Site of First World War women's hostel, Stow Maries Aerodrome, Cold Norton (EHER 81753)

Now destroyed. The site of one of a series of blocks which are identified in the 1918 RAF survey as the women's hostel (see EHER 81750-81754), and are set well away from technical buildings. This building may have provided ancillary functionality to the women's accommodation blocks (EHER 81750, EHER 81752 and EHER 81754). Though extant at the time of the RCHME survey in 1997, and when the site was listed in 2012, the building appears to have been demolished at some time between 2011 and 2016. The building was intended for use as part of the women's hostel, but appears as though it may have been used by the 'Bricks and Works' department.

1997. RCHME field survey. One of a series of blocks which are identified in the 1918 RAF survey as the women's hostel (see EHER 81749-81754), and are set well away from the men's huts (EHER 81768 and EHER 81769) and technical buildings on the site. Scant evidence for internal divisions survives, but where it does it suggests rooms which were a little smaller than those in the officers' quarters (EHER 81756). Buildings EHER 81750, EHER 81752 and EHER 81754 appear to have been intended as accommodation block, built around a courtyard on the east side. Whilst this building, EHER 81749 and EHER 81751 are more various in size and suggest a range of different functions within the hostel. This is a single-storey building approximately 9.4m long by 6.36m wide, constructed in the same fashion and with the same materials as EHER 81752. The window openings contain the same metal glazing units as above. No access was gained to this building. The north elevation has a window at the east end with a tiled sill. The remainder of the elevation is blind but accommodates the only flue and chimney, for a heating stove. The east elevation is also blind but contains a central doorway, whilst the west elevation has two window bays. The south elevation has two similar windows to the west, while to the east there are two small windows, now blocked, approximately 2m above floor level. Inside, a piece of timber attached vertically to the wall between them is likely to be the remains of a partition. The implication of what survives is that the windows lit WCs or urinals. <1> Notes from A. Doyle amended to <1> describe that 'although given as a women's hostel, an elderly local resident has confirmed that, when working on the site as a cook, she and others were collected daily from their homes (in her case Woodham Ferrers). Apparently the 'serving' women did not stay on site overnight. [EHER 81749-81751] were unfinished by December 1918, whilst [EHER 81752-81754] were used by the 'Works and Bricks' department employed in building up the site. EHER 81754 was used to house the steam roller necessary to restore the flying area 'rutting' to smoothness.' April 2012. Grade II* listed. Plan: Two rectangular buildings, in line. Exterior: The surviving women’s hostel buildings (two others have been demolished) are located south of the headquarters building, some distance from the officers and men’s accommodation. The complex was originally linked by sections of wall and a small, central yard. This building is a small, single-storey building with modesty windows, some blocked, and a small stack on the north elevation: it may have been an ablutions block. Interior: Part of the roof has collapsed. The lattice trusses to both are similar to that in the reception building and comprise king-posts and tie beams supporting six pairs of cleated purlins. The roof has diagonal boarding. <2> The building is depicted on the 3rd edition OS map. <3> The building was extant at the time of the RCHME survey, and when the site was listed in 2012, but has since been demolished. Aerial imagery from Google Earth places this sometime between March 2011 and September 2016. <4> When the RAF survey was carried out in October 1918, the station personnel totalled 219. Amongst that number were three members of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), who had separate lodgings on the station (EHER 81749-81754) and 12 civilian women who came in on a daily basis to undertake the various domestic duties on the site. <5>