Area of bomb siloes in 1946 aerial vertical. Many structures survive but only examined from Manston Road. (1)

Siloes and blast walls forming RAF Manston's main bomb store of Second World War date were visible as structures and earthworks in RAF/HLA/564 V 6013 01-JUN-1942. The store included two sets of six detached high explosives storage buildings flanked by earthwork banks. A large covered store stood to the north-west and four open compartments surrounded by earthwork banks and served with gantries stood to the south-east. Two further bunded stores stood just within the south-west boundary of the complex.

A number of these features are extant, including the roadway serving all parts of the complex (Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021), although the four compartments and gantries in the south-east of the area have been levelled. These features were mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (2-3)

<2> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/HLA/564 V 6013 01-JUN-1942 (Archive). SKE57101.

<3> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021 (Archive). SKE57110.