Bawdsey Manor facts for kids
Bawdsey Manor is a large historic house located right at the mouth of the River Deben. It is near the village of Bawdsey in Suffolk, England. This spot is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north-east of London.
The manor was first built in 1886. It was made much bigger in 1895 for Sir William Cuthbert Quilter. He was a very important person at the time. During World War I, the army used the manor. After the war, it went back to the Quilter family.
In 1936, the Air Ministry (a government department for the air force) bought Bawdsey Manor. They paid £24,000 for it. They wanted to create a new research center there. This center was for developing the Chain Home radar system. RAF Bawdsey then became an important military base. It stayed active through the Cold War until the 1990s. Today, PGL uses the manor for school trips and children's holidays. There is also a small museum inside the old radar building.
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History of Bawdsey Manor
The Quilter Family's Time: 1886 to 1936
Bawdsey Manor was built in 1886. It was made larger in 1895 by William Quilter. He was a famous art collector. He also helped start the National Telephone Company. William Quilter was a politician too, serving as a Member of Parliament for Sudbury.
In 1894, he created a steam-powered chain ferry across the River Deben. This ferry helped people get to the nearest train station in Felixstowe. It was called the Bawdsey Ferry and ran until 1931. Today, a motor-launch operates the ferry on weekends during the summer.
Maude Marion Quilter was Sir William Quilter's daughter. She was born around 1868. She married Frederick Denny in 1888. Later, she owned another large house called Horwood House. A gardener named Harry Thrower worked at Bawdsey Manor. He was the father of the famous gardener and TV presenter, Percy Thrower. When Maude needed a head gardener at Horwood House, she hired Harry. He worked there for the rest of his life.
Bawdsey Manor as an RAF Base: 1936 to 1990
In February 1936, a group of scientists moved into Bawdsey Manor. One of them was Robert Watson-Watt. They came to research and develop radar for military use. Radar uses radio waves to detect objects. The manor then became known as RAF Bawdsey.
The old stables and other buildings were turned into workshops. Tall wooden towers, about 73 meters (240 feet) high, were built for receiving radar signals. Even taller steel towers, about 110 meters (360 feet) high, were built for sending signals. Bawdsey was a secret radar research center for the Air Ministry. It moved away when World War II started in 1939.
Many important radar scientists worked and trained here. The first RAF and WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) radar operators also trained at Bawdsey. From 1937, Bawdsey was the first working station of the Chain Home system. This was Britain's early warning radar network. During World War II, it also got other radar equipment. This equipment helped track enemy ships.
Bawdsey continued as a radar station through most of the Cold War. The tall towers were taken down starting in the 1960s. Now, all of them are gone. RAF Bawdsey remained an active base. Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles were placed on the cliffs. These missiles could shoot down enemy aircraft. The missile operations stopped in 1990. RAF Bawdsey officially closed in 1991.
Bawdsey Manor Since 1990
From 1994 to 2016, the manor and its buildings were used by Alexanders College. This was a boarding and day school for students aged 11 to 18.
The old Transmitter Block is now a museum. It is called "The Magic Ear." The Bawdsey Radar Group runs this museum. It shows how radar was developed and used. The museum was even featured on a BBC TV show called Restoration.
Bawdsey Manor in 2017
In 2017, PGL Travel Ltd. bought the property. They opened Bawdsey Manor for children's holidays and outdoor activity courses in the summer of 2017.
See also
- Bawdsey Ferry
- Quilter Baronets
- RAF Bawdsey
