Okay, a brief description about Adastral Park. It is the BT campus extending over 110 acres in Martlesham Heath.
Time: 1:00 pm. We were having lunch with the usual share of gossip and masti.
Topic of discussion: Bombscare in Martlesham!
K: Arey yahaan ke log bhi na! Ek pipe ko dekh ke ghabraa gaye!
A: Haan bhey.. Do ghante road block kiyan in logon ne..
Me: But you can't blame them! There are lots of bombs around these days. They are only being careful..
K: Koi aisi waisi bomb nahin.. World War II ka bomb samjha in logon ne..
S: Nothing surprising in that.. This area was once very much involved in World War II
A: Yes, thats right. Our campus was once an airbase.. Haven't you seen the photos in our food-court?
Me: Oh, really? Thats interesting..
I then get back to my desk and do some googling.. And am pretty much impressed with what I find!
Initially, an experimental airfield was opened in Martlesham Heath. After the end of World War I it was renamed as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) of the Royal Air Force.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the A&AEE was removed to another site owing to the proximity of Martlesham Heath to the East Coast and its vulnerability to enemy attack. The airfield then took on a new role as a base for fighter squadrons defending Britain!!
At the end of hostilities, there was no longer a role for Martlesham Heath as an operational RAF airfield and no prospect of the A&AEE returning, but the site was again used for a number of experiments with planes and armaments. However, its use declined in the 1950s, and the airfield was closed in the early 1960s.
In 1968, the Post Office purchased part of the airfield and surrounding farmland and announced that they would be relocating their Research Department to Martlesham Heath. Then the separation of British Telecom from the Post Office and the privatisation of British Telcommunications plc happened. In the 1980s, the facility was renamed as BT Labs and was subsequently developed into a high tech business park called Adastral Park in the 1990s.
Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martlesham_Heath
Quite a happening place, this was!! Let me see what I can dig out from here before I come back!
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