V/STOL blast grid at Dunsfold airfield

The V/STOL blast grid at Dunsfold airfield is a steel structure built in 1960, located at the western end of the main runway. It is made of boxed steel, brick, concrete, and steel plate. The grid is rectangular, measuring approximately 10 meters by 20 meters, with the longer edge oriented east-west along the runway.

For safety reasons, the grid is currently covered with sections of steel plate, but it is believed that the below-ground structure remains intact. Based on photographs from its construction, the blast grid is set about 2 meters below the tarmac runway surface and consists of multiple steel box sections, each approximately 0.5 meters by 1 meter, supported by steel uprights around 1.5 meters tall. Inside each box section, there is a curved metal vane designed to disperse exhaust gases into the void beneath. This void is created by brick walls and a concrete floor. At the center of the grid, there is an inset lifting door made of finer box-section steel, measuring approximately 2 meters by 3 meters, which likely allows for maintenance access to the underside of the grid.