Building record 6462/1/1 - ROC Monitoring Post, The Old Farm

A Royal Observer Corps monitoring post. Located on the south side of station road, on the west side of the village. The site was built as part of an extensive network of posts designed to confirm and report hostile aircraft and nuclear attacks on the United Kingdom. The majority of these sites were built between 1956 and 1964, although their construction began after 1925 and continued into the early 1970s. At the time of the Defence of Britain survey (1995-2002) this site was found to remain in a poor condition.

{1} In summer of 1965 RAF finally decided that no longer required services of ROC in low-level reporting role; last of 280 or so active overground structures became redundant; Cogenhoe opened 1938; ngr 822606; resited to Brafield parish <6463/0/1>; Originally at SP 82166058 (cogenhoe parish); later moved to SP82455894 (Brafield) when wartime ROC hut relocated.

{2} A single story timber hut supplied by the Air Ministry with an observation tower alongside which was built from local materials including old bus windows supplied by the York Brothers. The tower was built by Frank Robinson and Sid Busby, both of Cogenhoe and two of the three full-time observers. The sliding window was to cover the shuttered aperture in bad weather. The hut was moved to Brafield aerodrome in c.1953 and from there to Home (should be Old) Farm, Brafield" (SP82455894). Constructed of second hand materials including bus seats and windows. Bad condition; observation tower no longer extant. Photographs and scale plan and elevations.

{4} There were 19 Observer posts in Northants during WW2. The identifying number for Cogenhoe was H3.

{5} Stainwright was unable to verifiy the presence of a windmill at Cogenhoe. However he claims that ROC members insist that there was one and it was used as an ROC Observation Post. 'In conversation with Michael L Gibson..it was learned that the Cogenhoe O.C. Section was H3, part of 12 Group based at SP 822606.

{6} A Royal Observer Corps monitoring post. The site is located on the south side of station road, on the west side of the village. The site was built as part of an extensive network of posts designed to confirm and report hostile aircraft and nuclear attacks on the United Kingdom. The majority of these sites were built between 1956 and 1964, although their construction began after 1925 and continued into the early 1970s. At the time of the Defence of Britain survey (1995-2002) this site was found to remain in a poor condition.

<1> Wood D., 1992, Attack Warning Red: The Royal Observer Corps & The Defence of Britain 1925-1992 (Survival), (unchecked) (Chapter). SNN1225.

<2> HOLLOWELL S., 1998, DEFENCE OF BRITAIN RECORDING FORMS, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN51550.

<3> HOLLOWELL S., 1998, PHOTOGRAPHS, (unchecked) (Photographs). SNN52327.

<4> Gibson M.L., 1982, Aviation In Northamptonshire: An Illustrated History, P. 78-79 (Book). SNN100276.

<5> STAINWRIGHT T.L., 1991, Windmills of Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough: A History of Twentieth Century Sites, (unchecked) (Book). SNN100318.

<6> Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources (Database). SNN112922.

<7> Historic England, Undated, Defence of Britain, DEB01 (Archive). SNN112947.

Record last edited

Mar 27 2024 12:29PM