York Historic Environment Record

NMR Information:

Elvington Control Tower. An English Heritage report dated May 2003 describes the control tower as a "Watch Office for All Commands". It is said to be "one of a small number which have survived in this degree of preservation". English Heritage recommended that the control tower be considered for possible future Listed Building status, potentially at Grade II. (1)

A World War Two control tower now used as part of a Museum, at Elvington Airfield, now the Yorkshire Air Museum. It is a rendered two storey building with a flat roof , featuring a balcony overlooking the airfield. The "control Towers" website suggests that the tower is of type known as Watch Office for Night Fighter Stations 4533/42 (this does not concord with source 1 above). The actual control functions of the tower were taken over post war by a new United States Air Force tower, built to a 1958 pattern. (2)

Elvington, Yorkshire Air Museum control tower. The World War Two tower was restored in 1986 as the focal point for the Yorkshire Air Museum. It contains a metreological office, teleprinter room, air traffic control telephone exchange, Duty Control Staff rest room, and Duty Pilot's room as well as the main control room. (3)

Paul Francis also lists the Contol tower at Elvington as a "Watch Office for Night fighter Stations", Drawing number 4532/3/43. (4)

1 VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION English Heritage Thematic Listing Programme, May 2004: "Survey of Military Aviation Sites and Structures Summary Report", Annexe 1, unpaged.
2 World Wide Web page Robert Truman. 2003. "Control Towers"; http://www.controltwers.co.uk/E/Elvington.htm; accessed 25-MAR-2004.
3 World Wide Web page Pete Wilkins. 2004. "Yorkshire Air Museum: Tour"; http://wwwyorkshireairmuseum.co.uk; accessed 25-MAR-2004
4 Control towers : the development of the control tower on RAF stations in the UK 66 by Paul Francis