Benbecula Airport, Married Soldiers Quarters And Naafi
Barracks (20th Century), Military Camp (20th Century)
Site Name Benbecula Airport, Married Soldiers Quarters And Naafi
Classification Barracks (20th Century), Military Camp (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Balivanich; Raf Benbecula Airfield; Benbecula Aerodrome
Canmore ID 170904
Site Number NF75NE 4.01
NGR NF 77102 55329
NGR Description Centred on NF 77102 55329
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/170904
- Council Western Isles
- Parish South Uist
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Inverness-shire
Balivanich (township of the monks) Overlaying a substantial former settlement, this concrete sprawl was established as a Royal Artillery base in 1959, with significant impact on the local community. Against a backdrop of turquoise sea and shell-white sands, it presents a memorably incongruous scene of barracks and aerodrome buildings, 1971, with MOD housing of the 1970s (mostly reclad 1990s) engulfing a few surviving traditional cottages.
Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
NF75NE 4.01 centred NF 77102 55329
The accommodation area for personnel at Benbecula Airfield was situated on the S side of the B 892 road at Baile a' Mhanaich.
Several of the original brick and concrete buildings can be seen amongst a new housing estate. There were signs of recent demolition in the area and the few remaining buildings could also soon be demolished.
J Guy 2002; NMRS MS 810/12, 93-5
The new Married Soldier's Quarters have been built on the site of the original accommodation camp for the airfield. The small estate was built between 1970 and 1971 with further additions in the early 1980s.
The original accommodation camp is visible on vertical air photogrpahs taken in 1946 (CPE/Scot/UK191, 4041-4042, flown 10 October 1946). A group of over thrity huts are visible to the S of the B892 at aile a' Mhanaich/Cnoc an t-seagail.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), August 2005
