Monument record 638/0/95 - Air Raid shelter in grounds of Former Abbey School

Remains of Second World War surface air raid station at the Abbey Centre.

{1}Rectangular single storied brick construction shelter of c.20x3 metres with central door and two side facing windows on South facing side. Height (external) 2.02 metres. Door now sealed but known to contain two rooms (one for boys, the other for girls). The construction materials are brick, concrete and ashphelt. The overall condition is fair but it is under threat of demolition. Sketch and description filed.

{2} Located at rear of former Abbey School building, south of Abbey St, off the Market Square. School surface shelter with three entrances, one at each end and one in the centre. The interior is divided into two rooms, either side of the balst walls for the centre entrance. The room at the west end had two large windows which seem to be part of the original design. One of these is now bricked up. Both had window cills of tile. Both entrances are bricked up. Brick/concrete. Good condition. According to local press, Daventry District Council propose preserving the shelter within any development of the Abbey Centre.

{3,4}A Armishaw objected to Daventry District Council over the proposed demolition of the shelter as part of redevelopment of the site on the grounds that it is the only purpose built WW2 structure in the town plus its relevance re DoB and the ‘wider picture’. According to the Daventry Express for Jan 18 2001 the shelter is to be “preserved as part of the town’s heritage.

<1> Thorne A., 1998, Air Raid Shelter, Abbey Centre, Daventry, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN51541.

<2> Armishaw A., 2001, Defence Of Britain Report Forms, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN101412.

<3> Armishaw A., 2001, Correspondence, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN101413.

<4> 2001, Daventry Express, (unchecked) (Article). SNN101414.

<5> Migrated Defence of Britain Project database record originally compiled from various sources (Database). SNN112922.

<6> Historic England, Undated, Defence of Britain, DEB01 (Archive). SNN112947.

Record last edited

Aug 16 2022 9:19AM