Bawdsey Radar Museum -- shameless plug
 

This is a shameless plug for Bawdsey Radar Museum. If you’re remotely interested in early radar and a facet of the Battle of Britain that in my view is as crucial as Spitfires and Hurricanes, it’s a must-see.

You probably know that Bawdsey was where Watson-Watt and his colleagues set up the world’s first operational radar station in 1937. In 2004 the almost-derelict Transmitter Block was featured on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ programme and since then it’s been in the care of Bawdsey Radar Trust. It’s now a small museum, and it’s the best small museum I’ve ever been to. The entire timeline of the early radar development is very clearly set out and there are several very well produced video displays. There’s an interactive simulation of the way in which bearing and distance were interpreted by the operators and transferred to the Filter Room which is borderline addictive. And to cap it all you can even climb a Chain Home mast in virtual reality.

The web site is at https://www.bawdseyradar.org.uk/ and I really can’t recommend it highly enough. And Orfordness isn’t too far away if your interests extend to Cold War history…

Hear hear. This has been on my must-visit list for some time. Thank you for the plug.