A shot i took a few weeks ago looking out across some of the housing linked to what was once RAF Hullavington.
The airfield opened in June 1937 and was designed with aesthetic input from the Royal Fine Art Commission and features high-quality Neo-Georgian buildings and “E-Type” hangars disguised with earth roofs to blend into the landscape.
During World War II, the base served as a vital hub for aircrew training and aircraft storage. It was the home of the Empire Central Flying School, where elite instructors from across the Commonwealth refined flying techniques. Notable figures, including Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC, trained here. Beyond training, it served as a maintenance unit, housing over 1,000 aircraft including Spitfires, Lancasters, and Mosquitos.
In the post-war era, the site transitioned through various roles, including parachute packing and hosting the RAF’s last barrage balloon unit. In 1993, the technical site was transferred to the British Army, becoming Buckley Barracks.
The airfield remained a centre for RAF gliding until 2016, and it was during this phase that the British astronaut Tim Peake learned to fly here (according to his excellent autobiography)
Some of the hangars were used as a filming location for the film “1984” which starred John Hurt and Richard Burton (mainly the intense “Two Minute Hate” scenes)
In 2016, it was sold to Dyson and the historic hangars were restored into a high-tech research and development campus.
