Archaeology Notes

Event ID 848436

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/848436

NT57NE 72.00 centred 55565 78959

Airfield also falls on map sheet see also NT57NW 181.00

NT57NE 72.01 NT 55094 79196 Workshop

NT57NE 72.02 NT 55092 78277 Building

NT57NE 72.03 NT 5545 7771, 5575 7767, 5530 7740 and NT 5565 7745 Military Camps

NT57NE 72.04 NT 55065 78293 Water Tank

NT57NE 72.05 NT 55100 78346 Aircraft Hangar

NT57NE 72.06 NT 55265 78235 Aircraft Hangar

NT57NE 72.07 NT 55074 78215 Workshop

NT57NE 72.08 NT 55091 78178 Store

NT57NE 72.09 NT 54952 78686 Control Tower

NT57NE 72.10 NT 55225 78201 Building

NT57NE 72.11 NT 55050 78152 Store

NT57NE 72.12 NT 5583 7815 Bomb Store

See also NT57NW 181.00 to NT57NW 181.13 for rest of Airfield buildings.

See also NT57NE 106 for part of the First World War airfield buildings which were converted to East Fortune Hospital post 1920.

East Fortune airship station was established in 1915-16 as a major element of the strategic network protecting the British coastline, and, as such, was intended the accommodate the larger 'Coastal' or 'North Sea' types of non-rigid craft as well as those of the embryo rigid fleet. Accommodation at such stations typically comprised a rigid-airship shed flanked on each side by a smaller 'coastal' shed, these being stepped forward forward to afford a sheltered area in front of the rigid shed. The assemblage was aligned with the direction of the prevailing wind. Typically, the a Coastal shed measured 320 ft (97.54m) by 120 ft (36.58m) by 80 ft (24.38m) while the rigid sheds extended to as much as 700 ft (213.36m) and 110 ft (33.53m) in clear height. That at East Fortune, however, measured 180 ft (54.86m) in width, so as to be able to house two of the larger 33-class rigids. The rigid shed at East Fortune was apparently comparable to the No. 2 shed at Pulham, Norfolk.

After July 1917, the East Fortune shed was also used as the main base for the 'North Sea' class.

G D Hay and G P Stell 1986.

Air photographs (RCAHMSAP 1991) have revealed cropmarks of various features relating to the airship station and airfield. The probable remains of the R34 airship shed and the coastal sheds lie at NT 551 790 with the associated windbreak (shown as parallel pairs of small circular features running to the W of the sheds) running from NT 547 789 to NT 549 790. These are shown on the RNAS East Fortune external mains plan c.1918 (held in the National Museums of Scotland, Museum of Flight). The top of the rigid airship shed was removed c.1926 but the concrete base remained for later use and is visible on RAF Air Photographs taken in 1946 (106G/SCOT/UK14 5363-5364) and 1952 (540/718 4283-4284). Other cropmarkings include a semi-circular mark at NT 550 786 which was probably an Immediate Readiness Dispersal area (Quick Reaction Dispersal) on the later airfield. Similar marks are visible at NT 560 791 and NT 558 786 on 1946 Air Photographs (106G/SCOT/UK14 5364).

Information from RCAHMSAP (RHM), 15 February 1994

The hangars of this airfield now hold the collections of the Museum of Flight (a constituent body of the National Museums of Scotland). The runway area is used as a motor racing circuit and for a Sunday market.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 16 October 1996

Airfield with many runways and buildings extant, now in use by the Museum of Flight.

J A Guy 1997; NMRS MS 810/5, 156-63

NT 555 782 (centre) A watching brief was undertaken at East Fortune Airfield (NMRS NT57NE 72) during pipe-laying work, which crossed the Scheduled area of the airfield. A quantity of massive concrete blocks were discovered in the vicinity of the now-demolished airship base, possibly representing the remains of one of the associated structures.

Sponsor: East and Midlothian NHS Trust.

B Glendinning 1998

NT 549 787 Between the 31st of March and the 1st od April 1998 the Centre for Field Archaeology (CFA) carried out a watching brief at East Fortune Airfield. The work was commissioned by East and Midlothian NHS Trust, due to the excavation of a pipe track across the scheduled area. Scheduled Monument Consent was granted for the work by Historic Scotland. Trenching was carried out by a JCB, although in the most N part of the trench a 360degree excavator was used. The section of the pipe track running from the Museum of Flight to runway crossing 4 had been excavated and backfilled before the CFA had been notifed of the works being started. Also, the section between runway crossing 1 and crossing 2 had been excavated and had just started to be backfilled before the CFA were informed.

An examination of what remained of the pipe track between crossings 1 and 2 revealed a jumble of massive concrete blocks streching along the length of the track. Mixed in amongst the concrete was a lot of blasting wire. Some of these blocks were L-shaped and were presumably debris from a demolished structure. Most of the blocks had square cross section with sides 0.51m by .37m. The runway had been built over the top of this demolition debris and it is possible that this material came from the demolition of the airship station which had been formerly located in this part of the airfield.

The section of pipe track between runway crossings 2 and 4 was watched during its excavation. The path from the runway to the Control tower was found to be a great deal wider than is presently mapped, 8m rather than 2m. This path was found to be undergoing great damge through ploughing of its edges. It consisits of a rubble base with a layer of Tarmac over this. Some traces of the wiring system that ran between runway and control tower was identified running through the trench.

No artefacts were recovered in the trenches and it was concluded that no further work is required on site.

Sponsor: East and Midlothian NHS Trust

NMRS MS/726/137 (CFA)

NT 557 785 A watching brief was carried out in May 2003 on the construction of a new section of motor bike racing track within the confines of the Scheduled East Fortune Airfield. No significant archaeological features or finds were observed.

Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsor: Melville Motor Club.

G Carruthers 2003

The airfield is visible on RAF WW II vertcial air phtographs (NLA 68, 3041-3049,4041-4049, flown 26 August 1943), which show the area of the Museum of Flight before the installation of the fourth aircraft hangar.

Information from RCAHMS (DE), March 2005