Lewis, Habost, Chain Home Beam Radar Station
Radar Station (20th Century)
Site Name Lewis, Habost, Chain Home Beam Radar Station
Classification Radar Station (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Swainbost; Suainebost
Canmore ID 261850
Site Number NB56SW 73
NGR NB 50969 62869
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/261850
- Council Western Isles
- Parish Barvas
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Ross And Cromarty
NB56SW 73 50969 62869
This Chain Home Beam radar station is visible on postwar RAF vertical air photographs (106G/Scot/UK104, 3347-3348, flown 19 May 1946) situated to the W of a minor road running N from Swainbost.
Between five and six mast bases, the transmitter/receiver block, stand-by set house and at least twelve hut bases forming the accommodation camp, are all visible on the photographs. The accommodation camp runs NW-SE alongside the road.
One building and the outline of another at NB 51011 62893 are shown on the current OS 1:2500 scale digital map.
Information from RCAHMS (DE) and I Brown (Radar Archive), July 2004
A single building of stone and concrete survives at NB 50969 62869 with traces of a hut base at NB 51010 62893. The building has a flat roof with the entrance on the NE side. Both the building and the hut base are depicted on the current OS 1:2500 scale digital map. Apart from the above, nothing could be seen of the radar station or the accommodation camp.
In the field centred at NB 5113 6273 is an area of heavy weed vegetation which may conceal the hut bases of the camp visible on the vertical air photographs taken during 1946 (ibid).
Visited by RCAHMS (DE), 4 August 2005