Weedon Bec: a home fit for a King? New BBC film casts controversial light on historic military hub

Because, while it is widely accepted that the 153-acre site was originally built at the start of the 19th century to act as a strategic military support and supplies centre should Napoleon invade, another (unproven) theory includes the possibility that King George III would have taken refuge here in the event of an invasion, protected by high walls and 500 soldiers.

Another theory – again unproven – is that Weedon was built to defend the King the British people themselves at a time of civil unrest. And that both of these plans have not made their way into the history books simply because of the secrecy which has always surrounded the site.

So should we believe the official historians… or the stories passed down through the generations by villagers at Weedon Bec – many of whom would have worked at the site over the years?

A recently unearthed BBC Nationwide news clip, broadcast in 30 May 1974 and available on the BBC’s “Rewind” service, makes the claim that The Royal Ordnance Depot, as well as storing arms, munitions and equipment for distribution around the country by canal, would have effectively served as a seat of Government.

Along with huge storehouses and reinforced magazines for ammunition and materials, along with barracks for soldiers, the original site included three handsome pavilions: but were these intended for senior officers or the royal family? Unfortunately, they were demolished over 50 years ago to make way for a housing estate, so any evidence they may have contained has now been lost.

So what IS the theory of Weedon Bec being a royal refuge based on? In the 1974 Nationwide clip, the presenter states that: “The construction of Weedon Barracks started in 1803. It was at this time, two years before the battle of Trafalgar, when the Napoleonic War was reaching a crisis point. Then, as in 1940, there was a very real fear of invasion from across The Channel. In the event of that happening, somewhere had to be found for the King to flee to, and the business of Government could still be carried. So secretly, so secret that there is no mention of it in any of the newspapers of the day, the fortress of Weedon was built.

“It was thought to be impregnable, and it was far away from the sea as it was possible to get. The King and his family could travel up from London on the canal, and here they could stay, protected by a strong force of two regiments of the line.”

However, as wonderful as a royal connection would be, there is (as far as is known) no written evidence to support the theory. Michael Chittenden, the property entrepreneur who purchased the derelict site a decade ago and has since been transforming it into a characterful business centre home for over 100 companies, is now asking for anyone who thinks they can shed light on the theory to come forward so that a new display can be produced for the Visitor Centre at Weedon Bec, exploring this untold part of the story.

“I knew the site had a fantastic history when I purchased it,” he says. “That's why we created a Visitor Centre to keep that history alive for this and future generations. But while I knew about the rumours of this being a possible refuge for the royal family, discovering the Nationwide clip has made me wonder whether this is a forgotten part of the story which we need to take seriously.

“I would love to hear from anyone who thinks they can shed light on the theory.”

The Nationwide report from 1974 confidently stated that Weedon Bec would have been the nation’s seat of Government had Bonaparte’s plans for an invasion succeeded, and the threat certainly seemed very real at the time.

From 1803 to 1805 an army of 200,000 men was gathered and trained at camps at Boulogne, Bruges and Montreuil. A large flotilla of invasion barges was built in ports along the coasts of France and the Netherlands. A medal was struck and even a triumphal column erected at Boulogne to celebrate the invasion's anticipated success. A large-scale test was carried out, with many men being lost through bad weather.

Napoleon even considered using a fleet of troop-carrying balloons as part of his proposed invasion force, and there were rumours of a tunnel being built.

“It doesn't seem at all unreasonable that plans would have been made to ensure a working Government was maintained by getting the King to a safe place hundreds of miles from the coast,” concludes Mr Chittenden. “But would he have come to Weedon Bec? I'd love to know!”

Doreen Addicott has helped run the Visitor Centre at Weedon Bec since it opened some five years ago, and is equally keen to discover the full story. “I was born and bred in the village and local people did pass down tales which are part of its unofficial history I suppose. When I was young, the army still occupied the site; no one ever talked about what was going on then – everyone was sworn to secrecy. I’m sure there’s lots we don't know about its history, and it seems reasonable to conjecture that the stories about it being a refuge for the King from French soldiers or rebellious English poor simply went undocumented.

“These were turbulent times. The French and Americans had recently had revolutions, and there had been an uprising in Ireland. This was a time of major social unrest among the industrial and rural poor: there were food riots, Luddites were smashing machinery and protests were regularly being put down by local militia and yeomanry units.

“It would make sense to make this a refuge as it held munitions and was protected by high walls. It would have been easy for soldiers to protect him from peasants armed with pitchforks. But was that kept secret to hide its purpose from the many anti-monarchy republicans at the time?

“History is always having to be updated in the light of new discoveries, and it would be wonderful to fill in some of the gaps around the origins of the Depot and add them to our display.”

Nationwide clip: https://www.bbcrewind.co.uk/asset/60e5d9a7e88051001ffa0233