RAF Upper Heyford Cold War sites, Heyford Park

The Cold War shelters, nuclear bomb store and battle command centre of RAF Upper Heyford stand inside the new settlement of Heyford Park, on the high ground above the Heyfords. Historic England scheduled them in 2006. You can see them only on a guided tour from the RAF Upper Heyford Heritage Centre, which opens free three days a week.

The story, briefly

The airfield dates from 1916. From 1951 American bombers flew from it, and from 1970 the F-111s of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, until the last three took off on 7 December 1993. Our story of RAF Upper Heyford tells it in full, from the Canadian engineers of the First World War to the closing of the flight line.

What is protected

Historic England scheduled five areas of the old base on 30 November 2006: the quick reaction alert complex, with nine hardened aircraft shelters inside a double fence; the northern bomb stores and special weapons area, with igloo stores (21 igloo cells in the special weapons area alone) and a trigger store disguised as an office block; the avionics maintenance building; the hardened telephone exchange; and the battle command centre. Cherwell District Council has also made the whole former airbase a conservation area.

What you see on a tour

The Heritage Centre's tours take in a bomb-proof aircraft shelter, the nuclear bomb store and the Battle Command Centre, with a minibus between them. Inside the shelters, ground crews often painted the walls on the theme of the aircraft they looked after. Back at the centre, the exhibitions tell the stories of the RAF and US Air Force personnel who served at the base.

Visiting

The Heritage Centre, a not-for-profit company, opens on Wednesdays and Sundays from 10am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from midday to 4.30pm. Entry to the exhibitions is free, and under-16s must come with an adult. There are quiz trails, colouring sheets and a toy area for children. The centre says its exhibitions and toilets are wheelchair accessible, with Blue Badge parking near the entrance.

Tours run on most Sundays from March to November, pre-booked, at £25 a person in 2026. Sign in from 9.30am; the tour starts by 10am with a 17-minute film, and the minibus leaves at about 10.30am. Wear sturdy shoes for uneven ground and bring outdoor clothes and your own drinks, because the only toilets are at the centre. Some buildings are dim, so a torch helps. Book online, and send your name, phone number and car registration to the centre beforehand; groups can arrange tours by email, and the centre's phone number is 01869 221446. The rest of the old base is now the homes and businesses of Heyford Park.

Getting there

The Heritage Centre is Building 103, West Castle Street, Heyford Park, OX25 5BX, with free parking beside it. It is about five miles west of Bicester by our measurement on the map. On foot from the railway, our walk from Heyford station starts in the valley below.

Nearby

Bicester's own airfield, now Bicester Heritage, shows the bomber base of the 1930s that came before. Down in the valley, Rousham House and Garden is William Kent's landscape of the 1730s, and St Mary's Church, Kirtlington is a short drive south.