Schoolhill, Chain Home Radar Station
Radar Station (20th Century)
Site Name Schoolhill, Chain Home Radar Station
Classification Radar Station (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Porthlethen
Canmore ID 81491
Site Number NO99NW 41
NGR NO 9086 9818
NGR Description NO 9086 9818 and NO 9095 9790
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/81491
- Council Aberdeenshire
- Parish Banchory-devenick
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Kincardine And Deeside
- Former County Kincardineshire
NO99NW 41 9086 9818 and 9095 9790
Part of the site is now used as Fire Brigade Training Centre and another part is being used as a poultry house.
Visited by J Guy 28 July 1992.
NMRS, MS/712/8 and MS/810/1.
A Chain Home station with the transmitter block at NO 9085 9830.
Information from Mr I Brown, October 1998
Note (6 September 2022)
The Schoolhill Radar Site was operational from November 1939 to 15 March 1946. Construction started after January 1939 and was upgraded throughout its operational use.
The radar site had three distinct parts, a Transmitter site (T-site), a receiving site (R-site) and an underground site.
The T-site (NO 9086 9818) was located to the W near the top of the hill. The site contained initially four and later reduced to two large 350ft high transmitter towers and associated building and reserve, a number other of buildings included offcer's mess, dining, recreation, limited accommodation buildings, Wardens Houses, garage, watch house and four pillboxes. Only the transmitter block, three pillboxes and the Wardens Houses survive, within the current Fire Service training school.
The R-site (NO 9115 9788) was located to the SE and comprised four 240ft high receiving towers and associated building and reserve, administration building, air raid shelter and two pillboxes at the NE and SW corners of the compound. Only the SW pillbox now survives, the site having been redeveloped twice and now being used for housing.
Directly to the N of the R-site was the underground site (NO 9120 9815) with its own independent transmitting and receiving capability. The site comprised two 120ft towers, one a transmitter and the other a receiving. There was an underground associated block for each tower. part of the compound is used for a school playfield and the rest is currently wasteland with no evidence for surviving features on the currently available 25cm georeferenced aerial photography.
The accommodation for service personal was located towards Portlethen at NO 9208 9758 (see NO99NW 116), now in use as a depot.
Information from HES 6 September 2022: I Brown 2022
Archaeological Evaluation
NO 91146 97880 An evaluation was carried out, December 2018, in advance of a proposed residential development on land adjacent to Schoolhill, Portlethen. The site was formerly the receiver site for the Schoolhill Radar Station, which was part of the WWII Chain Home Radar system network before being demolished prior to redevelopment of the site as a chicken farm. This had also been demolished by the time of the evaluation.
Three targeted trenches were excavated across the mapped locations of the Watch House, the Receiver Station and another building that was part of the receiver mast set-up.
Very fragmentary remains of the foundations for the Watch House and the Receiver Station were identified but previous development and subsequent demolition had removed all trace of the receiver mast building.
Archive: NRHE (intended). Reports lodged with Aberdeenshire Council HER
Funder: Stewart Milne Group
Graeme Carruthers ̶ CFA Archaeology Ltd
(Source DES Vol 20)
OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-336617
