An interesting find

Posted by Chris Graham on 29th September 2020

Steve Stuart reveals an interesting find stumbled upon by his son; a wartime, Meadows-powered generator set.

A remote building, such as this one on a farm in Bedfordshire, is always worth checking just in case there happens to be an old engine hiding inside.

This generator set was discovered by my son, Robert, who works for a recycling company that broadcasts slurry etc on to fields as a fertiliser. It’s certainly an interesting find, and was made while he was working on a farm in Bedfordshire. What he came across was an abandoned and sadly dilapidated generating set and associated equipment.

It’s evident that this building has been abandoned for many years.

Unfortunately, the roof of the building collapsed many years ago, leaving everything inside exposed to the elements. This is a great shame as I doubt if any of the electrical components will now be salvageable. The engine is a four-cylinder (petrol) model manufactured by the firm Henry Meadows of Wolverhampton; the generator is of unknown make.

Thanks to the roof having collapsed, everything inside has been exposed to the elements for many years.

Robert has been able to glean a little information with regards to the outfit’s history. He’s discovered that it was supplied to RAF Cardington, and used to power the base’s wireless station during WW2.