Archive Ride No. 10

Link to map

Link to detailed map of Daventry

The radio masts between Rugby and Daventry are one of the world's largest and most historic collections of radio transmitters -- being first established in the early days of radio. Over most of the last century they have broadcast the BBC World and before that Empire Service, communicated in Morse and speech with ships, sent time signals, provided radio hams around the world with information and been used for some of Britain's most sensitive military communications. Now many of the transmitters have reached the end of their useful lives -- being replaced by satellites, internet and digital technologies. So this ride was a chance to see these strange, lace-like structures that bestride the countryside of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire up close.

On 26th February 1935, in a field just east of Litchborough two of the pioneers of radar -- Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins -- sat in a converted military ambulance as a Handley Page Heyford bomber made several passes. They detected the reflections of radio transmissions from Rugby -- so demonstrating for the first time that what would later become known as Radar was a practical possibility.

This ride also includes much beautiful countryside and many fine villages, houses and churches. But, critically, it links two of the most significant technical developments of the twentieth century -- one of which, radar -- actually just one application of radio technology -- is widely credited as critical in winning the Battle of Britain and, later the Battle of the Atlantic and the war in the Pacific in World War 2. In a real sense our current freedom and democracy can be traced to a field outside Litchborough and a group of strange, alien structures on the Northants/Warwickshire borders.