The worlds only surviving WW1 airfield - Stow Maries

[npb748r]

not sure if this has been mentioned before or if this is the right forum but as this museum is close to me I thought I'd give it a call out. Particularly interesting for those of you who favour WW1 - this is the worlds only surviving WW1 airfield. Basically at the end of WW1 the recently created RAF pack up and left the airfield as is, handed it back to the farmer who just mostly ignored the buildings and farmed the land. It was bought a while ago and is now a museum and light aircraft airfield. All of the other airfields from that period were either developed or scraped. WW1 is not my thing but I've been a couple of times and enjoyed looking around.

https://www.stowmaries.org.uk/

Hopefully this will be of some interest, whilst not full to the rafters of aircraft like some museums it is interesting looking around the site and they have some WW1 aircraft and replicas in the hangers  and the mess does good cakes !! 

 

neil

[franky boy]

Great shout out Neil 

 

As the crow flies I live about three fields away from Stow Maries airdrome and it’s the most fantastic atmospheric place to visit. A real time warp. 
 

My family goes back a few generations in the area and my grandfather told me of the airfield when I was a nipper. It’s quite right that it’s now being preserved for future generations. My kids love it there. 

 

James 

[malpaso]

Stow Marie’s may be the only one in WW1 condition more or less, but it’s not the only surviving WW1 airfield and several (many) still in use.  Near me there’s Old Sarum, Duxford is WW1 and probably several more around the UK and abroad.    For example NAS Pensacola has been in continuous use since WW1. Also near me there’s Upavon which is from 1912 RFC!  And Netheravon is still in some military use since 1912 as well, it’s buildings are listed and older than Stow Marie’s.

[Jure Miljevic]

I think Divaca airstrip in Slovenia littoral region is still on more or less the same location as it was during 1915-18. It has concrete runway now, thought ... Cheers

Jure

[treker_ed]

I think the problem is the way that it has been described initially....

 

They are not claiming to be the only surviving WW1 airfield still in existence, nor are they claiming to be the only one still in any sort of use. All they are saying is that they are "the largest known surviving group of RFC buildings on a WWI aerodrome which was not adapted for further military use later in its history. When considered with its growing collection of objects directly related to the site and its activities, a truly unique resource is evident."

 

So it's nothing to do with the age of the airfield, or the buildings or anything else, it's simply the fact that the buildings still exist, the airfield still exists, but nothing was changed after the RAF pulled out in the Spring of 1919. The other places mentioned above continued to be used long after the, buildings altered, airfields expanded, runways extended etc. Stowe Maries stayed in a sort of "time warp" bubble, forgotten about, returned to being used as farm land, etc. until purchased and placed in a charitable trust in 2012 to ensure the long term survival of the aerodrome and the buildings. This is what is making this particular place unique especially in the UK.

[jhutchi]

Great to see Stow Marie's mentioned. I grew up in Maldon and used to go clay shooting near the old buildings before it was brought and turned into a museum. 

[npb748r]

5 hours ago, treker_ed said:

I think the problem is the way that it has been described initially....

 

They are not claiming to be the only surviving WW1 airfield still in existence, nor are they claiming to be the only one still in any sort of use. All they are saying is that they are "the largest known surviving group of RFC buildings on a WWI aerodrome which was not adapted for further military use later in its history. When considered with its growing collection of objects directly related to the site and its activities, a truly unique resource is evident."

 

So it's nothing to do with the age of the airfield, or the buildings or anything else, it's simply the fact that the buildings still exist, the airfield still exists, but nothing was changed after the RAF pulled out in the Spring of 1919. The other places mentioned above continued to be used long after the, buildings altered, airfields expanded, runways extended etc. Stowe Maries stayed in a sort of "time warp" bubble, forgotten about, returned to being used as farm land, etc. until purchased and placed in a charitable trust in 2012 to ensure the long term survival of the aerodrome and the buildings. This is what is making this particular place unique especially in the UK.

it was all there but not as nicely put as you did 😁

[Duncan B]

Montrose has the claim to being the first purpose built operational military airfield in Britain and pre dates WW1 (est. 1913). Many RFC and RAF Squadrons were formed there including the very first dedicated fixed wing squadron in the RFC, 2 Sqn, (1 Sqn was originally established as a lighter than air unit, a bunch of balloons lol).

While not in day to day use as an airfield now they do still hold fly in days during the summer months. There is a very active Aviation Heritage Centre located in some of the surviving buildings and the WW1 era hangars are still in use by local businesses (which says a lot about the quality of these 'temporary' buildings). It's a great wee museum to visit if you are in the area.

 

Duncan B

[masterKamera]

was it not gunmeyer who said "only need a football pitch for a landing field"

[Torbjorn]

3 hours ago, masterKamera said:

was it not gunmeyer who said "only need a football pitch for a landing field"

Earlier even a bog or moor would do, see the Breguet III and Nieuport IV in the first 40 s of this:

 

https://www.filmarkivet.se/movies/flygvapnet-25-ar/

Edited June 3, 2022 by Torbjorn