National Construction College East

Up until the 1960s, this base was the home of RAF Bircham Newton and it seems that quite a few of its residents have decided to stay on in death. There are only a few reports on the old base itself; a pair dressed in white and engaged in a fencing bout; a car full of laughing airmen has been seen sighted racing through the camp to finally crash into the rear of a hanger; footsteps and the sounds of something being dragged in one building; and characters who glided rapidly around the estate at night, with white frozen discs where eyes should be. The commandants house (now home to the Heritage Centre) has had two figures sighted (an RAF officer and a lady dressed in WAAF attire) and quite a few of the old officers and crews houses, now home to civilians have stories. Most of the activity seems to be centred on the squash courts which are now closed due to asbestos and one of the courts, described as having a cold and eerie atmosphere seems to be the haunt of a man in RAF uniform. Bizarre sounds have been heard including that of a squash game being played. Sometimes these are audible to witnesses outside but on occasion they have only been picked up by tape recorders or "bugs" placed inside the building. Next door to the courts is The Birches hotel and a number of incidents have been experienced; a man being tapped on the shoulder in the attic; curtains being pulled down; the stopcock to the radiators being turned off even though it was in an inaccessible location; bedding being ripped off beds; and in an impressive encounter, a student attending a course heard a knock on his hotel door to be met by a man in old blue RAF uniform!