Heritage Appraisal Defence Infrastructure Organisation RAF Halton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

June 2018

Heritage Appraisal

Contents

1 Introduction ...... 2 2 History and Development ...... 3 3 Heritage Assets ...... 5 4 Opporuntities and Constraints ...... 15 Appendix 1: Listed Building List Entry Descriptions...... 18 Appendix 2: Registered Park and Garden List Entry Description ...... 36 Appendix 3: Scheduled Ancient Monument List Entry Description ...... 39

Heritage Appraisal

1 Introduction

1.1 RAF Halton, Site HAL003, is allocated in the Proposed Submission VALP for approximately 1,000 dwellings, recognising its sustainable location, the capacity of the site and its environment and surrounding landscapes to accommodate development sensitively, and its ability to consistently deliver housing through the plan period in tandem with infrastructure. This Heritage Appraisal has been prepared by JLL Heritage to inform the allocation as well as the concept masterplan.

1.2 As such, the allocation of the site has been informed by JLL Heritage’s appraisal of RAF Halton. The Local Plan is a strategic document allocating site which the Council considers have capacity to accommodate development with the detailed design (which in this case would address the key heritage considerations) forthcoming in any applications for planning permission and/or listed building consent. It is on this basis that the allocation of the site is fully in accordance with the statutory duty and NPPF and is therefore sound.

1.3 Site HAL003 comprises a number of grade II listed buildings as well as a scheduled ancient monument, the significance of which may be impacted as a result of the proposed redevelopment of the site. As such, there is a requirement to ensure that any heritage sensitivities are given consideration and used to inform the master- planning process. As part of this allocation, the local planning authority has identified that the grade II listed Groves and Henderson barracks could be converted into up to 200 dwellings subject to viability. An exercise considering conversion of these buildings has been carried out by PRP and should be read alongside this Heritage Appraisal.

1.4 A further assessment, which sets out the significance of the heritage assets located on the site, will be required1. This is needed to ensure that the significance of the assets identified, including any contribution made by their setting, are preserved or enhanced as part of the redevelopment of the site, a requirement of both national and local planning policy.

1 NPPF (2012) Paragraph 128 (p.30)

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2 History and Development

2.1 The earliest record of the Halton estate dates to the late C10, the estate and its manor were, at this time, in the possession of the monastery of Christchurch, Canterbury. Following the Norman invasion, the manor of Halton was granted to Archbishop Lanfranch, the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. The reference to Halton in the Doomsday book of 1086 shows that it was relatively wealthy, supporting seven plough teams, a watermill and numerous areas of woodland.

2.2 In 1720, following a period of multiple ownerships during the Middle Ages, the estate was purchased by Sir Francis Dashwood for £19,000. Dashwood owned a large number of surrounding estates, though his family seat was at West Wycombe Park. By the mid C18, the Halton estate comprised approximately 1,500 acres of farm land and a modest Palladian-style manor house which was situated near the church Halton village.

2.3 The Halton estate continued to pass through the Dashwood family and in 1815, when Sir John Dashwood-King bequeathed West Wycombe Park to his son George, Sir John relocated to the smaller estate of Halton, establishing himself in the main house. Upon the death of Sir John in 1849, his son inherited in excess of £10,000 of debt. As a result, the Halton estate was amongst a number of which were offered for sale in order to raise the necessary sums.

2.4 Baron Lionel de Rothschild purchased the Halton estate on behalf of the Rothschild family in the mid-1800s for £47,000. Prior to the purchase of the Halton estate, Lionel had already established a country residence at Gunnersbury Park and also kept a townhouse in London. As a result, the Halton estate and existing Palladian-style manor house were not inhabited by him or any of the family at this time. As a result, the house was left vacant, slowly decayed and was later demolished in 1879.

Figure 2.1 – 1884 OS plan

2.5 In 1879, Alfred inherited the estate from his father, by which time it covered approximately 1,500 acres and boasted many tenant farmers and much agricultural land, though it lacked a residence of a suitable size and grandeur. During the 1880s, Alfred embarked upon an ambitious project to construct a grand mansion house at Halton in the style of a French Renaissance château, a style which was closely associated with the C19 nouveaux riches. The site chosen for the house was approximately half a mile from the village, on a hilltop which commanded views of the surrounding area.

2.6 Alfred remained a bachelor throughout his life and had few personal ties, he was also part of the third generation of English Rothschilds for whom work at the family bank was becoming increasingly less vital. Alfred had inherited a large fortune and was under much less pressure to adhere to social norms or familial

Heritage Appraisal

responsibilities. Consequently, Alfred was able to devote a significant amount of time and resources to his project.

2.7 The house was constructed at remarkable speed and was completed within three years (1880 – 1883), principally for the purposes of entertaining members of Victorian high society. During the same period, part of Halton village was rebuilt for estate workers, these buildings have retained the Rothschild hallmark with decorative drawings on the external plasterwork.

2.8 In 1913, Alfred Rothschild invited the 1st Brigade of Guards and support units to use land within his Halton Estate to undertake summer manoeuvres. Halton was established as an army camp by September 1913, with the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men in 1915. Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of Air Staff, viewed the establishment of a central training facility as a fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service. Ongoing plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps lead to RFC personnel being transferred to take over the army camp at Halton during the summer of 1917.

2.9 Following the death of Alfred Rothschild in 1918, Lord Trenchard insisted that the Crown purchase the Halton estate in order to provide a permanent base for the expanding Royal Air Force (RAF). From 1918 until the early 1920s, General Sir Hugh Trenchard concentrated on developing the site’s strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations of technology-based services through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton.

2.10 The Grove and Henderson Barracks (formerly known as Bulback Barracks) were constructed immediately after the First World War and were specifically designed as a permanent base for the world’s first independent air force. As such, the buildings which comprise Grove and Henderson Barracks played a significant role in the early development of British military air power.

2.11 The expansion of RAF Halton continued when it became the home of the Aircraft Apprenticeship Scheme, in which high performing boys would receive three years of training as opposed to the five year duration of the usual civilian apprentices. The first group of apprentices arrived in 1922 and technical training continued until 1994 at which point the facility was transferred elsewhere.

Figures 2.2 & 2.3 – Grove & Henderson Barracks (formerly Bulback Barracks), 1920s

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3 Heritage Assets

3.1 A heritage asset is defined by the NPPF as:

‘A building , monument, site, place, area of landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in the planning decisions because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing’2).

Designated Heritage Asset

3.2 A Designated Heritage Asset is identified by the NPPF as:

‘A World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.3’

3.3 Such assets are statutorily identified as having a level of heritage (architectural and/or historic) interest to justify designation. There are then particular procedures in planning decisions to ensure that their special interest is preserved or enhanced.

3.4 There are a number of designated heritage assets within the RAF Halton site which have the potential to be affected by any development of the site. The assets comprise listed buildings, a registered park and garden and a scheduled ancient monument, each of the assets are set out below.

Listed Buildings

Point Name, Summary Reference Grade 1 Halton House, Historic Interest: The Halton estate in the Vale of Aylesbury was acquired by the GII* Rothschild family in 1853. The estate was later inherited by Alfred Rothschild in 1879 who set about constructing a mansion, principally for the purposes of entertaining members of Victorian high society.

During 1913, Alfred Rothschild invited the Army to use land on his estate for summer manoeuvres. At the outbreak of WW1, Rothschild further offered his estate to the War Office for the duration of the hostilities for military training. By 1918, Halton had become an RAF station and upon the death of Alfred Rothschild, his nephew sold the estate, including Halton House to the Air Council. The house later became the Officer’s Mess.

Architectural Interest: Halton House (W R Rogers of Cubitts 1881-3) was constructed during the early 1880s on a new site in a French Renaissance style. The mansion comprises a brick-built structure and is faced with white sandstone with a lead and slate French-style pavilion roof. Pinnacles and chimney stacks, of varying heights, punctuate the turret-tops and rooftops. A tall circular tower (the Belvedere) rises from the roof and acted as a viewing platform as well as an architectural feature. Each of the four corners of the house features a turret and an impressive porte cochère sits to the centre of the south east-facing elevation. A service wing, in matching style, was constructed to the northern end of the house.

2 NPPF (2012) Annex 2: Glossary (p.52) 3 NPPF (2012) Annex 2: Glossary (p.51)

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Point Name Summary Reference 1 Halton House, An elaborate domed Winter Garden was attached to the south-western end GII* of the House, with three external flights of steps down to the gardens. The structure was demolished in 1935, and replaced by an accommodation block designed by Vincent Harris. The block is linked to the House by the Winter Garden corridor, with white stone columns and niches, which was retained.

A red-brick stable block is located 750m south of the House, with three squat, square towers linked by low ranges, originally enclosing one side of a rectangular yard. The stable block is now used as a riding school.

Setting: Halton House is situated on elevated ground facing the Vale, but it is largely screened from views by mature trees around the western boundary of the garden. From the south side of the accommodation block a view of the hills above Wendover is visible above a number of RAF buildings along the southern boundary.

The immediate setting is varied, with the extensive buildings of the RAF base prominent to the south, the small village of Halton to the west, and the dense woodland within the site extending to north and south. Within the wider setting, Halton is one of seven Rothschild country estates within a 10km radius of Aylesbury bought, and usually furnished with a new house, during the second half of the C19.

2 Bridge over Historic Interest: When Alfred Rothschild constructed a new mansion on canal in the Halton Estate during the early 1880s, he also constructed an ornate grounds of bridge over the Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal to provide an Halton House, approach to the Vale of Aylesbury and provide carriage access to the house. GII It is now used as a footpath between Halton House and the airfield.

Architectural Interest: The bridge is constructed of cast iron on large moulded ashlar stone and brick piers and abuttments. The main girders have shallow curved soffit and diagonally braced spandrels. The bridge parapet has 13 panels of ornamental iron-work set out in a formal leaf pattern, with the Rothschild monogram picked out in gold paint to the centre of the structure.

Heritage Appraisal

3 Building nos. Historic Interest: The Grove and Henderson Barracks were constructed immediately 6, 7 and 8-13 after the First World War and designed as a permanent base for the world’s first (Groves independent air force (RAF). The barracks is one of two major sites associated with Barracks) and the formation of the RAF, establishing a template for subsequent air base designs, 14, 15 and 16- marking a departure from the temporary accommodation which was provided the 21 Royal Flying Corps. As such, the site played a significant role in the early (Henderson development of British military air power. Barracks), GII From 1918 until the early 1920s, General Sir Hugh Trenchard concentrated on 4 Building no. developing the site’s strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary 25 (Former considerations were in laying the foundations of technology-based services through Regimental the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Halton subsequently Institute) became the home of the Aircraft Apprenticeship Scheme, in which high performing Groves and boys would receive three years of training as opposed to the five year duration of the Henderson usual civilian apprentices. The first group of apprentices arrived in 1922. Barracks, GII Architectural Interest: The Grove and Henderson Barracks were designed in the 5 Building no. Domestic Revival style, which was the favoured architectural style of the War Office 27, Sergeant’s for its army barracks from the 1870s. The buildings are largely complete externally, Mess (Groves with the exception their original slate roofing which has been replaced. The Barracks), GII consistency and uniformity in both the materials used and treatments to the buildings, creates a homogenous group which is set within a backdrop of dense, planted 6 Building no. woodland to the east and south. 22, Groves and Each of the 12 barracks quarters were constructed to house 126 apprentices, for Henderson sergeants and six corporals. The buildings were the first of their type to include Barracks, GII ablutions, drying rooms and latrines in the same building. The central section comprises the main entrance hall, staircase and ablutions to the rear, flanked by 7 Building no. barrack accommodation. 1.1 26 Henderson 1.2 Sergeants’ Buildings 26 and 27, which both accommodated sergeants’ mess, are identical 1.3 Mess (Groves structures. With buildings 22, 24, 25, 28 and 29, they comprise red-brick to cavity 1.4 and walls with some dressings in limestone ashlar. Concrete tiles on timber trusses 1.5 Henderson replace earlier slate tiles. The buildings form part of the comprehensive group which Barracks), GII have seen limited external change since its construction in 1922. 1.6

1.7 8 Building no. The complex is centred on a parade ground, from which there are long views toward 24 (Airmens’ Wendover Woods to the south. Institute), Groves and Henderson Barracks, GII 1.8 1.9 9 Building no. 1.10 28 1.11 (Henderson

1.12 Mess) Groves and 1.13 Henderson 1.14 Barracks 1.15 1.16 10 Building no.29 (Groves Mess) Groves and Henderson Barracks 

Heritage Appraisal

Registered Park and Garden Point Name Summary Reference 11 Halton House, Baron Lionel de Rothschild purchased the Halton estate from Sir George GII Dashwood in 1853. In 1879, the estate passed to Alfred Rothschild following the death of the Baron. Soon after, Alfred constructed a mansion on agricultural land, 600m east of the church. During the 1880s, Alfred laid out the grounds around the House and constructed woodland rides up the steep scarp to the Austrian-style chalet at the top.

The main entrance, off the Upper Icknield Way, lies to the east of the House, opposite Mansion Hill Lodge, a late C19, half-timbered, two-storey lodge. The drive curves west to arrive at a gravel carriage sweep in front of a large porte-cochère on the south-eastern, entrance front of the House. The drive continues along the outer edge of the sweep, separated by a strip of lawn, to give access to the south wing of the House. A spur off the main drive runs north through woodland, over Hairlane Bridge over the Canal into the Aston Clinton estate.

Halton House lies at the centre of the registered area and a complex of red- brick stables lie 750m south of the House, with three squat, square towers linked by low ranges, originally enclosing one side of a rectangular yard, now a riding school.

The major garden features lie to the west and north of the House. A flight of stone steps leads north-west from the broad gravel terrace, down to a straight, broad gravel path leading to the circular pond and fountain. The formal garden is now largely laid to lawn with columnar cypresses flanking the central path. This formal area is backed by mature trees and shrubs on the west garden boundary, to the north of the pond, reached by a path which sweeps north around it, is the oval Italian Garden, entered through a pair of elaborate wrought-iron gates. A central oval lawn is surrounded by the remains of a mosaic path and stone edging, dominated at the north end by a stone-effect gazebo, in ruinous condition.

A path from the garden terrace runs north toward an informal oval pond, with a rockwork grotto/cascade which once fed the pond with water. The cascade, now considerably decayed, appears also to have had water running through it, with the foundations and floor of a thatched, rustic pavilion at one end.

The park surrounds the gardens to the west and south. The western area is bisected south-west to north-east by the disused, but still water-filled and tree-lined, Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal (1799). The two sides of the park are connected by a path which crosses a cast-iron, blue-painted bridge which was constructed by Alfred Rothschild during the 1880s. The area west of the Canal was part of the park connected with the earlier Halton House which stood close to the church, and was incorporated into the later Rothschild park, c 1880s. It is now pasture and visually disconnected from the rest of the park by mature trees growing along the Canal. The park east of the Canal, which is now largely playing fields, has been curtailed to the south and east of the Icknield Way by RAF development, which has considerable reduced its extent.

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Scheduled Ancient Monument Point Name Summary Reference 12 Long barrow The monument comprises a Neolithic long barrow situated 100m to the 200m east of north east of Groves Road which skirts the southern side of the parade the parade ground at RAF Halton. The barrow stands on a slight spur projecting from ground, the lower slopes of Haddington Hill, and would originally have stood out Groves Road, from the horizon when viewed from the valley to the south and west. The Halton Camp mound forms an elongated oval, c.1.2m high and approximately 45m in length and 20m in width.

Figure 3.1 – Designated Heritage Asset Site Plan

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4 Summary

4.1 RAF Halton, Site HAL003, is allocated in the Proposed Submission VALP for approximately 1,000 dwellings. Site HAL003 comprises a number of grade II listed buildings, a scheduled ancient monument and part of a registered park and garden, the significance of which may be impacted as a result of the proposed redevelopment of the site. As such, there is a requirement to ensure that any heritage sensitivities are given consideration and used to inform the master-planning process.

4.2 As part of the allocation, the local planning authority considers that the Groves and Henderson Barracks could be converted into circa 200 dwellings subject to viability. PRP have undertaken an exercise to consider the potential of these listed buildings and conclude that 208 units can be achieved. The initial studies (refer to RAF Halton Vision document by PRP) of the potential for conversion of key buildings within the site has enabled the capacity of the site to be tested. These are high level and as demonstrated within each of the studies, varying degrees of alteration and intervention will be required in order to bring these into residential use this will be subject to discussions with the Council Conservation Officer and a viability assessment at a later stage.

4.3 Given the historic nature of the site, a heritage-led strategy is required to inform its redevelopment and should be based on the significance of the associated structures/buildings. A heritage-led strategy will demonstrate how the heritage potential of the site can be unlocked as part of redevelopment plans, ensuring that the memory of its former use is maintained and that the local community are able to benefit from the closure of the existing site. The impending vacation of the site provides an opportunity for redevelopment that is steered by a design rationale that acknowledges and documents its significance, whilst also enhancing its character through high quality design. Furthermore, vacation and subsequent redevelopment will open a locally important site to members of the public for the first time, providing opportunities for public engagement and dissemination of a shared understanding.

4.4 A further assessment, which sets out the significance of the heritage assets located on the site, will be required as part of any future application for planning permission and/or listed building consent4. This should consider the significance of the assets identified, including any contribution made by their setting, and the effect of the proposals on that significance.

4 NPPF (2012) Paragraph 128 (p.30)

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Appendix 1: Listed Building List Entry Descriptions

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1) Halton House List Description

Halton House Country House. Since 1919 RAF Officer's Mess. 1881-3 by W.R. Rogers of Cubitts for Alfred de Rothschild. French Renaissance style, ashlar stone with steep slated roofs, iron crestings and finials, chimneys with cornices and pediment caps. Segmental pedimented dormers and oval windows to central bays, large open domed cupola to centre of garden front. 2-storeys and attic, engaged Doric columns to ground floor with triglyph frieze. Metopes carved with Rothschild insignia; cornice and balustrades. Ionic order to 1st floor with sections of cornice. Bays flanking centre have pilaster order. Entrance and garden fronts both of six bays, the 3 outer in half-octagonal turrets, central bay with full height pedimented frontispiece, with porche-cochene to ground floor of Entrance front. Tall plate glass casements, those to ground floor with semicircular arched heads. Carved panels over windows on S.E. tower. Attached terrace on Garden front with stone steps, balustraded with urns. 1-storey block at E. end linked to lower service wing, 1-storey and attic, in matching style. 1-storey modern dining room extension on N. side. Former winter garden at W. end demolished 1937 and replaced by officers quarters by Vincent Harris. Ashlar stone with slate roof, 3 storeys square block, 8 bays to each front, attic windows with oval heads and cills. Interior: Great central 2-storey hall and staircase surrounded by state rooms all decorated in gilt plasterwork of great elaboration. Iron stair balustrade and balcony fronts to hall. Marble chimneypieces in all rooms. Billiard room lined with polished wood panelling. Gold room in Moorish style with gilt ceiling, arches, doorcases and dado. Winter Garden corridor with white stone columns and niches. History said to be first house built for electric lighting. Early example of hot air central heating. (see"Beechwoods and Bayonets, The Book of Halton" A.E. Adam, Buckingham 1983).

2) Bridge over canal in grounds of Halton House List Description

Bridge over canal in grounds of Halton House Bridge, over Wendover arm of Grand Union Canal, c.1880 cast iron on large moulded ashlar stone and brick piers and abuttments. Main girders have shallow curved soffit and diagonally braced spandrels. Bridge parapet has 13 panels of ornamental iron-work in formal leaf pattern, some panels broken.

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3) Building Nos 6, 7 and 8-13 (Groves Barracks) and 14, 15 and 16-21 List Description

Building Nos 6, 7 and 8-13 (Groves Barracks) and 14, 15 and 16-21 (Henderson Barracks) Groups of identical barracks blocks, 16 in all: Buildings Nos 6, 7, 14 and 15; 16 - 21; 8 - 13. Description is based on Building No 18. Designed 1919 by the Air Ministry's Directorate of Works and Buildings, completed by 1922. Drawing Nos 981/19, 19/20 and 476/20. Stretcher bond red brickwork, some limestone dressings, concrete tile roofs (originally slate).

PLAN: A long 3-storey hipped range with short wing to rear as central arm to 'T'. Central entrance lobby via short flight of steps to lobby with imperial stairway, flanked by small single rooms for NCOs. Service wings with washrooms and lavatories. Groves Barracks comprise a line of 2 units (Buildings 6 and 7) at the E side of the group, plus 6 units (Buildings 8 - 13) centred to the N of the parade ground; these are exactly balanced by Henderson Barracks, with Buildings 14 and 15 to the E, and 16 - 21 to the S. The whole, incorporating the Parade Ground and Drill Shed, and including the accompanying functional and leisure accommodation, extends approx 400m N/S and 215m E/W, on ground falling slightly from S to N.

EXTERIOR: Units were built to a common design, with minor variations only. Windows throughout are wooden glazing-bar sashes, mainly 12-pane with some 8-pane, generally set to low segmental brick- arched heads and stooled stone sills. Roofs are hipped, to a simple box eaves, and there are no stacks. The entrance front is in 15 bays; each side of the centre unit are 6 bays, with 8 -pane sashes at each end. The stepped-forward central feature is in 3 parts, with a narrow hipped pavilion each side having a sash at each level, to a sunk panel crowned by a semi-circular arch and vertical brick tympanum containing a small ventilation slot; between first and second floor windows the panel is in herring-bone work. The centre bay has a large gridded stone mullion and transom window in 4 x 3 lights to flush work, above a pair of panelled doors with top panel glazed, on a broad single stepped landing, under a deep square cantilevered concrete lead-covered canopy carried on deep console brackets to bold pilasters, and with moulded architrave. The pilasters rise from a moulded and black - painted plinth. Most units retain an original iron foot-scraper on the landing.

The rear has 6 bays each side of the projecting utilities block, with 12 and 8-pane sashes as to the front; a spiral iron escape stair to concrete landings is set to the third bay, with escape doors. The narrow outer end has a 12-pane sash at first and second floors, above a plain door with overlight. The utilities block has two windows adjacent to the main block, and 2 to the hipped outer end.

The brickwork up to the first floor sill level is banded by setting back one brick course in every 7; this is taken completely round the building. The front central feature has a one-course projecting stone string to the head of the top window, taken above the work-on-edge soldier course, and returned at each side immediately below the box eaves; also at the second floor level to this centre, and the outer ends of the main range, there are 3 stone 'quoins', one course deep, and 1 1/2 bricks long.

INTERIORS: Each has imperial stair with cast-iron balusters and handrail to wooden newels. Photographs of standard dormitories in Taylor (p.34) show Spartan spaces, with deep square concrete ceiling beams to each bay, and pairs of part-glazed doors beneath a multi-pane overlight at the entrance from the stair lobby. Floors are in concrete, and roofs were originally in timber king -post trusses.

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HISTORY: The Groves and Henderson barracks, designed immediately after the First World War as a permanent base for the world's first independent air force, occupy an important place in the early development of British military air power. They were designed in the Domestic Revival style favoured by the War Office for its army barracks from the 1870s, and are externally complete with the exception of the loss of their slate roofing. The consistency of materials and treatment produces a harmonious and homogeneous ensemble, amply backed by the planted woodlands to the E and S. Although designed well before the self-conscious structures of the 1930's Expansion Period, when the pronouncements of the Royal Fine Arts Commission made an impact on the RAF arch itectural development, these buildings show that considerable care was taken to avoid utilitarian severity, evidenced in the restrained treatment to the ground floor walling, and the relatively elaborate detailing of the 3-bay central unit. They also established a format subsequently used by the RAF for all its barracks quarters including, for the first time, ablutions, drying rooms and latrines in the same building as the dormitories. Each was built to house 126 apprentices, for sergeants and six corporals ; the central section, with its main entrance hall, staircase and ablutions to the rear, related to flanking barrack accommodation whose size depended on any situation's operational requirements.

When the RAF was formed as the world's first independent air force in April 1918, and during the period of retrenchment which lasted from the Armistice until the early 1920s, its founding father and first Chief of Air Staff, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, concentrated upon developing its strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations for a technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of ?112, 000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still separated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme. The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

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4) Building No 25 (Former Regimental Institute) Groves and Henderson Barracks List Description

Building No 25 (Former Regimental Institute) Groves and Henderson Barracks GV II Former Regimental Institute. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawings 337/20 and 369-371/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, limestone ashlar dressings, concrete plain tile roof (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A compact and complex 2-storey building with stepped hipped roofs; a long main front with projecting central open pediment returns to deep wings to a complex rear with service courtyards, a loft central kitchen, and various service and storage spaces. Entrances are to the staircase halls and the end returns, and to the wings beyond. Major rooms at each level included dining room, lounge, reading and billiard rooms, and central kitchen to the rear. Originally there was a small square clock tower with cupola on the ridge behind the pedimented centre, but this has been removed. The building served the Groves barracks group, and is located in the NW corner of the complex, be hind the sergeant's mess, building No 27 (qv).

EXTERIOR: Windows, except those set to stone surrounds, are generally timber glazing-bar sashes in plain reveals, those top the ground floor also with lights above a transom; below the central pediment, and in the staircase units on the returns, small-pane casements are set to stone surround, mullions and transoms. The front is in 7 bays, twice stepped back from the centre, and the outer single bays to a lower eaves level. The large central window has 6 lights to each floor, in a 3 x 2 grid, with a stone apron having a raised central panel, between the floors; in the pediment is a small oculus in brick voussoirs and flush stone keys to the cardinal points. Each side of centre two bays have sashes with overlights at both floor levels.

The returns have a narrow sash above a pair of panelled, part-glazed doors in painted pilaster surround to a flat canopy on brackets, below a tripartite small-pane lunette in a brick arch; this door detail is repeated in doors beyond a projecting staircase unit, with separately expressed hipped roof, and having a large 3 x 3-light gridded casement window in stone surround, mullions and transoms, continued down as an ashlar panel with raised central unit. Above the doors beyond the staircase are 3 sashes above a pair of doors with lunettes, joined by a painted panel to hood height. Beyond is a deep wing with a single window to the ground floor front, and 2 sashes at each level on the return. The window pattern is continued to the rear in the wings, then a high central kitchen with roof lantern is flanked by small courtyards and service rooms. Roofs project to a modest box eaves all round.

INTERIOR: entrance halls articulated by classical pilasters, and each with elaborate imperial sta ir with openwork cast-iron newel. Original joinery including panelled doors.

HISTORY: The Groves and corresponding Henderson Institutes (qv) are near identical, each serving 8 adjacent barracks blocks. They are major elements in this comprehensive group, reflecting the same design philosophy and detailing as many of the other units. This building is little changed externally since its completion in 1922, except for the loss of the turret, and new roof coverings.

Heritage Appraisal

exception of the loss of their slate roofing. The consistency of materials and treatment produces a harmonious and homogeneous ensemble, amply backed by the planted woodlands to the E and S. Although designed well before the self-conscious structures of the 1930's Expansion Period, when the pronouncements of the Royal Fine Arts Commission made an impact on the RAF architectural development, these buildings show that considerable care was taken to avoid utilitarian severity. When the RAF was formed as the world's first independent air force in April 1918, and during the period of retrenchment which lasted from the Armistice until the early 1920s, its founding father and first Chief of Air Staff, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, concentrated upon developing its strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations for a technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of 112,000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still separated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme. The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

5) Building No 27, Sergeant’s Mess (Groves Barracks) List Description

Building No 27, Sergeant’s Mess (Groves Barracks) Former sergeants' mess, now offices. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawings 220/20 and 344-345/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, some dressings in limestone ashlar, concrete plain tiles (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A single-storey near-square hipped block with small internal service yard. In addition to the dining room, there were writing, reading and card rooms, a billiard room, and the kitchen with services to the rear. This mess located adjacent to and as part of the Groves barracks (qv) at the W end of the main parade ground.

EXTERIOR: The front has small-pane casements, and the returns glazing bar sashes combined with fixed lights above a transom. The front has a bold hexagonal bay each side of the centre, with casements framed by bold stone mullions and transom, in 1:3:1 lights, set flush to brickwork below, and carried up to a parapet with coping above the eaves line. At the centre is a pair of part-glazed panelled doors in stone pilaster surround with a flat canopy on brackets, above which is a small tripartite lunette in a brick arch; to each side is a tall narrow casement with stone transom, lintel and sill. The right return has three sashes, the centre unit paired, and near the front is an external stack, cropped at eaves level; the left return has a small extension with casement, under a swept-down section of the roof, and behind this the entry to the service yard. A simple eaves box is taken round the whole building.

INTERIOR: original joinery including panelled doors and double doors in hall set under semi-circular arch.

HISTORY: This is one of two identical messes, the other (Building No 26, qv) is at the E end of the parade ground, associated with Henderson barracks (qv). It forms part of this comprehensive group, little changed externally since its completion in 1922.

The Groves and Henderson barracks, designed immediately after the First World War as a permanent base for the world's first independent air force, occupy an important place in the early development of British military air power. They were designed in the Domestic Revival style favoured by the War Office for its army barracks from the 1870s, and are externally complete with the exception of the loss of their slate roofing. The consistency of materials and treatment produces a harmonious and homogeneous ensemble, amply backed by the planted woodlands to the E and S. Although designed well before the self-conscious structures of the 1930's Expansion Period, when the pronouncements of the Royal Fine Arts Commission made an impact on the RAF architectural development, these buildings show that considerable care was taken to avoid utilitarian severity. When the RAF was formed as the world's first independent air force in April 1918, and during the period of retrenchment which lasted from the Armistice until the early 1920s, its founding father and first Chief of Air Staff, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, concentrated upon developing its strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations for a technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying

Heritage Appraisal

Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s .

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of 112, 000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still separated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme.

The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

6) Building No 22, Groves Barracks List Description

Building No 22, Groves and Henderson Barracks Multi-purpose building originally including medical centre, barber's shop, shoemaker's and tailor's shops, plus general offices; now offices. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawings 268/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, some dressings in limestone ashlar, concrete plain tiles (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A complex plan with a wide symmetrical frontage, the central range set back, and with broad wings brought forward at each end, all to hipped roofs with steep pitch. The building lies to the E of the parade ground serving Groves and Henderson Barracks (qqv), centred to its cross axis, and a t a slightly lower level.

EXTERIOR: The parade ground frontage is in 5:9:5 bays, and windows are generally 12-pane timber sash in reveals, to brick voussoir heads with concrete sills. The central 7 bays have two sashes at each floor each side of the central 3-bay section; this is faced in ashlar, and has 3 small paired sashes above a panelled and part-glazed door on 2 steps in a moulded architrave, flanked by a small paired sash each side. Over the door is a flat canopy to moulded edge, on brackets, and th e moulding is carried round as a string-course in the stone dressing. This 7-bay section is slightly stepped forward from a single bay each side, beyond which the wings step forward one bay, with sashes to each level, that to the Right being a large tripartite window to the ground floor.

The wings are in 5 bays, with widely spaced sashes to the first floor, above a bold flat -roofed verandah projection expressed in ashlar, with a brick infill. To the right there are 3 open bays defined by paired square pilasters flanked by a single bay slightly brought forward, and having a small sash in stone architrave plus blocking-course, with corner pilasters, and returned at each end to a brick panel with a small sash. The left-hand verandah is similar, but with one open bay only, and various sashes filling the remainder. The return at the right-hand end (S) has a single sash above a central plain door with overlight, having two sashes to the left and one to the right; the opposite end is similar, but with fewer sashes, and the rear, which has a projecting central section, has sashes to the front.

INTERIOR: dog-leg stair with ball finial to square newel, and iron balusters. Original joinery including panelled doors in moulded architraves.

HISTORY: This prominent building housed important amenities required by the occupants of the twelve adjacent barracks blocks, and the long frontage provides a significant enclosure to the large parade ground; the N end is now partially concealed by a later structure, but it remains a v ital unit in this comprehensive group, little changed externally since its completion in 1921.

Heritage Appraisal

development, these buildings show that considerable care was taken to avoid utilitarian severity. When the RAF was formed as the world's first independent air force in April 1918, and during the period of retrenchment which lasted from the Armistice until the early 1920s, its founding father and first Chief of Air Staff, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, concentrated upon developing its strategic role as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations for a technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

7) Building No 26, Henderson Sergeants’ Mess (Groves Barracks) List Description

Building No 26 Henderson Sergeants’ Mess (Groves and Henderson Barracks) Former sergeants' mess. Wing HQ. Now Chaplaincy Centre. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawings 220/20 and 344-345/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, some dressings in limestone ashlar, concrete plain tiles (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A single-storey near-square hipped block with small internal service yard. In addition to the dining room, there were writing, reading and card rooms, a billiard room, and the kitchen with services to the rear. This mess located adjacent to and as part of the Henderson barracks (qv) at the E end of the main parade ground.

EXTERIOR: The front has small-pane casements, and the returns glazing bar sashes combined with fixed lights above a transom. The front has a bold hexagonal bay each side of the centre, with casements framed by bold stone mullions and transom, in 1:3:1 lights, set flush to brickwork below, and carried up to a parapet with coping above the eaves line. At the centre is a pair of part -glazed panelled doors in stone pilaster surround with a flat canopy on brackets, above which is a small tripartite lunette in a brick arch; to each side is a tall narrow casement with stone transom, lintel and sill. The right return has three sashes, the centre unit paired, and near the front is an external stac k, cropped at eaves level; the left return has a small extension with casement, under a swept-down section of the roof, and behind this the entry to the service yard. A simple eaves box is taken round the whole building.

INTERIOR: original joinery and panelled doors, including half-glazed hall doors set in semi-circular arched overlight; panelled moving partition to right.

HISTORY: This is one of two identical messes, the other (Building No 27, qv) is at the W end of the parade ground, associated with Groves Barracks (qv). It forms part of this comprehensive group, little changed externally since its completion in 1922.

Heritage Appraisal

marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, th e tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of 112, 000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still separated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme.

The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

8) Building No 24 (Airmen’s Institute) Groves Henderson Barracks List Description

Building No 24 (Airmens’ Institute) Groves Henderson Barracks Former Regimental Institute. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawings 337/20 and 369 - 371/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, limestone ashlar dressings, concrete plain tile roof (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A compact and complex 2-storey building with stepped hipped roofs; a long main front with projecting central open pediment returns to deep wings to complex rear with service courtyards, a lofty kitchen, and various service and storage spaces. Entrances are to the staircase halls and the end returns, and to the wings beyond. Major rooms at each level included dining room, lounge, reading and billiards rooms, and central kitchen to the rear. Originally there was a small clock tower with cupola on the ridge behind the pedimented centre, but this has been removed. The building served the Henderson barracks group, and is located in the NE corner of the complex, opposite barracks block, building No 17 (qv).

EXTERIOR: Windows, except those set to stone surrounds, are generally timber glazing-bar sashes in plain reveals, those to the ground floor also with lights above a transom; below the central pediment, and in the staircase units on the returns, small-pane casements are set to stone surround, mullions and transoms. The front is in 7 bays, twice stepped back from the centre, and the outer single bays to a lower eaves level. The large central window has 6 lights to each floor, in a 3 x 2 grid, with stone apron having a raised central panel, between the floors; in the pediment is a small oculus in brick voussoirs and flush stone keys to the cardinal points. Each side of centre two bays have sashes with overlights at both floor levels.

The returns have a narrow sash above a pair of panelled, part-glazed doors in painted pilaster surround to a flat canopy on brackets, below a tripartite small-pane lunette in brick arch; this door detail is repeated in doors beyond a projecting staircase unit, with separately expressed hipped roof, and having a large 3 x 3-light gridded casement window in stone surround, mullions and transoms, continued down as an ashlar panel with raised central unit. Above the doors beyond the staircase are 3 small sashes, then a 2-bay slightly projecting wing. The window pattern is continued to the rear in the wings, then a high central kitchen with roof lantern is flanked by small courtyards and service rooms. At the W end is a 5-bay single-storey hipped range, returned in 2 bays. Roofs project to a modest box eaves all round.

INTERIOR: entrance halls articulated by classical pilasters, and each with elaborate imperial stair with openwork cast-iron newel. Original joinery including panelled doors.

HISTORY: The Groves and corresponding Henderson Institutes (qv) are near identical, each serving eight adjacent barracks blocks. They are major elements in this comprehensive group, reflecting the same design philosophy and detailing as many of the other units. The building is little changed externally since its completion in 1922, except for the loss of the turret, and new roof coverings.

Heritage Appraisal

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of 112, 000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still separated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme. The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

9) Building No 28 (Henderson Mess) Groves and Henderson Barracks List Description

Building No 28 (Henderson Mess) Groves and Henderson Barracks GV II Former dining rooms and cookhouse. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawing 61/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, some dressings in limestone ashlar, concrete plain tiles (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

PLAN: A wide frontage, 2-storey symmetrical range with hipped roofs, entered on the parade ground front in the set-back wings at each end, and on the returns to the main staircases. Designed with two large dining rooms, each seating 474 airmen to each floor, with corresponding servery and washing areas and latrines: kitchens and services are to the rear.

EXTERIOR: Windows are mainly plain glazed 2-light casements with mullion and transom, to half- brick soldier-course lintels. The main front is in 3 + 7 + 3 bays, with three windows to each floor each side of a decorative central oriel in stone, with 1:3:1-light small-pane casements to stone mullions above a deep apron, and below an entablature carried above the eaves-line, and crowned by a small brick parapet, probably added later. The oriel is supported on a plan base-course as a canopy, carried on three brackets, above a central sunk panel with flat surround, all to a sill-high plinth the width of this feature which is slightly stepped forward. Narrow single lights flank the panel at ground floor. The end bays are stepped back, and with lower eaves-line, with 2 small 2-light casements and a deeper staircase window, above a pair of panelled doors in painted stone surround to a flat square canopy on brackets, below a tripartite small-pane lunette in a brick arch. On each return is a similarly detailed doorway, but without the lunettes, then a tall narrow 2-bay section, slightly stepped forward, with 2 bulls-eye windows above 2-light standard casements, with small panes, at ground and first floor levels; a stone plinth is taken to ground-floor sill level in this section.

INTERIOR: Interior spaces have little later intervention, the broad queen-post roof being left exposed. Entrance halls articulated by classical pilasters, and each with elaborate imperial stair with openwork cast-iron newel. Original joinery including panelled doors.

HISTORY: The building lies to the E of the parade ground, at the edge of the Henderson ba rracks group with which it is associated; it is identical with that to the Groves barracks (Building No 29, qv), and the two are major elements in the comprehensive group, reflecting the same design philosophy and detailing as many of the other units. It is little changed externally since its completion in 1922.

Heritage Appraisal

as an offensive bomber force. His primary considerations were in laying the foundations for a technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

10) Building No 29 (Groves Mess) Groves Henderson Barracks List Description

Building No 29 (Groves Mess) Groves and Henderson Barracks GV II Former dining rooms and cookhouse. 1920, to Air Ministry Directorate of Works drawing 61/20. Red brickwork in stretcher bond to cavity walls, some dressings in limestone ashlar, concrete plain tiles (replacing slate) on timber trusses.

INTERIOR: entrance halls articulated by classical pilasters, and each with elaborate imperial stair with openwork cast-iron newel. Original joinery including panelled doors.

HISTORY: The building lies to the W of the parade ground, at the edge of the Groves group with which it is associated; it is identical with that to the Henderson barracks (Building No 28, qv), and the two are major elements in the comprehensive group, reflecting the same design philosophy and detailing as many of the other units. It is little changed externally since its completion in 1922.

Heritage Appraisal

technology-based service, through the training of officers at Cranwell and technicians at Halton. Delays in the building of permanent buildings at Cranwell until the early 1930s has resulted in the fact that only the Groves and Henderson Barracks at Halton relate to this critical period of development. They established a template for the planning of barracks buildings on RAF bases, marking a departure from the generally temporary accommodation provided for the Royal Flying Corps and from the planning of army barracks as practised since the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s.

Halton had been established as an army camp in September 1913, on part of a Rothschild estate, the tented accommodation being replaced by wooden hutting for 12,000 men on three sites in early 1915. Plans to centralise technical training for the Royal Flying Corps - which relied on the instructional schools established at major towns and cities in 1915 - had been underway from June 1917, and RFC personnel had been moved to take over the army camp in summer 1917, the sum of ?100,000 having been allocated for the construction of a large workshops building. The site was also greatly expanded in 1918 by the purchase of the Rothschild mansion (listed grade II) as the officers' mess and parts of the estate for the sum of ?112, 000, far below the market value. Sir Hugh Trenchard, on his return as Chief of Air Staff in early 1919, viewed the establishment of central training establishments as the fundamental building block of an independent technology-based service, and thus Halton became the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme, in which boys of above-average educational attainment would receive 3 years of training - compared with the usual 5 years for civilian apprentices. The first arrivals came in 1922, moving into the Groves and Henderson barracks. Two reused seaplane hangars were built on the flying field in 1924, backed by various tented Bessoneau hangars, and a substantial hospital was added in 1927. Three further groups of barracks were built, the last begun in 1936, also a school and additional technical buildings. The three parts of the base are still s eparated by public roads and the woodland planting - now an important aspect of the layout - was part of the original scheme.

The Apprentice Scheme was temporarily suspended from 1939 to 1947, and the final intake graduated in 1993.

Heritage Appraisal

Appendix 2: Registered Park and Garden – List Description

Halton House

Late C19 formal gardens and park with woodland rides, surrounding a contemporary country house.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT Baron Lionel de Rothschild bought the Halton estate from Sir George Dashwood in 1853, including the manor house (no longer extant) close to the church, the grounds around it and parkland north of the Grand Union Canal. The Baron died in 1879, soon after which his son, Baron Alfred (d 1918), began to build a house on a completely new site, previously agricultural land, 600m east of the church. During the 1880s Alfred laid out the grounds around the House and constructed woodland rides up the steep scarp to the Austrian-style chalet at the top. After his death, the RAF bought the estate in 1919 to create a training base, using the House as the Officers' Mess, demolishing the Winter Garden at the south end of the House and in 1935-7 constructing a new south accommodation wing. Parade grounds and buildings were constructed by the RAF over the south and east park areas, retaining many estate trees. The site remains (1997) in use as part of an RAF base.

DESCRIPTION LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Halton lies 5km south-east of Aylesbury and 2km north of Wendover, on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, overlooking the Vale of Aylesbury to the north-west. The 120ha site is bounded to the south by Halton Camp, to the east by woodland, to the south-west by Halton village, to the west by Halton Airfield and to the north by the former parkland of Aston Clinton Park (now known as Green Park), a former Rothschild property. The eastern half of the site, east of the Upper Icknield Way, runs east up the steep Chiltern scarp with spectacular views across the Vale and towards the House below, to a plateau at the top. The western half of the site, with the House sited towards the eastern edge of this area, largely slopes gently down to the south and west. The immediate setting is varied, with the extensive buildings of the RAF base prominent to the south, the small village of Halton to the west, and the hanging woodland within the site extending to north and south. Within the wider setting Halton is one of seven Rothschild country estates within a 10km radius of Aylesbury bought, and usually furnished with a new house, during the second half of the C19.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main entrance, off the Upper Icknield Way, lies 300m east of the House, opposite Mansion Hill Lodge, a late C19, half-timbered, two-storey lodge. The drive curves west, flanked by clipped evergreen shrubs to arrive at a gravel carriage sweep in front of the large porte-cochère on the south-east, entrance front of the House, and a pedestal light in the centre of the sweep. The drive continues along the outer edge of the sweep, separated by a strip of lawn, to give access to the south wing of the House. A spur off the main drive runs north through woodland, over Hairlane Bridge (probably contemporary with the Canal construction, c 1799) over the Canal into the Aston Clinton/Green Park estate. A further drive enters the site 1km east of the House near the top of Aston Hill, at Astonhill Lodge, with a panoramic view north along the scarp and into the Vale. From here a drive runs to the Chalet (1887-8, listed grade II), a summerhouse/pavilion, now a house, sited on the top of the plateau at the edge of a large open area. It is modelled on an Alpine chalet and was built for Baron Alfred to entertain his guests (including King Edward VII and Lily Langtree), and as a focus for expeditions on horseback from the House. Beyond the Chalet, to the south, various rides and a drive traverse the woodland on the scarp down to Mansion Hill Lodge, with spectacular views west to

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the House and Vale beyond. The remains of a lime avenue flank the drive along the east boundary of the woodland. A drive, now a path, enters at the south corner of the park, running north through the belt of woodland along the Icknield Way to emerge on the east lawn. McEwen Ride enters the park 650m south-west of the House, marked by a late C19/early C20 brick and half-timbered lodge, running north-east straight across the park to the north end of the garden, curving around it before turning south to meet the main drive north-east of the House.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING Halton House (W R Rogers of Cubitts 1881-3, listed grade II*) lies at the centre of the registered area, built by Alfred de Rothschild on a new site in a French Renaissance style, of ashlar stone with steep, slated roofs, iron crestings and finials and a prominent porte-cochère on the south-east, entrance front. A service wing in matching style is attached to the north end. The elaborate domed Winter Garden was attached to the south end of the House when it was built, with three radiating flights of steps down to the gardens. It was demolished in 1935, replaced by an accommodation block designed by Vincent Harris. The latter is linked to the House by the Winter Garden corridor, with white stone columns and niches. The House is sited on elevated ground facing the Vale, but it is largely screened from views of the Vale by the mature trees around the west boundary of the garden. From the south side of the accommodation block a view of the hills above Wendover is visible above the RAF buildings along the south boundary.

The red-brick stables lie 750m south of the House, with three squat, square towers linked by low ranges, originally enclosing one side of a rectangular yard, now a riding school.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The large, informal east lawn is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs screening it from the Icknield Way to the east, with views up the steep wooded slope beyond. A path leads south from the carriage sweep down a flight of stone steps, with a balustrade linking it to the accommodation block, to th e south lawn which is now part of the playing fields (originally parkland). The path continues along the south front of the accommodation block, returning north-east to run straight along the garden terrace on the north-west front of the House. The major garden features lie to the west and north of the House. A flight of stone steps, balustraded, on an axis with the garden door, leads north -west from the broad gravel terrace, down to a straight, broad gravel path leading to the circular pond and fountain.

During the late C19 and early C20 this path was flanked by two rows of circular bedding beds, planted and trimmed in three dimensional manner to resemble cushions (Adam 1983). This formal garden is now largely laid to lawn with columnar cypresses flanking the central path. The pond is the focal point from the garden front, with a stone edging and floodlighting at water level. The central fountain is much reduced in height and detail. This formal area is backed by mature trees and shrubs on the west garden boundary. North of the pond, 100m north-west of the House, in a clearing in the trees, reached by a path which sweeps north around it, is the oval Italian Garden, entered through a pair of elaborate wrought-iron gates. A central oval lawn is surrounded by the remains of a mosaic path and stone edging, dominated at the north end by a stone-effect gazebo, in ruinous condition (1997). A path from the garden terrace runs north to reach an informal oval pond, with, at the east end, a rockwork grotto/cascade, now dry, which fed the pond with water, crossed by the path which then leads north to a further rock feature surrounded by trees. The cascade, now considerably decayed, appears also to have had water running through it, with the foundations and floor of a thatched, rustic pavilion at one end. These garden features are screened from the north end of

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McEwen Ride to the north by evergreen trees and shrubs.

PARK The park surrounds the gardens to the west and south. The western area is bisected south-west to north-east by the disused, but still water-filled and tree-lined, Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal (1799), the two parts of the park being connected by a path crossing a cast-iron, blue-painted bridge (1880, listed grade II) with a delicately patterned ornamental parapet. The area west of the Canal was part of the park connected with the earlier Halton House which stood close to the church (OS 1st edition 1884), and was incorporated into the later Rothschild park, c 1880s. It is now pasture and visually disconnected from the rest of the park by mature trees growing along the Canal. The park east of the Canal, now largely playing fields, has been curtailed to the south and east of the Icknield Way by RAF development, reducing its extent considerably. Many clumps, belts and single trees have been retained, together with, at the northern extent, Marl Copse, an area of mixed woodland with ornamental trees through which runs the drive connecting Halton with Aston Clinton Park/Green Park.

KITCHEN GARDEN The kitchen gardens were sited 1km west of the House, a remaining feature of the earlier Halton House landscape. They appear to have been quite extensive, but have now been infilled by housing development and tennis courts, with little or no remaining structures.

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Appendix 2: Scheduled Ancient Monument – List Description

Long barrow 200m east of parade ground, Groves Road, Halton Camp

Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows app ear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and, consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 examples of long barrows and long cairns, their counterparts in the uplands, are recorded nationally. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be nationally important.

The long barrow at Halton Camp is one of only three such monuments located in Buckinghamshire, and the only example to survive as an earthwork. It is therefore of considerable importance for the understanding of early prehistoric settlement in the county. The barrow is very well preserved. Despite minor disturbance caused by excavation across the central area of the mound, most of the barrow survives well. Funerary remains, which are normally clustered at the eastern end of such monuments, will have been left undisturbed by the excavation. Together with other archaeologica l deposits within the mound, including any evidence of an earlier mortuary structure, these remains will enable valuable insights into early burial practices, the development of the monument and the beliefs of the community which used the site. The former ground surface buried beneath the mound, and further environmental evidence from the fills of the buried quarry ditches, will illustrate the character of the surrounding area at the time the barrow was built.

History

The monument includes a Neolithic long barrow situated some 100m to the north east of Groves Road which skirts the southern side of the parade ground at RAF Halton. The barrow, which is orientated east to west, stands on a slight spur projecting from the lower slopes of Haddington Hill, and would originally have stood out from the horizon when viewed from the valley to the south and west. The mound forms an elongated oval, c.1.2m high and approximately 45m in length and 20m in width, with slight signs of tapering towards the west. A survey of the mound made in 1925 demonstrates this tapered appearance more clearly, and records the former appearance of the eastern end which has since been altered by the construction of an adjacent horse jump and the build up of the area between it and the mound. A limited excavation in the same year revealed sequential layers of redeposited chalk, flint and clay used in the formation of the mound. The layers contained fragments of prehistoric pottery, animal bone, worked flint, burnt flint and other carbonised material. These finds are thought to have resulted from the inclusion of occupation debris from activities surrounding a mortuary enclosure subsequently buried within the mound. No evidence was found for the quarry ditches normally associated with this class of monument, although an inward facing scarp curving around the eastern end of the mound was noted on the survey, and the composition of the mound revealed by the excavation strongly suggests quarrying rather than the use of turf or topsoil. It is thought that the excavation did not extend far enough from the mound to reveal

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the locations of these buried features.

The barriers or horse jumps at either end of the mound are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.

Paul Crisp Henry Ryde Lauren Way Bethan Weir Director – Heritage Associate Director – Heritage Associate Director – Heritage Heritage Consultant – Heritage Planning and Development Planning and Development Planning and Development Planning and Development 30 Warwick Street 30 Warwick Street 30 Warwick Street 30 Warwick Street London London London London W1B 5NH W1B 5NH W1B 5NH W1B 5NH + 44 (0)20 7399 5429 +44 (0)207 399 5610 +44 (0)207 852 4655 +44 (0)207 852 5314 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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