Monument record MDO44504 - VHF Fixer Station, Castleton

The site of Sherborne Very High Frequency (VHF) Fixer Station. This was one of a network of 57 stations established in England by the Royal Air Force. It was built by 1951 as part of the Rotor programme to modernise the United Kingdom's radar defences. The station operated under the command of Southern Sector as part of Fixer Organisation One and provided directional finding equipment, enabling fighter aircraft crews to receive positional data by transmitting a signal. By 1971 the station had been dismantled and the site given over to agricultural use.

The Very High Frequency (VHF) Fixer Stations formed a network of 79 stations across the United Kingdom established by the Royal Air Force (57 of which were in England). They were built in the early 1950s as part of the Rotor programme to modernise the United Kingdom's radar defences. The stations were divided into thirteen Fixer Organisations and provided directional finding equipment, enabling fighter aircraft crews to receive positional data by transmitting a signal. <1, 4>

The VHF Fixer at Sherborne was located at ST 637 190. It was operational by 1951 and as of that date is listed as being operational for the foreseeable future.
The stations in Fixer Organisation One of Southern Command included Weston (SY 682 708), Carisbrooke (SZ 475 879), Bury (TQ 212 082), Bisham (SU 848 823) and Pewsey (SU 184 574). <2>

Aerial photography from 1974 shows that the station has been dismantled and the site given over to agricultural use. <3>

<1> Dobinson, C S, 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume XI.1. The Cold War, 41, 44 (Monograph). SDO18653.

<2> Dobinson, C S, 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume XI.2. The Cold War, 164 (Monograph). SDO18654.

<3> Anderton, Michael J, 2000, Twentieth Century Military Recording Project: Cold War Rotor Stations, 42 (Unpublished document). SDO18655.

<4> Cocroft, Wayne D, and Thomas, Roger J C, 2003, Cold War: Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989, 103-104 (Monograph). SDO18652.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1489753 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 6 2022 1:07PM