The Nesscliffe Training Area is a military training facility located near Nesscliffe in Shropshire.
| Nesscliffe Training Area | |||||||||||||||
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| Nesscliffe, Shropshire | |||||||||||||||
 Part of the Nesscliffe training area | |||||||||||||||
  Nesscliffe Training Area Location within Shropshire | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°46′12″N 2°56′34″W / 52.76987°N 2.94283°W | ||||||||||||||
| Type | Training area | ||||||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||||||
| Operator |  British Army | ||||||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||||||
| Built | 1961 | ||||||||||||||
| Built for | War Office | ||||||||||||||
| In use | 1961-Present | ||||||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||||||
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History edit
The training area is located on and around the former Central Ammunition Depot at Nesscliffe.[1] The CAD was fed from the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway which ran through the camp and the training area. The railway was taken over by the War Department in 1940.[2]
Since 1961, the 1,681 acres (680 ha) of flat pastureland form the British Army's Nesscliffe training area (NTA), capable of accommodation up to 530 personnel.[3] The bunkers once used to house ammunition are still used as of 2014[update] in training exercises. As well as Regular and Reserve troops, Nesscliffe is used extensively by local CCF and ACF units.
The NTA is also used constantly through the year by helicopters from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury for training pilots and crew.[4]
Despite the name of the nearby village, officials at the Ministry of Defence spell the camp and training area Nesscliff.[5][6]
References edit
- ^ "Shropshire Military Camps". Shropshire History. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "The Defence Training Estate". gov.uk. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Nesscliff Training Area". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Nesscliffe Operations". Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ "The defence training estate". GOV.UK.
- ^ "240" (Map). Map of Oswestry, Chirk, Ellesmere & Pant. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244333.