West Freugh Airfield, Technical Site
Aircraft Hangar(S) (20th Century), Building(S) (20th Century), Hut(S) (20th Century)
Site Name West Freugh Airfield, Technical Site
Classification Aircraft Hangar(S) (20th Century), Building(S) (20th Century), Hut(S) (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Luce Bay
Canmore ID 280210
Site Number NX15SW 22.01
NGR NX 10743 54306
NGR Description Centred NX 10743 54306
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/280210
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Stoneykirk
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Wigtown
- Former County Wigtownshire
NX15SW 22.01 centred 10743 54306
The technical site for the airfield, which includes many of the adminstrative buildings, support organisations and equipment stores.
Eight aircraft hangars are extant, seven Bellman type and one modified Admiralty 'F' type, originally designed for flying boat aircraft.
The area is visible on vertical air photographs (106G/Scot/UK 42, 3128-3129, flown 4 May 1946) and an oblique taken in the early 1950s (J Norrie), which show that many huts and buildings have been removed since the date of photography. Vertical air photographs taken in 1988 (All Scotland Survey [Jasair], 24 88 038-039, flown 11 June 1988), show that the number of structures in the technical site have been substantially reduced.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), April 2006 and Mr J Norrie, (by letter), February 2006
Standing Building Recording (March 2004 - May 2004)
A desk-based assessment and building investigation was undertaken in March 2004 of buildings to be demolished at MOD West Freugh (formerly RAF West Freugh), Stranraer, Wigtownshire (NX 108 543) by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North). This was following a request by QinetiQ Ltd for the investigation to be carried out prior to any demolition taking place due to the historic significance of the buildings. The buildings recorded comprise a canteen (E14), a barrack hut (F11), a boiler house (F24) and an air raid shelter (F24a). The buildings are of similar construction, comprising timber-stud framed walls with corrugated asbestos roofs erected on concrete bases. Externally, the buildings are finished with timber weatherboard, and internally there are asbestos sheet panels. The structures are all varieties of Type A sectional timber hutting (Francis, 1996, 206), with those at West freugh being amongst the earliest in Britain.
Information from Oxford Archaeology North
Watching Brief (26 June 2023 - 5 July 2023)
Archaeological Services WYAS (ASWYAS) undertook a watching brief to monitor the ground investigation works at MoD West Freugh between the 26th of June and the 5th of July 2023. The work comprised the monitoring of twenty borehole test pits. Layers of concrete relating to the former hanger and barracks were encountered along with signs of obvious truncation. No archaeological remains were encounted.
Information from Archaeological Services WYAS.
