Not unknown, but rarely visited, RAF Spadeadam is right in the north of Cumbria. I watched a BBC documentary about the Blue Streak Rocket programme of the 1950s, which was the predecessor to the European space programme. It showed this collosal piece of concrete that was used to test fire the rockets' engines, but not for actual take off; they strapped it down! There is an amazing report here, with more information and research than I could muster, well worth a read.
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/s/spadeadam/
My visit was a bit of a mad one, I rang up late in the summer asking about access and they actually organise guided tours. The problem was that they are usually planned well in advance, but I somehow wangled a tag onto another group that had arranged a tour. I arrived on my own and the RAF chap asked if I was a member of the Settle Lions Club, I explained what had happened, but he still didn't understand my fascination, as most people come to see the military technology and hardware stuff, not on a nostalgic concrete loving heritage mission. He looked quite bemused when I said, "I just like concrete".
I had to sit through a presentation on what they do now, which is mostly training pilots in evasive flying techniques. We were then ushered into a minibus and driven up to the ops bunker in the photos, as this was what the Lions group were interested in, the light was fading fast. For whatever reason the RAF chap realised that I had come a long way on my own to see the rocket site and he pulled me to one side and offered to drive me there on my own before it went dark. I was stoked, to say the least, as my hopes were fading of actually getting to see the bit I had really traveled to see.
As you can see, we made it and then rejoined the group who were marvelling over the radar and satellite imaging in the ops bunker.
On the way home I got stuck in a jam on the M6 for an hour and a half, behind an accident and my battery almost gave up from the stereo and heater. A total mission almost thwarted, but with a rosy buzz from this awe inspiring structure.
ops bunker
ops bunker
old school charts + reflected Lions Club
rocket testing site
top of testing bed
peace
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