Shobdon Airfield WMO 03520 – Infuriatingly neglected.

52.24303 -2.88593 Met Office CIMO Assessed Class 4 Installed 01/06/1943

This site is a prime example of poor husbandry of the Met Office’s estate. A war time installed facility, the site is now alongside the effectively disused taxi way of the former RAF Shobdon. The airbase was mostly an emergency receiving station for war wounded rather than strictly a combat field. Aviation at the site is now primarily light aircraft and a gliding club, both are unlikely to cause any problems to the weather station.

I am yet again deeply indebted to Phil Marshall for intrepid site imagery which was inaccessible when Tim Channon previously reviewed this site. So why am I so infuriated?

Firstly a peep through the fence.

This reveals an exceptionally large complex with high security fencing warranted by the abundance of highly sophisticated and very expensive equipment inside. This is not any old pound shop style weather station such as Llanwddyn:Cwm Cownwy, this is the “full Monty” of weather stations. It will also be expensive to maintain in such pristine condition that it deserves. So why on earth is it only a lowly Class 4?

A step back reveals the compromising problem.

On two sides the station is enclosed by 2 metre tall artificial vegetation that is almost turning the site into a walled garden, creating shading effects and acting as a major windbreak. The side track-way and even the old unused taxiway are really of little consequence compared to this. And it is this that annoys me so much. A lot of money is clearly being spent on this site that could, indeed should, be able to meet Class 1 and have a reliable long term temperature record. Agricultural land unfortunately does not achieve high profits per acre so surely the Met Office could have arranged payment to the neighbouring landowner to leave the land set aside. This small additional expense would ensure accuracy from this site in lieu of rendering its current readings to low grade status. A useful regional long term record has so far been needlessly lost.

This is the sort of lack of good husbandry that so many sites suffer from that show the Met Office cannot do itself a favour and correct what are relatively small and inexpensive issues.

And finally a hats off to Phil…..these images can’t have been easy!