High Down Test Site, The Needles, Isle of Wight

Aerial photograph of The Needles and High Down Test Site, Isle of Wight (NMR 18515/30) The High Down Test Site is a rare example of a 1950s British rocket test facility, built at a time when the country was amongst a handful of nations at the forefront of rocket and missile technology.  Internationally, large rocket testing facilities of this date are uncommon, and were restricted to the two Superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union.  It is also a visible reminder of the Isle of Wight’s aviation heritage, in such specialised fields as flying boats, rocket powered interceptor fighter and hovercraft, and in particular its contribution to space technology.

Most of the site’s ancillary buildings have been demolished and the metal work of the test stands removed, nevertheless, its plan form and remaining features may be used to understand the operation of a post-war rocket test facility.  The site and surrounding down land is owned by the National Trust and is publicly accessible.

For further information on the survey work at the site, please contact Wayne Cocroft in English Heritage's Cambridge office wayne.cocroft@english-heritage.org.uk

High Down Test Site Survey Report (RDRS 90-2007)A report on the English Heritage survey of this site (2.2MB) is available to download here. This document requires Adobe Acrobat Viewer to display. This is free software available from Adobe. Download Acrobat here.