Scheduled Monuments›England›RAF Bicester: World War II airfield

RAF Bicester: World War II airfield

England
List entry 1021455
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1021455
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.95 hectares
Grid reference
SP 59260 24272, SP 59292 24312, SP 59467 24481, SP 59356 24632, SP 59234 24591, SP 59198 24756, SP 59259 24522, SP 59304 24440, SP 59289 24369, SP 59712 24000, SP 60066 24014
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

RAF Bicester is a Second World War airfield located in Oxfordshire, England, established as a Royal Air Force station during the conflict. The station was constructed to serve operational and training purposes, featuring the characteristic dispersed layout of wartime airfield design with multiple runways, taxiways, and scattered aircraft shelters. The site retains physical evidence of its wartime construction including concrete infrastructure and ancillary buildings typical of RAF stations of the 1940s period. RAF Bicester remained in active military use beyond the Second World War, continuing to function as an air force installation during the Cold War era.

RAF Bicester: World War II airfield is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021455. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is RAF Bicester: World War II airfield?

RAF Bicester is a Second World War airfield located in Oxfordshire, England, established as a Royal Air Force station during the conflict. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021455.

Who is responsible for protecting RAF Bicester: World War II airfield?

RAF Bicester: World War II airfield 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 1021455.

What other scheduled monuments are near RAF Bicester: World War II airfield?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site SE of church (2.1 km), Wretchwick deserted medieval settlement (2.7 km), Alchester Roman parade ground, access road and marching camp (4.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about RAF Bicester: World War II airfield

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of RAF Bicester: World War II airfield'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your RAF Bicester: World War II airfield report
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Moated site SE of church
2.1 km
Wretchwick deserted medieval settlement
2.7 km
Alchester Roman parade ground, access road and marching camp
4.5 km
Ambrosden churchyard cross
4.6 km
Alchester Roman site
4.6 km
Ardley Wood moated ringwork
7 km
Tusmore medieval settlement
7.9 km
Moated site 110m south west of St Mary's Church
9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under RAF Bicester: World War II airfield

RAF Bicester: World War II airfield stands on Great Oolite Group, bedrock that formed in the Bathonian. The rock here is sandstone, limestone and argillaceous rocks.

The wider landscape

Around RAF Bicester: World War II airfield

AlchesterRoman town · ~2.9 milesTowcesterRoman town · ~16.4 milesDorchester-on-ThamesRoman town · ~18.5 milesBattle of Edgcote 1469Battle (1469) · ~15.5 milesBattle of Cropredy Bridge 1644Battle (1644) · ~15.9 milesBattle of Chalgrove 1643Battle (1643) · ~16.5 milesBattle of Edgehill 1642Battle (1642) · ~21.9 miles
Domesday entry for Caversfield, Buckinghamshire →
All Scheduled Monuments