The Construction of Wartime Huts

On Sunday, September 3rd, 1939, Britain declared war on Germany and the Hearts of Oak migrated to Herstmonceux Castle to prepare for the arrival of its staff. By noon that next day, a large portion of the emergency staff employed by the Society had arrived. Accommodation for working, sleeping, and eating presented a major difficulty. The Castle only yielded accommodation for a small group of emergency staff. With the Castle itself being unable to possess the physical capacity to accommodate the entire emergency staff, the front of the Castle where you stand now became wartime huts that were used for additional office space and sleeping accommodations for staff.

At the end of war, and following the departure of the Hearts of Oak, the huts were acquired by the Admiralty who purchased the Herstmonceux estate as the new home for The Royal Observatory (later renamed The Royal Greenwich Observatory. The huts were used as staff accommodation, workshops and also to store the giant telescopes that were brought from London and awaiting reassembly. The huts were finally removed in 1955 and the car park you are now standing in marks their original location.