The Tower at North Weald is on of seven Type 5223a/51 control towers, which were built to a standard 1951 design featuring a central, two-storey tower surrounding a steel frame with an octagonal steel-framed and glazed visual control room (VCR) on top of the flat roof.
It was linked to Kelvedon Hatch, which was one of four Rotor Sector Operations Control Rooms constructed for Fighter Command, and known as SOC-R4. This was designed to provide command and control of Fighter Command’s Metropolitan Sector,
North Weald’s Tower is now a Grade II Listed Building along with two others at Greenham Common and Upper Heyford. The one at Mildenhall has been demolished. The other remaining examples are situated at Brize Norton, Fairford and Biggin Hill, which has been much modified.
