Lavenham Airfield was operational during the Second World War between March 1944 and August 1945. It was manned by the US Army Air Force 487th Bombardment Group, who flew 185 missions and over six thousand sorties. This page tries to give a picture of what the airfield is like today. For further historical details, please visit Tim Erskine's website via the link below.

Lavenham Airfield today

Lavenham Airfield has now reverted to arable farmland. Whilst many of the roadways remain, the concrete has cracked, and nature is gradually encroaching. The runways have been removed to a large extent for agricultural purposes, although a few sections do still remain. These are mainly used as hard standing for farming purposes such as haystacks and bales. The buildings, by and large, still exist, but are in various stages of dilapidation. The exception is the Control Tower, which is maintained. With the accompanying map (36K) the different buildings can be clearly recognised.

The Airfield today presents a wholly rural picture of rolling farmland and distant views typical of Suffolk. The purpose for which it was built now seem very remote, although the occasional presence of military helicopters from nearby RAF Wattisham serve as a reminder.

Photos

Please click on the photos for a larger version. The letters A to O refer to the letters on the map of the airfield (36K) as it used to be during the War.

An enlisted men's ablution hut	The remains of a shower block	The track to Sites 5, 6 & 7, looking South	The track to Sites 5, 6 & 7, looking South
A	B	C	D
Road to North of Site 5	Pumphouse, Site 5	Burma Road, towards Lavenham	Burma Road, towards Airfield
E	F	G	H
Gymnasium, Site 2	Squadron Offices, Technical Site	North side of Bomb Stores	Runway 2, looking NE
I	J	K	L
Runway 3	South, from SE end of Runway 3	The Control Tower (currently being restored)	Memorial plaque in Lavenham Market Place
M	N	O	P

If you're coming to Lavenham ...

... good maps to buy are Ordnance Survey Landranger Series number 155 (scale 1:50,000) or Ordnance Survey Pathfinder Series number 1006 (scale 1:25,000). Unfortunately, the latter only shows the Airfield; Lavenham itself is on map number 1029. On both series, the Airfield is at grid reference 9052, and Lavenham is at 9249.

... you should note that the majority of the Airfield is private property. Most of it is owned by John Pawsey, so please contact him before going up to the airfield. Email jspawsey@hotmail.com or phone (01284) 828226. (When phoning from outside the UK, please replace the leading '0' with '+44'.)

... you'll find the perimeter track of the airfield is now gated and locked during non-working hours (4.30pm to 7.15am), but can be accessed from the Alpheton entrance at any time.

Enquiries

For further information, please visit the 487th Bombardment Group Home Page, which covers the historical aspect of Lavenham Airfield in greater depth.

Two pamphlets, A Brief History of Lavenham Airfield and Suffolk Airfields, A Visitors Guide, both written by Duncan Skeels, are available from the Babergh District Council website, on the Tourism Links page.

If you're interested in Lavenham Airfield, you might be interested in the website for the nearby Rougham Airfield, which includes details of their forthcoming events.

To email Lavenham Community Council, send your message to lcc@lavenham.co.uk.