upper heyford

During the Cold War years, world peace and global politics were negotiated against the threat of nuclear conflict. The then superpowers, USA and USSR, justified nuclear arms as a deterrent to actual conflict. The US forces had operations and personnel stationed all over Western Europe, including here at Upper Heyford in England.

The site has long been decommissioned as a military air base and is now under ownership of the North Oxfordshire Consortium. It is used partially for light industry, office space and housing, however, much of the military infrastructure is still intact and has been listed against redevelopment by National Heritage as it remains one of the only complete cold war nuclear air bases in Europe. The site’s history dates back before the Second World War but it is its history as a USAF strategic air base that is represented here.

These images will operate in a number of ways to different people. For most they will echo the once sinister threat of nuclear conflict, a relic of the Cold War. For some, they will reveal what was hidden, to those who lived nearby or to those who may have wondered what was here. Perhaps the most vivid response will come from those that worked here and lived here, assisting to evoke memories of a life once lived.