Scheduled Monuments›England›World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton

World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton

England

List entry 1021191

Nation

England

The designation

Reference

List entry 1021191

Authority

Historic England (NHLE)

Status

Scheduled Monument

Scheduled area

7.79 hectares

Grid reference

SE 53113 37341, SE 53455 37721, SE 52946 37264, SE 52670 37188, SE 52461 37164, SE 52322 37187, SE 52526 38300, SE 52891 38644

Boundary

Scheduled area

Overview

History & significance

RAF Church Fenton is a World War II airfield located near Towton in North Yorkshire, England. The station was established in 1940 and served as a fighter airfield throughout the war, hosting various RAF squadrons including those equipped with Spitfires and Hurricanes. The airfield defences comprised anti-tank obstacles, blast pens, and concrete structures typical of Fighter Command installations constructed during the period of intensive German air activity over northern England. These defensive works remain visible across the site and form part of the broader archaeological record of RAF operational infrastructure from the Second World War period.

World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021191. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton?

RAF Church Fenton is a World War II airfield located near Towton in North Yorkshire, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021191.

Who is responsible for protecting World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton?

World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton 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 1021191.

What other scheduled monuments are near World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Paradise Lodge moated site and grange of the Prior of Bolton (2.1 km), Mote Hill: a moated site, two fishponds and part of an adjacent field system 500m west of Nun Appleton Hall (2.5 km), Tithe barn (2.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton'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.

First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

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 World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton report

Or see a real report first

Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Paradise Lodge moated site and grange of the Prior of Bolton

2.1 km

Mote Hill: a moated site, two fishponds and part of an adjacent field system 500m west of Nun Appleton Hall

Cawood Castle and Castle Garth: residence of the medieval Archbishops of York and associated enclosure containing gardens, five fishponds and a quarry pit

4.6 km

Kensbury moated site, fishpond and fragment of a medieval field system

4.8 km

Lord Dacre's Cross or Towton Cross on the west side of the B1217, 1km south west of Towton

5.1 km

Saxton Castle: a motte and bailey castle with a later medieval manor house and field system including a trackway and fishpond

5.5 km

The ground beneath

The bedrock under World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton

World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around World War II airfield defences at RAF Church Fenton

YorkRoman town · ~9.3 miles AldboroughRoman town · ~18.9 miles Battle of Towton, 1461Battle (1461) · ~3 miles Battle of Marston Moor 1644Battle (1644) · ~9 miles Battle of Stamford Bridge 1066Battle (1066) · ~15.6 miles Battle of Myton 1319Battle (1319) · ~18.7 miles

Domesday entry for Neuhuse, Yorkshire →

All Scheduled Monuments