By 1940, with the development of aircraft, the Air Ministry, in collaboration with Teeside Bridge & Engineering, developed the Type T series hangar. The first design was the T2; a standard steel-fabricated unit of welded-and-bolted construction covered with galvanised corrugated iron, 22-gauge for the roof and 24-gauge for the walls. Manston’s remaining T2 hangar underwent a rebuild during the 1980s that included a new floor, walls roof cladding and re-wiring & electrics. Only the steel frame remains of the original WW2 construction. (1)

Former record MKE100106/TR 36 NW 1272 described this structure as 'Extant Wartime Bomber hangar. Visible in 1946 Aerial view. (Checked from distance).' (2)

A hangar forming part of a military airfield of 20th Century date was visible as a structure in RAF/HLA/407 V 77 28-FEB-1942. It was recorded as a structure on Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021. A contemporary hardstanding forming an apron in front of the hangar is presumed destroyed by more recent concreting. These features were mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (3-4)

<1> KCC, 2016, Survey of Buildings and Structures Associated with Manston Airport and the Surrounding Areas. (Unpublished document). SKE31558.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/HLA/407 V 77 28-FEB-1942 (Archive). SKE57101.

<4> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021 (Archive). SKE57110.