Smock Mill • Impington

Smock Mill, Impington,

Cambridgeshire 

1974

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The mill was rebuilt in 1776 on the base of an earlier post mill. In the 1880s, the smock was raised onto a taller brick tower, and the patent sails added.

In the late 19th century, an external drive was fitted to enable a steam-powered traction engine to keep it running on slow wind days. In around 1910, a gas engine was added, and by 1920, it was no longer being driven by wind power at all. In 1930, the sails were removed, and it ceased operation.

In 2000, it was acquired by new owners who have been thankfully undertaking a comprehensive schedule of restoration.

https://impingtonmill.org/

RAF Mepal • Mepal

Former site of RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire

Home to No 75 New Zealand Squadron flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters. 

The area now has reverted to pre-war use as agricultural land, and over part of the site an industrial park. The site is also cut in to by the A142 bypass, but old maps show where the main areas once were. There are a few hints of its past though.

 Several tracks cut across the fields shadowing the old runways and service routes. On the outskirts of the site are also piles of rubble which look to have been small sheds and buildings in the recent past. The control tower no longer exists, but was only pulled down in 1988, which seems to shame. The airfield was in use until 1963 and it was during this time that a ghost of an airman was seen on several occasions. One witness was apparently an RAF policeman, who saw a pilot in full flying gear appear and disappear in front of him. As far as I know, the ghost has not been seen recently, perhaps being more associated with the control tower than the land in general. 

Cutting across the track elsewhere on site you can just about make out a concrete strip, which looks to be remnants of the main airstrip. These runways are haunted by the sounds of a heavy bomber coming into land, but when the listener turns around there are no planes in sight. 

The last photo here is of Park Road, in the village of Sutton. The village borders the lower edge of the base. On 8th Sept 1943 18 bombers took off from the base. A Stirling bomber slid off the runway, hit a fuel tank and crashed in to numbers 17 and 18. The houses were destroyed and Mr Randall who was watching the take off from his garden was sadly killed, along with the flight crew from the Stirling. His wife was injured but survived. This story was told to me by someone at the nearby RAF Witchford museum. 

///enthused.acrobats.trailers

Madingley Hall • Madingley

Built by Sir John Hynde in 1542 as a hunting lodge. It is haunted by his wife, Lady Ursula Hynde. 

Their son continued the building of the house, only he had a local church pulled down and used the stone and timber in the Hall to do so. His mother despaired of his actions and is said to walk the house wringing her hands in grief. She is also said to be seen walking the drive to the house on Christmas Eve. 

The oldest part of the Hall contains a roof that was once the refectory roof at Angelsey Abbey  in Lode, another Cambridgeshire village. The impressive hammerbeam roof is in good condition and still features mason’s marks, originally carved around 460 years ago. 

The house also contains one of the scariest set of steps I’ve ever walked up. I never have liked being able to see gaps between the steps! 

The Hall is now owned by the University of Cambridge and used as a conference centre and wedding venue.

I apologise for the image quality, I took these pictures on a very primitive digital camera in about 2010 😆

///patching.ending.clip