Former Base Hospital, Langford Lodge, 97 Largy Road, Crumlin, Co Antrim

This is a mid-20th century building of no special architectural interest, but possessing some historical significance due to its association with the Second World War and its role in the development of the Langford Lodge estate. Constructed between 1940 and 1959, it is a single-storey, flat-roofed building laid out on an H-shaped plan, with the main entrance facing north. The building is derelict and currently used as farm buildings.

The walls are of red brick, with concrete roofs and rectangular metal casement windows. The symmetrical front elevation features a rectangular, smooth cement-rendered doorway set between projecting, smooth rendered, rounded walls, and a flat concrete canopy.

The building's historical context is tied to its original use as a hospital for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation during the development of Langford Lodge airfield, which was being converted into an Air Depot to support the United States Army Air Force. The facility, operated jointly by Lockheed and the 8th Air Force, was fully equipped to perform a full range of surgical and medical treatments and was considered amongst the most modern of its kind in Northern Ireland. After the contract ended in July 1944, the USAAF removed equipment and supplies. The hospital comprised three wards with a capacity of 34 patients. The airfield was originally opened in 1941 as a Satellite Landing Ground for the RAF, occupied by the Americans from 1942 until July 1945, briefly used by the RAF’s No. 5 Air Navigation School from 1952-3, and acquired by the present owners in 1958.

The building stands in a rural location, within flat grassland near a former wartime airfield. Sources detailing its history include wartime photographs held by the Ulster Aviation Society and a leaflet by E. Cromie, “Langford Lodge airfield – a brief history” (1998).