Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. Orford ... - English Heritage

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Laboratory 3 AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTURE No. F2 was 126/128 DATE: 1956 NGR: TM 43947 48480 ORIGINAL FUNCTION: Laboratory 3 Climatic Testing LATEST FUNCTION: Laboratory 3 Climatic Testing CONSTRUCTIONAL TYPE: Reinforced Concrete DIMENSIONS: see text DOCUMENTARY REFERENCE: AWRE 1971 126/128; PSA 1973 126 Lab III & Control Room (disused)128 Lab III Condense Pump House PHOTOGRAPHS:AA99/08511-13, DP068467-68, DP068470-75, DP068481 RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER FEATURES: DESCRIPTION: The Climatic Testing Laboratory F2 originally comprised two buildings The Laboratory 126 and adjoining to the east the Condense Pump House 128. The Laboratory comprises a large reinforced concrete chamber oriented roughly north to south with a barrel vaulted roof, dexcribed in 1973 as a foam slag arch (PSA 1973). The main entrance to the building is to the south through a substantial reinforced concrete canopy, the southern side of which is protected by a shingle traverse supported by concrete wing walls. A set of metal plates attached to the underside of the canopy mark the position of a central overhead lifting beam that passed into the main chamber. To the east of the main doors is an attached brick building which housed switch gear and air conditioning plant. On the opposite wall are various fuse and switch boxes. The main chamber is 24.50m (80ft 5ins) long and 6.0m (19ft 6ins) wide and is divided into two uneven cells, to the rear the north cell is 13.50 m (44ft 4ins)long. At the southern end of the chamber where the concrete floor is at the entrance level the chamber is 6.25m (20ft 6ins)high to its apex. Separating the two cells is a large step, 15.30m (50ft) from the rear, north wall, and the floor level drops by about 0.90m (3ft)in the north part of the chamber to the foundation level. ENGLISH HERITAGE AWRE ORFORDNESS
The southern part of the chamber was the preparation area. It was originally sealed at the southern end by wooden doors. Subsequently crude steel framed doors have been attached to the exterior of the building. At eaves height three reinforced concrete tie beams support L shaped brackets for an overhead lifting beam which extended out into the external canopy area. The later steel doors have a cutout to accomodate this beam. The area was lit by fluorescent tubes and there are the remains of a secondary lighting system. On the walls to either side are the remains of cable ducting and small bore conduits for electical sockets. On the east wall there are also large diameter duct pipes probably for warm air. A passage to the west leads through to an attached switch room (below). To the north is the large insulated chamber with a suspended floor carried on four concrete dwarf walls. The northern part of the chamber was originally separated from the southern section by an Expandomesh and plaster wall, remains of which are still in situ, which had a large metal door carried on an overhead rail whose mounting brackets remain, the door slid westwards into a slot in the access corridor to the small switch room to the west. The door to the north chamber remains but has been dislodged. Scattered remains of cork insulation board cover the areaIn the northwest corner a large access corridor leads west into Condense Pump House(see below). Fixed to the wall of the main chamber are various small bore water pipes and electrical conduits. On the rear wall of the chamber in the lower east corner is a large bore pipe that probably leads to an external vent. Also on the rear wall are two enclosed magazine type lights and the remains of two gauges with labels ‘TRYCHLORETHYLENE STRAINER INLET’ and ‘TRYCHLOROETHYLENE STRAINER OUTLET’. The northern part of this chamber and the plant room to the west was badly damaged by fire when it was hit by a stray missile during explosive ordnance disposal work (pers comm Grant Lohoar NT). On the west side of the Laboratory is the Condense Pump House 128, this is a large rectangular reinforced concrete building, 16.98m (55ft 8ins)by 6.30m (20ft 8ins)and 4.30m (14ft 0ins) high). It comprises two self-contained rooms, to the south a small switch room and to the north the main plant chamber, both of which connect through to the main chamber The small electrical switch room to the south is entered from the passageway contained the sliding door to the northern part of the chamber. From the exterior, to the west, it was entered through a pair of double outward opening doors, which were protected by a later brick porch, opening was later sealed by a crude steel grating. A second set of outward opening wooden doors were also attached to the outward end of the porch. The room contains the remains of electrical switch gear and metal cable ducting, probably from monitoring equipment. The room was lit by enclosed electrical bulbs and a red pipe probably carried a CO2 fire suppressant system. An air conditioning duct runs longitudinally down the centre of the room. At the east end of the room the single door giving access into the main laboratory is aluminium clad. The large plant room of the Condense Pump House was entered from the outside through a pair of outward opening wooden doors and was originally lit by two rectangular window in the west wall subsequently blocked in brick. To the south of the door opening is a frame that probably held carbon dioxide bottles for the fire suppressant system. Internally, are the remains of a large cooling plant on the north wall, with three vents to roof. There are also a number of concrete mounting blocks of various sizes and cable ducts in the floor. In the southwest corner is a large electrical switch box with several signs, including ‘LIGHTING’, ‘PLANT ROOM FANS AND PUMP’, ‘CALORI- FIER PUMP’, ‘EXHAUST FAN’, and ‘UNIT HEATER’. Still attached to its walls are various small bore pipes, electrical conduits, box section cable ducts, lights and switches. In the north corner a large corridor runs eastwards to the northern end of the main chamber, the floor level of this corridor is the same as the lower floor level in the main chamber and reached by three steps down from the plant room. Externally on the north side of the Plant Room is a cast concrete flanking wall retain-
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RESEARCH DEPARTMENT REPORT SERIES n
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Research Department Report Series 1
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© ENGLISH HERITAGE 2009 10 -
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Sources 64 Primary sources 64 Secon
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Introduction The Atomic Weapons Res
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Topography and land use Orford Ness
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Previous archaeological and histori
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The First World War In 1915, the Ar
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Figure 4: Photograph taken during t
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sorties were flown from RAF Martles
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Ballistics Building and was able to
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With the closure of the Ministry of
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Figure 11: Vibration Test Buildings
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Figure 12: WE177A freefall tactical
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Orford Ness formally passed from AW
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Figure 14: RAF Orford Ness in May 1
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Figure 16: The remains of the Model
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hostel. Adjacent to this is the sit
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Figure 21: First World War Magazine
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First phase AWRE buildings Air phot
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Figure 24: View of the area to the
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Figure 25: Laboratory 1 F3/123 show
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on its northeast side that gave acc
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To support the functions of this bu
Page 50 and 51: The centrifuge arm was 16ft (4.88m)
Page 52 and 53: Figure 32: The Control Room E4, sho
Page 54 and 55: Figure 34: Vibration Laboratory E2,
Page 56 and 57: was supported on concrete piers. Th
Page 58 and 59: Figure 38: The Impact Facility F5,
Page 60 and 61: uildings, are covered by a shingle
Page 62 and 63: for solitary sheep and cattle graze
Page 64 and 65: Figure 42: AWRE in July 1958, by th
Page 66 and 67: programme, the development of the W
Page 68 and 69: Sources Primary sources The Nationa
Page 70 and 71: Secondary sources Anon 1931 ‘Radi
Page 72 and 73: Building list This list was compile
Page 74 and 75: 62 7 ton crane - quay 63 7 ton cran
Page 76 and 77: 125 F1 1956 Lab II & control room (
Page 78 and 79: Magazine AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTURE N
Page 80 and 81: Fuze Magazine AREA/LOCATION: STRUCT
Page 82 and 83: Fuze Magazine AREA/LOCATION: STRUCT
Page 84 and 85: a cruciform framework to support th
Page 86 and 87: Vibration Test Building AREA/LOCATI
Page 88 and 89: are 3 large concrete machinery moun
Page 90 and 91: At the south end of the main plant
Page 92 and 93: At the east end there is a slightly
Page 94 and 95: a similar sign on the south door re
Page 96 and 97: Electrical Sub Station 2 AREA/LOCAT
Page 98 and 99: Laboratory 2 AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTU
Page 102 and 103: ing the shingle traverse and protec
Page 104 and 105: and running along the north wall. T
Page 106 and 107: cylinder. Roughly in the centre of
Page 108 and 109: tion board/fuse box, and a single s
Page 110 and 111: Impact Facility AREA/LOCATION: STRU
Page 112 and 113: Plinth E AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTURE N
Page 114 and 115: Black Beacon AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTU
Page 116 and 117: Headquarters AREA/LOCATION: STRUCTU
Page 118 and 119: Small Vibration Laboratory AREA/LOC
Page 120 and 121: Office Annexe AREA/LOCATION: STRUCT
Page 122 and 123: Compound AREA/LOCATION: G Area STRU
Page 124 and 125: Electronics Workshop AREA/LOCATION:
Page 126 and 127: Plinth G AREA/LOCATION: Lighthouse
Page 128 and 129: Figure 44: Reference plan (1:10000
Page 130 and 131: Figure 46: West end of The Street (
Page 132 and 133: Figure 48: AWRE headquarters area (
Page 134 and 135: Figure 50: Laboratory F5 (1:1000 at
Page 136 and 137: Figure 52: Pagodas and Control Room
Page 138: ENGLISH HERITAGE RESEARCH DEPARTMEN
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Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. Orford ... - English Heritage

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