Scheduled MonumentsEnglandGroup of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley

Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley

England
List entry 1021242
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1021242
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.76 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 32741 58237, TQ 32324 57955, TQ 32636 58151, TQ 32499 58117
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

The Group of four World War II fighter pens at RAF Kenley is a scheduled ancient monument comprising four reinforced concrete aircraft shelters constructed during the Second World War to protect fighter aircraft from enemy bombing. Located at the former airfield site in Surrey, these structures date from the early 1940s and represent standard Royal Air Force defensive architecture developed to increase aircraft survivability during intensive air operations. The pens exemplify the practical engineering responses employed by RAF stations during the critical period of aerial warfare over southern England. RAF Kenley itself was a significant fighter station throughout the war, and these surviving structures remain important physical evidence of wartime airfield infrastructure and military preparedness.

Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021242. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley?

The Group of four World War II fighter pens at RAF Kenley is a scheduled ancient monument comprising four reinforced concrete aircraft shelters constructed during the Second World War to protect fighter aircraft from enemy bombing.

Who is responsible for protecting Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley?

Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1021242.

What other scheduled monuments are near Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Alderstead Fort: a London mobilisation centre at Merstham (4.8 km), Large multivallate hillfort at War Coppice Camp (5.1 km), Fosterdown or Pilgrim Fort: a London mobilisation centre (5.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley

Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Group of four World War II fighter pens at the former airfield of RAF Kenley

LondonRoman town · ~14.2 milesBattle of Barnet 1471Battle (1471) · ~24.8 miles