York Historic Environment Record

Listed in 2005. Control Tower under consideration for listing upgrade to II* 2023. See MYO3480 for history of the airfield.

NMR Information:
Elvington Control Tower. An English Heritage report dated May 2003 describes the control tower as a "Watch Office for All Commands". It is said to be "one of a small number which have survived in this degree of preservation". English Heritage recommended that the control tower be considered for possible future Listed Building status, potentially at Grade II. (1)

A World War Two control tower now used as part of a Museum, at Elvington Airfield, now the Yorkshire Air Museum. It is a rendered two storey building with a flat roof , featuring a balcony overlooking the airfield. The "control Towers" website suggests that the tower is of type known as Watch Office for Night Fighter Stations 4533/42 (this does not concord with source 1 above). The actual control functions of the tower were taken over post war by a new United States Air Force tower, built to a 1958 pattern. (2)

Elvington, Yorkshire Air Museum control tower. The World War Two tower was restored in 1986 as the focal point for the Yorkshire Air Museum. It contains a metreological office, teleprinter room, air traffic control telephone exchange, Duty Control Staff rest room, and Duty Pilot's room as well as the main control room. (3)

Paul Francis also lists the Contol tower at Elvington as a "Watch Office for Night fighter Stations", Drawing number 4532/3/43. (4)

1 VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION English Heritage Thematic Listing Programme, May 2004: "Survey of Military Aviation Sites and Structures Summary Report", Annexe 1, unpaged.
2 World Wide Web page Robert Truman. 2003. "Control Towers"; http://www.controltwers.co.uk/E/Elvington.htm; accessed 25-MAR-2004.
3 World Wide Web page Pete Wilkins. 2004. "Yorkshire Air Museum: Tour"; http://wwwyorkshireairmuseum.co.uk; accessed 25-MAR-2004
4 Control towers : the development of the control tower on RAF stations in the UK 66 by Paul Francis

Historic England 2023:

Elvington watch tower has been fully and accurately restored to its wartime condition, with fittings, fixture, furniture and equipment. Being at the centre of all airfield activity, the watch office forms the iconic focus of the preserved airfield buildings at the Yorkshire Air Museum. Since its restoration, the building has been subject to a regular maintenance regime; however, major works became necessary in 2023, to ensure the weatherproof integrity of the building was maintained. These required the temporary removal of artefacts, furnishings, fittings and fixtures while the work was in progress and have included repairs to the roof, the Crittal windows, re-rendering of the exterior walls, and re-decoration.

Reasons for Designation - Historic England Advice Report 21 February 2024

The Control Tower (Watch Office), Yorkshire Air Museum (former RAF Elvington), completed in 1942, is
listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* a substantially intact example of a Watch Office for Night Fighter Stations, based on DWB drawing number 12096/41, retaining its floor plan and original fenestration;
* it demonstrates a key stage in the Second World War development of the growth in size and complexity of 'standardised' watch office building designs;
* unusual construction using 'permanent' brick 13.5 inch thick walls with hollow concrete floor and roof beams, rather than the more usual 'temporary' brick 4.5 inch thick walls.

Historic interest:
* it played a major role in the mounting of RAF Bomber Command raids against occupied Europe and Germany, including the Battle of the Ruhr, the Battle of Berlin, D-Day, and against V1 Doodlebug flying-bomb sites;
* the Watch Office was actively involved in Operation Gisela, controlling the airfield's local air defence and the diversion of its aircraft on the night of 3rd/4th March 1945, during the last major operation mounted by the Luftwaffe against England in the Second World War;
* RAF Elvington was the only RAF Bomber Command airfield operated by the Free French;
* the Watch Office represents an eloquent witness to the impact of world events on our national and international story during the Second World War.

Historic England, 2023, Elvington Watch Tower Consultation Report (Unpublished document). SYO3005.