Building No 316 (Hot, Cold & Ambient Building)

Location

Near the N boundary of the site, to W of Sloughpool Wood; set partly within earthen bund

History

Built circa 1959. The building is part of a facility for testing the Gosling rocket booster engines which were used to power the Royal Navy's Sea Slug surface-to-air missiles. This building was the Hot, Cold & Ambient Building which conditioned the boosters before moving them to the Static Firing Bay (SAM MM341) about 150 metres to the NW, where engines were test fired for development and manufacturing control purposes. Test firing of the missiles as a whole took place at Aberporth where the Simulated Ship Firing Platform is a scheduled monument (CD213) . The development of the Sea Slug missile was a significant technical achievement, and the beginning of the change from ship-borne artillery to modern missile-bearing warships. At RNPF Caerwent, development work also took place on other motors for guided missiles before the factory closed in the mid 1960s, and functions were transferred to Royal Ordnance factory, Bishopton. Building No 316 contained three chambers with counterbalanced doors where the rocket moter charges could be conditioned into hot, cold, and ambient states. Consequently one chamber was fitted with refrigeration equipment, and one with a fan-heating unit.

Exterior

Single storey red brick building with gabled roof; lower flat-roofed annexe to the N. Openings now mainly bricked in. South elevation is gable end with nine blocked openings at ground level; 3 blocked openings in gable. West elevation has, to R, large doorway now reduced in size with double wooden doors; to L, single door below blocked light; between doors 6 blocked openings.
West elevation is similar to S. North (gabled) elevation has 3 blocked upper lights as S, and annexe.

Interior

Access not possible, but seems to comprise at least 5 rooms.

Reason for designation

Listed as part of a group of buildings at former RNPF Caewent which are of special historical interest as scarce examples of buildings in Wales associated with weapons development in the Cold war period. The associated Static Firing bay is scheduled as a monument of national importance. The buildings have mutual group value.