Orford Ness: Bomb Ballistics building

MATERIALS The Bomb Ballistics building comprises a mass concrete ground floor storey with brick observation room above.

PLAN The building has a square plan, with a smaller observation room at first floor.

EXTERIOR Measuring c. 8m x 4m , the Bomb Ballistics building stands nearly 7m in height. The ground floor of the building comprises a single room open to the north. Its door jambs are infilled with brick and probably originally held a double wooden door. Above is the flat-roofed observation room approached by a modern, galvanised steel staircase leading to double doors in the east elevation. Its south east corner is cut away and there is an angled wooden observation window. In the west wall there is a steel-framed window, probably dating to the 1950s, in its north wall is a 12 light, metal framed window with concrete sill and lintel. The stairs also give access to the roof observation platform. On the south west corner of the roof is an armoured steel observation point.

INTERIOR On the interior of the ground floor there are two large concrete plinths on which were mounted a ground speed camera and a camera obscura with plotting table (no longer present). Two original RSJ’s and two, galvanised steel frames of 1995 support the upper storey.