Things to know before you start recording
Site access and permissions
Please be aware of the location of the site and check who owns the land. If it is
on private land, you need to have consent from the land owner and/or occupier.
Many counties have maps on their websites marking public areas.
If you are able to get consent, please remember to observe the Countryside
Code. For guidance on the countryside code, go to:
www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/enjoying/countrysidecode/default.aspx
Health and safety on site
It is your responsibility to take health and safety precautions when you are
recording a site. Before you set out to do any recording, you should evaluate the
current state of the buildings and any hazards. If buildings are unstable, try to
avoid too much contact by using alternative techniques, such as photography.
Take care where you are walking as there may be trip hazards as well as
concealed below-ground features. Also ensure that you are wearing suitable
clothing and sturdy footwear before entering a site.
By completing a survey for the Eighth in the East Project, you are acknowledging
that access to sites, as well and health and safety are your responsibility.
What to take
You will need to take on site with you:
 Recording forms (download from www.8theast.org/archaeology)
 Multi-Building Recording Form
(download from www.8theast.org/archaeology)
 Airfield Site Plan/map (Available from Martin at Eighth in the East or )
 OS map
 Pen (pencil, ruler, rubber also handy)
 Clipboard
 Compass
 GPS system
 Camera
 50 metre tape measure.
 1 metre photo scale/ranging poles
 Safety Fencing Stake (handy for finding buried concrete pads)
 Sturdy footwear
 Mobile phone
 Appropriate clothing
We have a small amount of survey equipment we can loan, and financial help
for you to buy your own equipment, please contact martin@8theast.org for
more details.
Choosing a site
Before filling in your recording form you will need to choose a site that you have
permission to access. You need to use one form per building. If there are several
buildings on one site, you must use more than one form. You will also need to do
some basic desk based research in the background of the structure. This could
include gaining local knowledge, looking at books about the site, or at the local
Historic Environment Records. These Historic Environment Records (HER) can
often be found on County Council websites, or on:
www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/CHR
Demolished sites
If a site you want to record has been demolished, or only concrete bases remain
please fill out one of our Multi Building Recording Form, one sheet can be
used per Sub Site. Make a note of any remains such as crop markings (Google
Earth or Google Maps can be useful for this) or if there seems to be any scope
for buried archaeological deposits. If just foundations remain, please make a
note of this.
How to fill in your recording form
Reference
The reference at the top of each page needs to be individual to each form. It
should be the airfield name followed by your surname and the number of the
survey. For example if you have conducted the survey at Hethel airfield, your
name is John Smith, and this is your 4th survey of a building at that airfield, your
reference would be HETHEL/SMITH/4.
Internal Reference
The internal reference will be filled in by the relevant HER. You do not need to fill
this in.
Location
Official name of the airfield and alternative names
This is the name of the airfield as it appears on the airfield plan. If you know of
any other names it is known as more locally, please make a note of them as
well.
Name of sub site
This information can be found on the airfield plan. (e.g. site 5 or communal site
1). If you do not know the name of a site, please write ‘unknown’.
Building number and building use/function
This information can be found on the airfield plan key. (e.g building 1 is a Picket
Post)
Drawing Number (DRG or DWG number.-on airfield plan key)
This information can be found on the airfield plan key. The Drawing Number is
the reference for the actual blueprint drawing of that structure. The blueprint is
a separate drawing held at the RAF museum in Hendon, London.
Ordnance Survey (OS) Coordinates
Include the OS coordinates of the structure. Either use GPS equipment or
download a free OS coordinate app to your phone. The app is free to download
and free to use. You just need to turn on the GPS on your phone. (It doesn’t
need 3G to work)
Android phones: search Play Store for “Grid Reference” by Arthur Embleton. After
you have downloaded click on settings, in the app, and switch to 10 figures.
I- phone:
Or have a look on www.gridreferencefinder.com
Address and County
If you know the address and/or postcode for the site, please make a note of this.
The county should also be included to ensure the completed form gets to the
correct HER.
Location notes/directions
Please fill in this if you are unsure of the OS coordinates. Describe where the site
is in relation to local villages, the roads it is on, or its position in the landscape.
This short description should enable people to find the site without using a map.
If you do have a copy of the airfield plan, it is a good idea to highlight the
building being surveyed, and attaching a copy of this plan to your finished form
so it is easily identifiable.
Site Observations
Type of Structure
Please tick the type of structure your building is and include the type. These can
be found on the key of the airfield plan. If you think the building is labelled on
the airfield plan incorrectly or there is more information in the key, please
discuss this further in the Site Description box.
 Control Tower
 Hangar/Aircraft shed
 Hut
o Nissen hut
o Romney hut
o Orlit hut
o Seco hut
o Thorn hut
o Other (please specify)
 Temporary brick
 Pillbox/airfield defences
 Air raid shelter
o Blast shelter
o Stanton shelter
o Other (please specify)
 Bomb stores
 Other brick structure
 Other concrete structure
 Other steel structure
 Other wooden structure
Site description and features
It is in this part of the form that you can describe your site with more detail. Is
there anything to suggest that this building is not what is labelled on the site
plan or had an alternative use? You also need to try to accurately describe what
is left on the site and how it looks now, referencing the shape of structures, as
well as any interesting features. A short summary is enough to record a site, but
if you prefer, use the continuation sheet to include a more detailed description.
It is important to cover the following points:
 Location: topography (flat, sloping, terraced), proximity to other
structures
 Outer Walls (construction materials)
 Room divisions/internal walls: (construction materials)


Roofing and joists: (construction materials/shape)
Special Features: Are there any distinctive features? Doorways, windows,
graffiti, remaining paint
 Phasing: Features of an earlier or later building such as blocked up
windows and doorways
 Dimensions: If possible, the height and breadth of a building and
thickness of walls (metric)
 Orientation: north, south, east or west orientation of the site and
structure
 Shapes: The shape of the building, the types of corners
Overall condition of each element
This is based on your judgement, but will provide an insight into the physical
remains of the building. Please use the following as a guide before you circle
your chosen options.
 Good – Fully or almost full intact at time of survey
 Fair – Recognisable as a structure but some evidence of damage , decay
or alterations
 Poor – Generally in a poor condition with significant features largely
missing
 Very poor – Substantial collapse or features completely missing
 Uncertain – Features of interest not able to be surveyed at the time
(obscured by undergrowth etc.)
 Destroyed – Little or no remains still visible above ground and no further
information can be obtained from future investigation of the site
Current Use
Please select what the building is currently being used for from the following:
 None – The building is empty
 Destroyed – The building is no longer standing
 Derelict – The building has been abandoned and it not it good condition
 Vacant – The building is not in bad condition but is currently empty
 Residential – The building is being used as housing
 Leisure – The building is being used for leisure purposes
 Museum – The building is being used to house a museum
 Military – The building is being used by the military
 Agricultural – The building is being used in agriculture
 Industrial/commercial – The site being used as part of large scale
production or for trading
 Other – If the site does not fall into any of the categories, please select
‘other’ and make a note of its use
Images
For each building you will need to take a number of photos. These should
illustrate the most important aspects of the building/features recorded at that
location. You will need to include the file name (see below) and a short
description of what is included in the photo.
What to photograph
It is important when photographing to first think about what you think needs to
be documented. A suitably sized scale is always useful. If possible, please use a
ranging pole as a scale for larger shots, and a smaller one for details. If you
would like to borrow a set of scales, please email Martin at martin@8theast.org.
You will need to label the location of all your photographs on your plan of the
building.
For well-preserved buildings, you should aim to take photographs of the
following:
 A general view of the building in its wider setting or landscape
 The outside of each side of the building showing the elevations of the
building. These photos should give an overall impression of the size and
shape of the building. In order to do this, you should aim to take photos
not face on, but more indirectly at a slight angle.
 A photo of the main rooms or spaces inside the building
 Any detail on the outside or inside of the building that is structural or
decorative. This should include details of the roof structure, details of any
windows or doors, and any changes in construction materials or
techniques.
 Any features that may indicate the use of the building during American
use
 Any graffiti, drawings, paintings, signage or inscriptions that is still visible
around the building. A transcription should also be made of any such
writing on the continuation sheet.
 Anything around the building that have significant bearing on the buildings
history (such as hanging mounts, locations of old fittings) that are not
sufficiently covered in other photographs
Uploading your photographs
When you upload your photos to the computer from a digital camera, you will
need to ensure they are either saved as a JPEG of TIFF format. Usually images
automatically save as a JPEG. If you are saving in TIFF format, please insure
they are at a minimum of 300dpi and no larger than 1200 x 1800 pixels. You
may need to then compress the files so they are no larger than 8Mb.
When naming your digital photographs, please use the following format:
[airfield]_EITEsurvey_[surname]_[record form number]_[photo number]_[YYYY]
For example, if your name is John Smith and you have undertaken your 4th
survey of buildings at Hethel airfield during 2014, your first photo will be saved
as:
Hethel_EITEsurvey_smith_4_1_2014
Site Drawings
A sketch of the site, building location, and building itself can also be useful. This
can be a rough sketch or contain more detail, depending on how much time you
have. If you are drawing a plan of the building as it looking from it above,
measurements can be included. Similarly, if you draw the elevation of the side of
a building it is helpful to include measurements of walls, doorways, windows etc.
in cm and meters. You should also include the locations and direction of each
photograph you took.
Copyright
Copyright for data produced during Eighth in the East led surveys will be held by New
Heritage Solutions C.I.C, with the relevant HER and/or English Heritage being the
ultimate repository of this information.
Owners retain copyright of any archive reference material including archive materials,
photographs and moving images. However the sharing of this information allows the
rights for New Heritage Solutions C.I.C to use the material and to share this information
with their partners and other interested bodies. New Heritage Solutions C.I.C is the
community interest company who deliver The Eighth in the East on behalf of the
Heritage Lottery Fund.
What Next?
Ideally we would like you to send us digital scanned copies of your forms and
email this to us, complete with digital photos and scans of any other documents.
Please send your finished form to martin@8theast.org
Or email martin for the Eight in the Easts own Dropbox cloud login details to
transfer photos and recording forms digitally.
If you are unable to do this, it is possible to post your form to the following
address, whilst emailing or Dropboxing your photos.
Martin Cuthbert
The Eighth in the East
Office 18
Red Gables
Ipswich Road
Stowmarket
Suffolk
IP14 1BE
These will then be added to the relevant Historic Environment Record to be used
for future research, and to monitor the legacy the 8th Air Force left behind.
For more help completing this form, or for any comments, please email
martin@8theast.org
Helpful websites
http://www.8theast.org/
http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/advanced_search.aspx
http://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/forum.php
http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/
http://www.bing.com/mapspreview?FORM=Z9LH3 turn on Ordnance survey view
Helpful books (available from your local library)
Airfields of the Eighth - Then and Now, Roger Freeman 1978
British Airfield Buildings of the Second World War, Graham Buchan Innes, 2000
British Military Airfield Architecture, Paul Francis, 1996
20th Century Defences in Britain – An Introductory Guide, Ed. B Lowry, 1995,
CBA handbook 12.