Group of three Fighter Dispersal Pens at Biggin Hill Airport

Three early type E fighter dispersal pens built c1939. Post-war alterations to two of the pens.

MATERIALS: construction is of brick and concrete covered with earth banks. The air raid shelters are of pre-cast concrete.

PLAN: the three fighter dispersal pens are situated on the south-eastern edge of Biggin Hill Airport, in a row orientated north-south and opening westward onto the perimeter track. All are of the same E-plan layout, originally divided into two 15m wide bays, with concrete hard standings, by a central traverse. An air raid shelter for the ground crew is centrally placed at the rear with access from each bay and to the rear of the pen.

DESCRIPTION: the southern pen is the most complete. It retains the earth-covered central traverse which appears to have a concrete spine wall. The earth-covered outer traverses have brick spine walls with concrete dwarf retaining walls. The ends of the outer traverses have truncated triangle-shaped brick retaining walls. The air raid shelters have mass concrete lined entrances and passages with reinforced concrete roofs placed either side of the vaulted shelter itself. This has the corrugated metal lining and inner steel blast doors remaining (the outer doors have been lost). The concrete hard standing to the bays retains fixing rings for securing the aircraft.

The central pen has lost all its forward projecting traverses apart from a section of concrete dwarf retaining wall to the inner edge of the northern traverse. The northern section of the rear earth banking has also been lost. The air raid shelter survives and is in a similar condition to that of the southern pen with inner blast doors (one marked with the lettering PETROLEUM/ SPIRIT/ NO SMOKING indicating later storage use) but with the concrete walling to the northern entrance passage exposed. Some fixing rings remain on the surviving (southern) part of the concrete hard standing.

The northern pen has lost its central traverse and the earth-covered northern traverse is partly denuded. The air raid shelter again retains its inner blast doors and corrugated lining. Fixing rings survive on the hard standing.