RNAS Lee - The Airfield Research Group

4.2 4.27 4.2
Power Power-House Power House House 1180/18 1180/18 (Stand Stand Stand-by Stand by Set Set House House) House (96) (96)
Built at approximately the same time as the slightly larger version at Calshot, this was to the
designs of Lieutenant JGN Clifts, Royal Engineers of the Air Ministry Works and Bricks
Department. It is adjacent to Hermes Road.
Although this is a single building, it is divided into two separate halves. For safety reasons each
one was independent from the other and constructed with walls of different heights. The larger
half functioned as the engine room and contained three generating sets (at least one rated at
100kw and another at 66 Kw). Construction was of 9 in temporary brick walls reinforced with wire
bonding material and with internal piers supporting rails for a three ton travelling crane gantry
which was used for installing the engines. Steel roof trusses were provided together with a ridge
mounted lantern light. Roof cladding was of Trafford Tiles.
The main function of the smaller half, which shared a dividing wall with the engine room, was
that of battery charging, but also the building contained a small workshop, store, office and
toilets. Construction was similar to the engine room, but the internal piers supported timber
King-post trusses and a large ridge mounted louvered air-vent. Again, roof cladding was of
Trafford Tiles.
The powerhouse is one of many WWI buildings at Lee-on-Solent which can be attributed to
Lieutenant JGN Clifts, Royal Engineers. He was also responsible for buildings at Aldeburgh,
Andover, Calshot, Halton, Northolt, Orfordness and Uxbridge
� NGR: SU 5592 0124 (96)
4.2 4.28 4.2
MT MT Petrol Petrol Store Store and Underground Petrol Storage Tanks Tanks (99 (99a) (99
This is a small brick-built petrol store associated with semi-underground MT petrol storage
installation. The structures are located close to the MT Shed and facing Hermes Road.
� NGR: SU 5592 0158 (99a)
4. 4.29 4.
Aviation Aviation Fuel Installation 2565/38 (99 (99b) (99
A single 72,000 gallon aviation fuel installation was built here comprising six, 12,000 gallon tanks
mounted in parallel and served by a common pump room at ground level. The whole structure
was then buried under a huge mound of earth. A circular road of unequal width was laid around
the site, a narrow section used for petrol company tankers to unload their contents into the
installation and a wider road allowing two RAF tankers to park and be filled up simultaneously
from the two filling standposts.
Only the five-way inlet valves survives. The filling stand posts have been removed. Elsewhere,
two installations survive at Bicester and another example can be seen at Northolt.
• NGR: SU 5592 0118 (99b)
50