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

Figure 32: The Control Room E4, showing the large southwestern control room, with subfloor
cable ducts and sound proofingb boards. (c) English Heritage DP070006
To the east of the Control Room, is a simple rectangular brick Electrical Sub Station
E7/166, comprising to the south a large room that housed the transformers and to
its north a smaller switch room. The building was protected by a carbon dioxide fire
suppressant system, with a three cylinder holder in the larger room feeding into red
painted pipes; the system could also be activated by a red switch on the building’s
exterior. To its east is the brick Pump House E8/167, in plan this building is a truncated
T-shape with a large central plant room and two small self-contained bays to either side.
The full description for this building noted it contained the combined pump house for
fire mains, condensate and appliance room. In the large central room was an electric
and diesel pump, the western bay was described as the Condensate Building, which
presumably handled condensed water from a steam heating system. To the rear of this
building were two large Braithwaite water tanks supported on low concrete walls with a
total capacity of 72,000 gallons (372, 312 litres). Only the tank to the west remains.
Vibration test buildings – The Pagodas
The most distinctive structures built during this phase were the Vibration Test Buildings,
commonly referred to as ‘The Pagodas’. The specification for the Vibration Test
Buildings included the ability to withstand the accidental detonation of 400lbs (181.4kg)
of high explosives. The report on their design noted that ‘the design of such a building
is beyond normal architectural or structural practice’ (Millington 1971). Responsibility for
the design of the structure lay with the Southern Works Organisation of UKAEA and G
W Dixon ARIBA was identified as the architect. Interestingly, a similar design had been
used in the early 1950s at the Explosives Research and Development Establishment,
© ENGLISH HERITAGE
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10 - 2009