RAF Ash

Royal Air Force Ash or more simply RAF Ash (formerly RAF Sandwich) was a Royal Air Force underground control centre and radar station situated near the village of Woodnesborough, Kent, England.

RAF Ash
Near Sandwich, Kent in England
The entrance to former RAF Ash during 2008
Site information
Type	Air defence Control & Reporting Centre
Owner	Ministry of Defence (MOD)
Operator	Royal Air Force
Condition	Closed
Location
RAF Ash Location within Kent
Coordinates	51°16′8.04″N 1°17′40.92″E
Site history
Built	1942 (1942) – 1943
In use	1943–1958 (as RAF Sandwich) 1986 – 1995 (1995) (as RAF Ash)
Fate	Site sold in 1998 for civilian use, bunker now used as a data centre

History

RAF Sandwich

RAF Sandwich was originally a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) site situated in Ash Road, Sandwich. However, after the Second World War the area was chosen for one of a chain of ROTOR air defence radar stations and the site was relocated to an underground bunker 1.5 miles to the southwest in Marshborough Road, Ash. The site later closed on 1 October 1958 and was sold on 22 March 1965.^[1]

RAF Ash

In 1980 the site was re-acquired by the RAF for the development of Improved UK Air Defence Ground Environment (IUKADGE) and became operational as RAF Ash on 6 January 1986. It closed as an RAF station in 1995.^[1] The Ministry of Defence sold the site on 24 July 1998.^[2]

Post-closure

The site is now used as a secure data centre by The Bunker, an Internet hosting company.^[3]