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that it be saved and a promise was
made in parliament to retain it.
The cellar could not be dismantled
because the Tudor brick was too
soft, so to preserve it when works
commenced, the whole structure was
encased in steel and concrete and
relocated 3m west and 6m lower.
The turret of a Pickett-Hamilton Fort, a type of retractable pillbox, restored at RAF Honington © Honington Herald
the far more ignoble death of
highwayman Benjamin Colclough
during his attempted escape from the
scene of the crime in 1839.
Less than five miles away, also on
Salisbury Plain, is the uninhabited
village of Imber with its listed 13th
century church of St. Giles. The civilian
population was evicted a week before
Christmas 1943 in order to provide a
realistic urban training environment
for American troops preparing for
the D-Day landings in Normandy.
At the end of the war, villagers were
not allowed to return to their homes
as the area continued in use as a
military training area. Today, the village
buildings, the pub, manor houses and
cottages, are little more than shells,
but the church, with its medieval wallpaintings,
sur vives.
In London, beneath the MOD’s main
building, is an extraordinar y historical
survivor; Henry VIII’s wine cellar. It
is one of the few remaining parts
of Whitehall Palace, the main royal
residence in London from 1530 until
it was destroyed by a fire in 1698.
Larger than the Vatican and Versailles,
it was the largest palace in Europe
and covered over 93,000m 2 between
the river and Green Park. The original
plans for the MOD building (built
between 1938 and 1959, originally to
house the Air Ministry and the Board
of Trade) would have meant the
destruction of the cellar, but Mary,
queen consor t of George V, requested
AT THIS SPOT
Mr. DEAN, of Imber was Attacked and
Robbed by Four Highwaymen, in the
evening of Octr. 21st. 1839. After a
spirited pursuit of three hours one of
the Felons BENJAMIN COLCLOUGH
fell dead on Chitterne Down. THOMAS
SAUNDERS, GEORGE WATERS, &
RICHARD HARRIS, were eventually
Captured, and were convicted at the
ensuing Quarter Sessions at Devizes,
and Transported for the term of
Fifteen Years.
Elsewhere, interesting Defence
structures include dragon’s teeth
fortifications, the underground
network at Corsham built for
Churchill’s government in case of
invasion, as well as buildings with
no obvious military connections; the
grandstand at Tweseldown racecourse,
an Edinburgh dovecote, a Cornish
ice house, and the nation’s most
infrequently used railway station.
Following the Royal Family’s purchase
of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight
in 1845, the Royal Victoria Station was
built in the Royal Navy’s Clarence Yard
for the exclusive use of the Queen.
For the next fifty years, Victoria arrived
here for her annual summer holiday
at Osborne, and a red carpet was
laid from the train to the Royal Yacht.
The station was last used following
Victoria’s death at Osborne House in
1901, when her coffn was brought to
the mainland.
The MOD’s historic estate is ver y
diverse, providing a fascinating
backdrop to the work of the
depar tment in the 21st centur y. Who
knows which of our recent buildings
will be considered of national
significance and wor thy of listing
in future?
Katie Derrett
Historic Buildings Advisor
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
The robbers stone © Crown
This Monument is erected by Public
Subscription as a warning to those
who presumptuously think to escape
the punishment God has threatened
against Theives and Robbers.
Queen Victoria’s Railway Station, Clarence Yard,
in c.1900 © 1998-2006 Disused Stations
Sanctuary 44 • 2015
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