Carew Cheriton Control Tower
Volunteer-run restored Second World War airfield control tower in Pembrokeshire, with wartime displays, an Avro Anson and an air raid shelter.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The control tower stands on the former Carew Cheriton airfield. Part of the land was used from 1916 to 1920 as a naval airship station, and in 1938 the Air Ministry began buying land for a new airfield. Flying started in April 1939, and Avro Anson aircraft of 217 Squadron arrived that summer. Three concrete runways were laid in 1940 and 1941. The airfield passed to Technical Training Command in October 1942 and closed in November 1945, and most of the main buildings were cleared in the mid-1960s.
The Carew Cheriton Control Tower Group was formed in spring 2000, after the landowner offered the wartime watch office on a long lease. Without that offer the building would probably have been demolished. Volunteers, organised as a registered charity, have restored the tower to its appearance in the 1940s and furnished it as it was during the war, with the walls repainted in colours matched to the original paint.
The project serves as a memorial to everyone who served at the airfield in both world wars, as an educational venue for school and community groups and as a wartime visitor attraction. Next to the tower, a hangar holds a museum of First and Second World War material, an Avro Anson under restoration and restored vehicles, and a reconstructed air raid shelter can also be visited.
Highlights
- Control tower restored to its 1940s condition, with flight boards showing one day in October 1941
- Avro Anson aircraft under restoration in the hangar
- Reconstructed Stanton air raid shelter
- Museum of First and Second World War exhibits
- Restored wartime fuel bowser and Fordson tractor
Permanent exhibitions
- Restored control tower – The 1940s watch office, restored and set up as it was in wartime, with its original room layout and flight boards.
- Museum and hangar – Displays on the First and Second World Wars and the airfield, with an Avro Anson under restoration, an air raid shelter and restored vehicles.
- Founded
- 2000
- Operated by
- Carew Cheriton Control Tower Group
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £8 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Under 16s are free when accompanied by an adult. |
Prices for school and group visits are available from the museum on request.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Most of the site is flat, but there is one step into the control tower building and the hangar has some uneven surfaces. The observation room is reached by a vertical steel ladder. Toilets including disabled facilities are available. Well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
School groups of all ages are welcome, and the museum holds an annual military vehicle and Land Rover family day.
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking
Large free car park with space for coaches and minibuses.
The site is at Carew Airfield, Carew, Pembrokeshire. The postcode SA70 8SX is not a postal address.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | School and group visits run year round by prior booking and last about 2 to 2½ hours, for groups of up to about 30 to 35 people. They include the museum displays, the control tower, wartime singing in the air raid shelter, Morse code activities and the vehicles in the hangar. |
