More information : In 1936 Robert Watson Watt's radar development research team moved from Orford Ness to Bawdsey Manor, which was to become the world's first radar station. It was also the first of a ring of early warning radar stations built around the coast as part of Britain's front-line defences in the Second World War, known as the "Chain Home" system; this system was to prove crucial to Britain's victory in the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Transmitter Tower, which became operational in 1937, was originally one of four and the last to remain standing. The tower was demolished in 2000. Two concrete bases were removed in the process of demolition, but two others remain in place; these are not listed. The Grade II* listed Transmitter Block, immediately to the east of the towers, also survives.
The Transmitter Tower, originally 360' tall, but reduced in height to 300', was a tapering steel lattice structure. The platforms to either side about half way up the tower, shown on early photographs, had been removed. The tower suffered from severe corrosion.
The Transmitter Tower at Bawdsey Manor, originally one of four transmitter towers erected as part of Britain's radar defence system in the Second World War, is recommended for removal from the statutory list for the following principal reasons:
* Consent was granted for demolition of the tower in 2000 because it was considered to be unsafe. The tower therefore no longer exists and no fabric of historic interest remains. (1)
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