Control Tower, Former Raf Little Staughton

The control tower, built in 1942, was designed by the Air Ministry's Directorate of Works and Buildings as part of the Bomber Satellite Stations design, referenced by Drawing No. 13726/41. The structure is constructed of rendered brick with an asphalt roof.

The ground floor contains a watch office facing forward, accompanied by a meteorological office, switch room, and lavatories to the rear. The first floor features a control room facing forward, with a controller's rest room and signals office to the rear, which open onto a passage giving access to the stairs.

The exterior is two storeys high and has a two-window front. Large multi-paned steel casements provide clear views of the airfield, with smaller windows on the lower level. Access is provided by steel stairs on a return elevation leading to a concrete balcony supported by tubular steel railings and iron columns. Smaller steel casements are located on the rear and side elevations, with doors to the left-hand side and rear.

The interior remains uninspected.

This control tower is one of a small number surviving in substantially complete condition from the Second World War period. It served as a base for 109 Squadron’s Mosquitoes and 583 Squadron’s Lancasters, which operated from April 1944, marking targets for Bomber Command precision raids, including those of 617 Squadron. It represents a well-preserved example of a 1941 design for bomber satellite stations, with 24 of the original 45 still existing. The development of control towers, first appearing as a recognisable design in 1934, resulted from increasing attention given to the dispersal and shelter of aircraft in the latter half of the 1930s. They became iconic buildings associated with military airfields, serving as central points for personnel awaiting aircraft to return from operations. The tower’s significance as an operational nerve centre and memorial for losses sustained by American and Commonwealth forces during the Strategic Bomber Offensive has been recognized.