Martlesham Heath Brief History

Brief History of Martlesham

There is evidence of settlement in the area of Martlesham and Martlesham Heath dating back to the Bronze Age. The main community of Martlesham grew up to the north-east, initially on the highest ground, where Martlesham Church is still located and also around Martlesham creek area..

Martlesham main claim to fame is the establishment of the RAF Experimental Aircraft flight and the subsequent history associated with the airfield during the Second World War.

Martlesham Heath Airfield

In 1917, the Experimental Aircraft Flight was transferred from Upavon in Wiltshire. The Experimental Aircraft Flight transferred to Martlesham Heath on the 16^th of January 1917. Martlesham Heath Airfield was officially opened, as an experimental airfield. The unit was renamed the "Aeroplane Experimental Unit, Royal Flying Corps". After the end of World War I the site continued to be used and was, once again, renamed as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) of the Royal Air Force.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the A&AEE was removed to a site at Boscombe Down, Hampshire, owing to the proximity of Martlesham Heath to the East Coast and its vulnerability to enemy attack. The airfield then took on a new role as a base for fighter squadrons defending Britain. Wing Commander (later Group Captain) Douglas Bader, D.S.O., D.F.C. served at Martlesham Heath with 222 and 242 Squadrons, in 1940.

At the end of hostilities, there was no longer a role for Martlesham Heath as an operational RAF airfield and no prospect of the A&AEE returning, but the site was again used for a number of experiments with planes and armaments. However, its use declined in the 1950s, and the airfield was closed in the early 1960s.

Various proposals were put forward for the development of the site, including the proposal that it should become a civil airport. Parts of the old airfield were let out to light industry and storage companies. In 1963 the lease of the site was sold by the Air Ministry to Bradford Property Trust, Ltd, for a price of £72,500.

Adastral Park

In 1968, the Post Office purchased part of the airfield and surrounding farmland and announced that they would be relocating their Research Department from Dollis Hill to a new centre to be built at Martlesham Heath. The building work took place in the early 1970s and this site has remained as the central research and development facility through the changes that have taken place with the separation of British Telecom from the Post Office and the privatisation of British Telcommunications plc. In the 1980s, the facility was renamed as BT Labs and was subsequently developed into a high tech business park called Adastral Park in the 1990s.

The new village

In 1972 a proposal was presented by Bradford Property Trust to the Planning Department of the local Council to develop a "New Village" of Martlesham Heath, with houses for 3000 people, with associated shops, schools and recreational facilities. This was accepted and has resulted in the development of the present community of Martlesham Heath. The vision of this development was to create a completely new community, but based on a traditional pattern. Hence, the village is centred on a village green, with a pub, church and cricket pavilion. In order to maintain a consistent appearance of the village, homeowners at Martlesham Heath are restricted by covenants which restrict changes that they can make to their houses and gardens: for example, residents are prevented from attaching external television aerials to their houses, but in reality many do, with plenty of sky dishes on show, probably due to the poor picture quality cable tv (provided by BT) which before sky they were forced to use

RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.