RAF Oakington Volume 2 - The Airfield Research Group

shaped corridor also terminate at exit points. Additionally the corridor walls are load bearing to
withstand near miss bomb blast.
2.1.2 Access
The planning is based on a symmetrical arrangement whereby the main access to the front
elevation is via a central tree-lined driveway, to a roundabout at the entrance. From here SE
and NW access roads continue around both quarters blocks to meet at the officers’ garages
and the kitchen / messmen’s yards at the rear of the central block. The main building is SW
facing with SE and NW accommodation wings.
There is also a hedge line pedestrian access route from the guardhouse, the route of which has
been straightened out in recent years.
2.1.3 Central Block Ground Floor
All public facilities are contained within the ground floor; there is a central entrance with loggia
and a large hall with SE and NW corridors which together form the main corridor. To the NW is
a billiard room and card writing room, and then the NW quarters wing. On the SE side of the
hall is a large anteroom plus access to the mess (or dining room) which is at right angles to the
main corridor. The extreme end of the corridor is the SE quarters wing. The only other mess
facilities, which are all to the NE of the corridor, are a cloak room, toilets and mess president’s
office.
All other rooms on the ground floor are associated with the running of the mess complex, and
are based around a kitchen block which extends out northwards from the main block. This has
a large kitchen, scullery, two larders and other store rooms associated with the preparation of
meals, including separate beer and wine cellars. The mess room is connected to the servery
and wash-up rooms, a pantry and the kitchen.
Access to other ancillary rooms within the complex for staff is via a central service corridor
(aligned SE / NW) which joins with the main corridor by two passages. The remaining rooms on
the ground floor are therefore for the wellbeing of the mess staff. These include a messmen’s
scullery and hall and mess waiters’ quarters, plus a waiters’ day room.
Along the corridor are two lightwells located conveniently close to toilets within the central
block. These not only provided a flood of natural light into the complex but are also the sites for
foul-drain inspection points. There is a third lightwell between the lavatories and the service
corridor.
Outside at the rear of the central complex on the west side of the kitchen block is a messmen’s
yard, outhouse and mess waiters’ yard, while on the east side is the kitchen yard, outhouse and
a fuel store.
2.1.4 Central Block Subway and Basement
The main corridor, before it leaves the central building in either direction, has a 5 ft deep
subway to carry the central heating pipes (feed and return) and primary hot water from either
the underground boiler house and pump room, or from the district heating scheme. This
arrangement fed radiators and hot-water outlets located throughout the complex.
Accessed from the mess waiters’ yard is a basement boiler house and pump house. The pump
house room is also connected to the subway below the main corridor. This originally housed
two 420,000 BTU boilers and circulating pumps which provided hot water for heating, and one
240,000 BTU boiler which provided a hot water service. The mains, sub-mains lighting boards
and power circuits were also located in the basement.
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