Wartime radio hub linked to sinking of German battleship up for sale

Shortwave A at Criggion Radio Station in Powys listed for £495,000

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Read Time3 min

A key building from one of Britain's most important Second World War radio stations has been placed on the market for nearly half a million pounds. The former Criggion Radio Station in Powys, Wales, relayed orders from the Admiralty to warships and submarines, and served as Britain's link to the world before the age of satellite communication. The building, named Shortwave A, is now for sale for £495,000.

Criggion Radio Station was built in 1942 as a backup to the main communications centre in Rugby, Warwickshire, due to fears of bombing. Planners chose the isolated village of Criggion on the Shropshire border, utilising the 900ft Breidden Hill to anchor its aerial system. Miles of buried copper wire boosted the signal, making the site a notable feat of engineering.

During World War Two, the station relayed coded messages from the Admiralty. While employees were unaware of the content, Criggion is reported to have relayed orders to sink several warships, including the Nazi German battleship Scharnhorst. The station was at its busiest during the Cold War, when between 120 and 160 people worked to relay Very Low Frequency messages to Britain's submarine fleet. Before satellite communication became widespread, it was also used for civilian traffic.

Advancements in technology made the Shortwave buildings obsolete in the 1970s, but parts of the station remained in use by British Telecom until it was formally decommissioned in 2003. In the years that followed, the site fell into disrepair. In 2014, Powys councillor Graham Brown expressed disappointment that the station had been "left to rot" and called for it to be turned into a historical attraction.

Instead, the four main buildings were sold separately. Shortwave A was purchased by The Studio People, an acoustic design company, and used as an office and workshop until 2026. Another building was bought by Robert Pearce, a retired Royal Air Force radio engineer. He hoped to turn it into a radio museum, but without planning permission for the change of use, he joked it became "a very expensive garden shed". Pearce now broadcasts daily from the site as an amateur radio operator.

"It's very, very sad we've lost it," Pearce said of the original equipment and distinctive 600ft towers, which no longer stand on the site. "We were the absolute leaders in technology."

The station was a feat of engineering that relied on buried copper wire and the natural geography of the Breidden Hill to function. Staff once used an amphibious military vehicle to get to work during floods. The buildings themselves were raised off the ground to protect them from River Severn flooding.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The sale of Shortwave A closes a chapter on a site that played a vital role in Allied naval communications for over 60 years.
It highlights the ongoing challenge of preserving large-scale historic industrial and military infrastructure without designated heritage protections.
For local communities in Powys, the site represents a unique and largely untold story from the war and Cold War periods.

Background

Criggion Radio Station was built quickly in 1942 to ensure Britain's communications could survive a bombing of its primary hub in Rugby. Its design was a remarkable feat of engineering, using the natural geography of the Breidden Hill to support its aerial system and extensive earth-grounded copper wiring to complete the circuit for long-distance broadcasts. It served the Admiralty during WWII and the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet during the Cold War, before being decommissioned in 2003. The original radio equipment and the station's large Eiffel-style towers, once reportedly visible for miles, have since been removed.

Key Perspectives

Robert Pearce, amateur radio operator and building owner: Pearce laments the loss of the technical heritage, calling it "very, very sad" and describing the site's former operators as "the absolute leaders in technology." Unable to secure a museum, he keeps the site's radio tradition alive by broadcasting daily on the amateur radio band from his building. Local council and preservation advocates: Councillor Graham Brown voiced public disappointment in 2014 that the station had been "left to rot" after decommission, calling for it to be made a historical attraction. The sale of the buildings separately has preserved the structures but fragmented the site's legacy. The real estate market: Estate agent Toby Shaw described the building as providing a "rare and unique opportunity" to prospective buyers, illustrating how specialist military structures enter the private market for adaptive reuse.

What to Watch

Whether the next owner of Shortwave A maintains its historic character or redevelops the space for a new purpose.
If Robert Pearce can obtain the necessary permissions to convert his Low Frequency building into a working radio museum.
Potential interest from heritage bodies or history-focused buyers in preserving the remaining buildings on the site.

Sources

Wartime radio hub linked to sinking of German battleship up for sale · BBC Wales

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 5 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe wartime radio hub is linked to the sinking of a German battleship.BBC Wales: “Wartime radio hub linked to sinking of German battleship up for sale.”
SupportedShortwave A is for sale for £495,000.BBC Wales: “Part of the station, named Shortwave A, is now on the market for £495,000”
Partly supportedThe station was one of Britain’s “most important” wartime radio stations.BBC Wales: “One of Britain's key wartime radio stations is up for sale for nearly half a million pounds.”
Partly supportedThe station relayed orders from the Admiralty to warships and submarines.BBC Wales: “Criggion Radio Station in Powys was used not only to transmit messages to warships and submarines during World War Two and the Cold War”
SupportedPearce said, “It's very, very sad we've lost it.”BBC Wales: “Robert Pearce, a retired Royal Air Force radio engineer who owns another part of the former station, said: "It's very, very sad we've lost it. We were the absolute leaders in technology."”
Partly supportedThe station was built in 1942 as a backup to Rugby’s communications centre.BBC Wales: “The radio station, first used in 1942, was built quickly as a back-up to the main communications centre in Rugby, Warwickshire, amid fears that it could be bombed.”
SupportedCriggion reportedly relayed orders to sink several warships, including Scharnhorst.BBC Wales: “However, Criggion is reported to have relayed orders to sink several warships, including Scharnhorst”
Partly supportedBetween 120 and 160 people worked at the station during the Cold War.BBC Wales: “Criggion was at its busiest during the Cold War, when reports suggest between 120 and 160 people worked at the station.”
Partly supportedParts of the station remained in British Telecom use until it was decommissioned in 2003.BBC Wales: “However, two of its buildings remained in use by British Telecom (BT), the privatised successor to the General Post Office's telecommunications branch. The station was formally decommissioned in 2003”
Partly supportedPearce lacked planning permission for the change of use and joked that the building became “a very expensive garden shed.”BBC Wales: “However, without permission to change the purpose of the building, Pearce joked it had instead become "a very expensive garden shed".”
SupportedPearce said, “We were the absolute leaders in technology.”BBC Wales: “Robert Pearce, a retired Royal Air Force radio engineer who owns another part of the former station, said: "It's very, very sad we've lost it. We were the absolute leaders in technology."”