Welcome to Britain's secret Cape Canaveral (... on the Isle of Wight)

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As it opens to the public for the first time, amazing pictures of the rocket-testing base that put us ahead of the USA and Russia in the space race... and remained hidden for 50 years

Think of the Isle of Wight and images of holiday beaches, caravan parks and people messing about in boats inevitably spring to mind.

But just a few decades ago the island had another remarkable and completely secret role - as Britain's answer to Cape Canaveral.

As these fascinating pictures show, the Isle of Wight was home to a huge and complex rocket- testing facility - a facility that helped put Britain at the forefront of space race technology.

Top: Rocket men Ray Wheeler and Derek Mack. Below: Engines being built at High Down

The base at High Down, on the cliffs above The Needles, was built secretly at the height of the Cold War in 1957.

Behind its high wire fences - patrolled 24 hours a day by guard dogs - scientists made such swift progress that the Americans ended up begging to be let in on our technology.

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But while the US and the Soviet Union continued pouring billions into their space programmes, the British Government pulled the plug on the research at High Down in 1972 and the facility was abandoned almost overnight.

Now, however, the mothballed site has been acquired by the National Trust and its doors will be thrown open to the public next weekend, shedding fascinating new light on the British space programme.

High Down's concrete runway where the rockets were rolled out to the huge test gantry still stands exactly as it was.

The control room also remains intact, though the banks of instruments staff used to monitor test results have gone. Where they stood, new high-tech displays are being installed to demonstrate the work that went on as the rockets were fired.

The decision to open High Down to the public has been welcomed by Ray Wheeler and Derek Mack, who worked there from 1957 to 1972 and last week made an emotional return.

Mr Wheeler, now 79, was chief designer and technical director and in overall charge of testing. It also fell to him to tell his team they were losing their jobs after the decision was taken to close the site.

He said: "By 1962 we had been doing work on rocket re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere, codenamed Dazzle, and we were ahead of the Americans. That was how much progress we were making. One minute it seemed I was congratulating the team - the next I was telling them the base was closing and their jobs were going.

"It was a dreadful waste after the results a terrific bunch of people had achieved. It was the end of our part in the space race."

Former chief trial engineer Mr Mack, now 74, said they were 'exciting times'. He recalled: "We were up with the Americans and the Russians in developing rocket technology. We got some terrific results. But we were never allowed to breathe a word of what we were working on. I couldn't even tell my wife."

The rockets being tested - Black Knights and Black Arrows - were assembled at the nearby Saunders Roe aircraft works at Cowes. They were then taken to High Down where their engines were tested. During the spectacular blasts, exhaust fumes often spewed out of the cliff face from underground chambers.

After testing, the rockets were taken apart, crated and shipped on a six-week voyage to South Australia and a launch site in Woomera. From there 22 were launched into orbit.

British interest in the space race was ended by Edward Heath's Tory Government as the bills mounted.

High Down will be open every day over the Easter holiday. Heather Bradshaw from the National Trust said: "We have been clearing the underground rooms and the control rooms of rubble and dust for four years to get it ready.

"We feel that 50 years after this site started to be used in the space race this is an important story to be told."

 

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