1
Footpath to Backwell
Footpath LA2 14/10 runs along a track beside the wall of the grounds of Backwell Hill House.
Image: © Derek Harper
Taken: 3 May 2016
0.07 miles
2
Seventy years of Nature's own camouflage
This little concrete lid is the top of a pillbox. Just down the hill was a fairly secret radio research laboratory during WWII. It didn't see any action, but now the years have gone by, it looks like it is slowly sinking into the scenery.
Image: © Neil Owen
Taken: 31 May 2018
0.08 miles
3
A sign from the war?
This odd sign refers to the old Post Office radio laboratory that was established here in 1937. The P.O. research at Dollis Hill in London moved here shortly before WWII began, presumably due to the threat. At Backwell, work on disrupting Luftwaffe bombing aids was undertaken, along with V.H.F. television broadcasting. After the war, the site was redirected into new radio transmissions and cloud interaction research. Later still, the modern digital age was advanced by the new 'owners' British Telecom. The site closed around 1975 (apart from some other occasional B.T. research in the 1980s) and the various buildings are rapidly deteriorating.
Apparently, the site was sold to a B.T. manager in 1993; following his later death, the site is now being earmarked for housing developments, most of which have so far been rejected.
Image: © Neil Owen
Taken: 31 May 2018
0.09 miles
4
Footpath to Backwell
Footpath LA2 14/10 passing the mobile phone mast shown in
Image
Image: © Derek Harper
Taken: 3 May 2016
0.09 miles
5
Junction on Backwell Hill
On the right is the start of the no through road past Home Farm to long Lane and the outside world. Behind the camera is the start, or end in my case, of the byway shown in
Image], and a footpath down to Backwell West Town.
Image: © Derek Harper
Taken: 3 May 2016
0.09 miles
6
Farm building or laboratory
This galvanised building might well be a simple farm structure, but down the hill the nearby site used to be a radio technology research centre during WWII. The internal bracing is common with buildings of that date.
Image: © Neil Owen
Taken: 31 May 2018
0.10 miles
7
Old Buildings And Mast.
On Backwell Hill
Image: © Adrian and Janet Quantock
Taken: 5 Mar 2006
0.10 miles
8
Mast, Backwell Hill
A mobile phone mast by the footpath shown in
Image
Image: © Derek Harper
Taken: 3 May 2016
0.10 miles
9
Fragile security
The old Post Office radio laboratory on Backwell Hill is now pretty much abandoned, save a small amount of modern mobile phone services. It was established in 1937, and in WWII took on important war work regarding radio technologies and the like. Post-war, it was a research centre for the latest advances but closed in 1975, save a little occasional stuff as mentioned above. Security seems to be largely based on surveillance cameras, but this 'doorway' appears to have a mangled aluminium ladder on the other side!
The site has been subject to redevelopment proposals.
Image: © Neil Owen
Taken: 31 May 2018
0.10 miles
10
Collapsing under the galvanised sheeting
This old and neglected building is near the site of the old Post Office radio research laboratories. It carried out important (but perhaps not exactly top secret) work during WWII, then spend many years investigating various radio technology and environmental factors before closing in the 1970s. It looks like the buildings were built quickly and abandoned with equal haste.
Image: © Neil Owen
Taken: 31 May 2018
0.10 miles