Relics of War in Northumberland - Military Remains in the Landscape - Ian Hall

A guide to the 20th-Century military remains that can be found in the Northumberland landscape.

Like all of Britain, Northumberland was profoundly affected by the Second World War. Despite being a quiet rural county, remote from major industrial centres, it took part in the massive construction programme that was to dominate the British landscape for the duration of the war. From the very beginning, Northumberland was very much on the front line, with its east-facing coast making it a prime invasion target. Later, its quieter skies made it the ideal place for the training of aircrew, so vital for the war effort.
By 1945, Northumberland, like most parts of the country, had a wide range of military facilities. Airfields, radar stations and invasion defences had sprung up across the countryside. Due partly to the lack of development pressures, remains of many of these wartime constructions have survived. This is a guide to those surviving relics of wartime that are to be found within the modern boundary of the county of Northumberland. It is not a history of the war itself; it is an attempt to describe what can still be seen and what its original purpose was.