Sitting just outside Newbury in Berkshire, UK, is a piece of public land. Initially, it may not seem out of the ordinary, but a closer look reveals an air traffic control tower, several abandoned buildings, and… a derelict aircraft? This is not your usual park. This is the once in-famous Greenham Common.
A controversial history
An American airbase during World War II, the site was at one point used as a base of nuclear weapons, becoming the focus for anti-war sentiment when the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp set up camp (literally) outside the base in the 1980s for nineteen years.
A peaceful future?
The base was closed in 1992 and in 1997, Greenham Common was designated as public parkland. It’s also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and you’ll find the odd cow or two grazing its heathland. The Cold War-era control tower is now a visitor centre and community cafe.
It’s also popped up as a filming location a few times. Beyoncé used the airfield to film scenes for her 2013 self-titled visual album. And parts of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, and “Fast and Furious 9” were filmed there.
Some parts of Greenham Common are still off-limits, including the original missiles silos. In my mind, these could be a good place to come in a zombie apocalypse – which tells you a lot about how I think.
And as for the plane I mentioned in my intro – well it’s not quite as it seems. From afar, it appears to be an abandoned shell. But up close you’re informed it was in fact a purpose-built replica intended to be used to run fire-fighting drills.
If you’re looking for a piece of recent history, the site is well worth a visit and it’s pretty big too so you get a good walk/cycle/ride if that’s what you’re after. On the inspiration front, aside from my apocolypse idea (of which you could form a few), there’s scope for something war or history-related, or perhaps something a bit more sci-fi located in and around the silos and bunkers.
What do you think? Have you ever visited before? Please share in the comments.
16/03/2022 at 7:59 PM
The base is quite haunting. I see something paranormal or sci-fi with hidden genetic testing. 😉