RAF Beaulieu’s Water Tower on Roundhill Campsite
If you take a 10-minute walk north of Beaulieu’s airfields perimeter you will find yourself at Roundhill Campsite and Stockley Inclosure. In the video below you can see me approaching the Roundhill Campsite water tower at around the 8 minutes and 30 seconds mark.
Scroll down under the video to see the photos.
Roundhill Campsite water tower
During World War 2, the Roundhill Campsite location would have been an important part of the RAF Beaulieu airfield operation. The site would have contained accommodation, catering, and even as an entertainment area for some of the 2,000 staff at the airfield.
In fact, reports from historians even say there was a gym and cinema on the site to serve the airmen and women. Unfortunately, there are no longer any traces of these aspects, but what you can still see find is the Roundhill Campsite water tower (read more on my RAF Beaulieu project website).
The Roundhill Campsite water tower has to be the winner when it comes to New Forest WW2 structures that have been kept in the best condition.
I have since found out that the water tank at the top of the towers has been replaced in modern times. However, the tower structure itself I still believe to be original.
You can only assume it’s in great condition still due to it still being used to supply water to the campsite and the surrounding areas. It was fenced off at some point after 2005 due to concerns that visitors to the campsite and thrill seekers would attempt to climb up it.
How you can do this walk yourself
To get to it, either park up in the Stockley Inclosure car park and walk down to Roundhill Campsite or take a 10-minute stroll north from the RAF Beaulieu airfield perimeter. It’s located amongst the pine trees and Douglas firs in the south-west campsite corner of Stockley Inclosure.
You can see me walk from the perimeter in my RAF Beaulieu History and airfield walk video on YouTube. Do take a look at that, as it shows you so many other interesting pieces of wartime heritage on the airfield site.
Want to know more?
Also known as Beaulieu airfield, RAF Beaulieu was one of 12 airfields set up by Britain in the New Forest for use during the Second World War. Opening in 1942, it was used by various nationalities and air forces during World War 2, and didn’t close until 1958.
If you walk there now it’s almost impossible to imagine it was a busy wartime airfield with around 2,000 staff.
For more details on the airfield’s Second World War heritage, please read another one of my blog posts on RAF Beaulieu’s history.
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We’ve explored wartime heritage from other Hampshire RAF airfields too, such as the ones below.
