Scheduled Monuments›England›RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area

England
List entry 1413096
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1413096
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.61 hectares
Grid reference
NY6122270729
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area is a Cold War military installation located in Cumberland, England. The site dates from the 1950s and served as a testing facility for aircraft components and engines, reflecting Britain's post-war rearmament programme and the strategic importance of the north of England during the early Cold War period. The Component Test Area formed part of the broader RAF Spadeadam complex, which operated as a significant research and development establishment. The installation represents an important example of mid-twentieth-century military infrastructure and technological advancement during a period of heightened international tension.

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1413096. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area?

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area is a Cold War military installation located in Cumberland, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1413096.

Who is responsible for protecting RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area?

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area 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 1413096.

What other scheduled monuments are near RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman signal station on Mains Rigg (5.6 km), Eight Roman inscriptions in the Roman quarry in Combcrag Wood, 350m south of Hadrian's Wall (6.1 km), Chapel Rigg Roman temporary camp (6.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area'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.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Roman signal station on Mains Rigg
5.6 km
Eight Roman inscriptions in the Roman quarry in Combcrag Wood, 350m south of Hadrian's Wall
6.1 km
Chapel Rigg Roman temporary camp
6.3 km
Nether Denton Roman fort, associated vicus and length of Stanegate Roman road
6.5 km
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the field boundary west of Coombe Crag and Banks Green Cottage and the road to Lanercost at Banks in wall miles 51 and 52
7 km
Blenkinsopp Castle (uninhabited parts)
8.1 km
Medieval fishponds and moat at Denton Hall
8.4 km
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Banks Green Cottage and the road to Lanercost at Banks and the road to Garthside in wall miles 52, 53 and 54
8.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area

RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area stands on Border Group, bedrock that formed in the Meramecian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate argillaceous rocks and limestone.

The wider landscape

Around RAF Spadeadam: Component Test Area

Hadrian's WallArchaeological site · ~13.7 milesBattle of Solway Moss 1542Battle (1542) · ~14.4 miles
All Scheduled Monuments