is blank and abutted by a chimney which rises above roof level. SE elevation is blank. SW elevation has a 2/2 top opening window to ground floor and a large infilled opening to upper floor. NW elevation has a steel casement window at ground floor and a small opening just below roof. Entered from within shower block.

Historical information

The 1946 Air Ministry map shows this group of buildings to form ‘Communal site One’ on the Greencastle Aerodrome. The stand-by set house seems identical to Air Ministry drawing number 15453/41. The air raid shelter and blast shelter are typical of their type. The squash court is Air ministry design, number 16589/40. The mess structure, boiler house, showers and bath house are all standard airfield structures.

This site had a number of other structures which are now demolished. These included; sergeants' mess, airmen's dining room, ration store, institute, grocery store, airmen's showers, latrines, gym and chancel, tailor / barber / shoe shop, picket post, breakdown ration store, destructor house, latrine bucket emptying platform and static water tank.

There were over 600 airfields in Britain at the end of WW2, and 29 in Northern Ireland. Construction work began at Greencastle in spring 1942, the main contractor being Carmichael of Edinburgh. Kilkeel RAF Station (as it was known) was commissioned on 30th July 1942, and handed over to the United States Army Airforce (USAAF) on 3rd August 1943, becoming Station 237, one of 12 such American airfields in N. Ireland. Its principal building groups were of utility construction, and dispersed around the local area to avoid concentrated enemy bombing; its radar station being furthest away, located at Maghereagh to NE of Kilkeel. The station was a satellite to Langford Lodge (near Antrim), preparing aircraft for operational bases in East Anglia. Its second important role was as a training school for aircrews arriving from America; this Combat Crew Replacement Centre (CCRC) was instigated on 20th December 1943, and was disbanded in autumn 1944. The base was handed back to the RAF on 31st May 1945, and decommissioned soon afterwards. The sites remained in Air Ministry ownership until the early 1960s when they were sold back to locals.

Primary Sources:
1. Air Ministry Map: ‘Greencastle Record Site Plan; Dispersed Sites’, (1946).

Secondary Sources:
1. G. B. Innes, ‘British Airfield Buildings of the Second World War’ (Leicester 1995), pp. 92, 97, 104.
2. B. Lowery (ed), ‘20th Century Defences in Britain, an introductory guide’ (British Council for Archaeology 1996).
3. L. Murphy, ‘Action Station: The story of Greencastle Aerodrome’, in 12 Miles of Mourne vol. 3 (Kilkeel 1989), pp. 33-50.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Austerity architecture of the second world war attempted to simplify construction down to the minimal amount of materials and marry it with the maximum utility. These buildings are not architectural masterpieces. Their interest lies in the historical reasons for their construction (WW2), their short practical lifespan, and their austere ‘temporary’ construction. This group is of interest but unfortunately much altered. The blast shelters are the only ones remaining within the whole aerodrome complex.