Holmpton
Encyclopedia
Holmpton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
in an area known as Holderness
. It is situated approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Withernsea
town centre and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village of Patrington
.
It lies just inland from the North Sea
coast.
According to the 2001 UK census
, Holmpton parish had a population of 193.
The parish church of St Nicholas is a Grade II listed building.
, built originally as an early warning radar
station, and now refurbished to act as museum and archive.
Royal Air Force Holmpton is still a part of the RAF and the Defence Estate (2009). It currently hosts a Public Exhibition http://www.rafholmpton.com and is also home to the Defence Archives Unit. RAF Holmpton is managed by HIPPO an Independent Finance Initiative. The site runs to about 36 acres (145,687 m²) and comprises a number of surface structures along with a secure 35000 ft2 command bunker which is about 100 feet (30.5 m) below ground.
The bunker was first built in 1951–3 and started life as an early Warning Station (part of the Rotor programme). In the late 1960s it became a Master Comprehensive Radar Station which eventually closed in 1974. The used for training the site was converted in the 1980s to form the new War HQ for RAF Support Command. With the ending of the Cold War this function ceased in 1991 and the site returned to training until the 1990s when it was rebuilt to become the 1st experimental HQ of the new CCIS Electronic Warfare System. This function left the site in 2000–1. In 2003 Defence Archives moved to the site and in 2004 the first public exhibition opened. The exhibition opens throughout the year to visitors and 75% of the bunker is included in the visit, apart from AREA 7 which remains classified.
The plane was Avro Manchester L7523 EM:M of No.207 Squadron RAF stationed at RAF Bottesford
in Leicestershire. It had been charged with attacking the Blohm and Voss shipyards in Hamburg. The plane was delayed on take-off due to an unknown technical issue and eventually headed for the North Sea some time behind the rest of the squadron. The time of flight and speed of the Manchester doesn't allow the aircraft to have reached Hamburg and it is most likely to have reached the Dutch Frisian Islands before returning home, either hit by the enemy or very likely a mechanical failure which was common with the Avro Manchester.
A memorial to the crew of the aircraft was dedicated in November 2009 in the grounds of St. Nicholas church in Holmpton.
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in an area known as Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
. It is situated approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Withernsea
Withernsea
Withernsea is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, and forms the focal point for a wider community of small villages in Holderness. Its most famous landmark is the white inland lighthouse, rising around above Hull Road...
town centre and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village of Patrington
Patrington
Patrington is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately south east of Hedon and south west of Withernsea on the A1033 road...
.
It lies just inland from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast.
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Holmpton parish had a population of 193.
The parish church of St Nicholas is a Grade II listed building.
RAF Holmpton
The village is home to RAF HolmptonRAF Holmpton
Royal Air Force Holmpton is a former Cold War era nuclear bunker that was built in the 1950s as an early warning radar station. Located just south of the village of Holmpton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Royal Air Force Holmpton is still a part of the RAF and the Defence Estate...
, built originally as an early warning radar
Early warning radar
An early warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as early as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the defences the maximum time in which to operate...
station, and now refurbished to act as museum and archive.
Royal Air Force Holmpton is still a part of the RAF and the Defence Estate (2009). It currently hosts a Public Exhibition http://www.rafholmpton.com and is also home to the Defence Archives Unit. RAF Holmpton is managed by HIPPO an Independent Finance Initiative. The site runs to about 36 acres (145,687 m²) and comprises a number of surface structures along with a secure 35000 ft2 command bunker which is about 100 feet (30.5 m) below ground.
The bunker was first built in 1951–3 and started life as an early Warning Station (part of the Rotor programme). In the late 1960s it became a Master Comprehensive Radar Station which eventually closed in 1974. The used for training the site was converted in the 1980s to form the new War HQ for RAF Support Command. With the ending of the Cold War this function ceased in 1991 and the site returned to training until the 1990s when it was rebuilt to become the 1st experimental HQ of the new CCIS Electronic Warfare System. This function left the site in 2000–1. In 2003 Defence Archives moved to the site and in 2004 the first public exhibition opened. The exhibition opens throughout the year to visitors and 75% of the bunker is included in the visit, apart from AREA 7 which remains classified.
World War Two
On 14 January 1942 at 20.44 a Royal Air Force Avro Manchester bomber crashed on Mill Hill south of the village of Holmpton. The plane was seen with the port engine on fire with flames extending back past the tail. It struck the hill and exploded on impact killing all seven crew members on board.The plane was Avro Manchester L7523 EM:M of No.207 Squadron RAF stationed at RAF Bottesford
RAF Bottesford
RAF Station Bottesford is a former World War II airfield on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire county border in England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...
in Leicestershire. It had been charged with attacking the Blohm and Voss shipyards in Hamburg. The plane was delayed on take-off due to an unknown technical issue and eventually headed for the North Sea some time behind the rest of the squadron. The time of flight and speed of the Manchester doesn't allow the aircraft to have reached Hamburg and it is most likely to have reached the Dutch Frisian Islands before returning home, either hit by the enemy or very likely a mechanical failure which was common with the Avro Manchester.
A memorial to the crew of the aircraft was dedicated in November 2009 in the grounds of St. Nicholas church in Holmpton.