The airfield was a primary base for U.S. nuclear-armed cruise missiles during the 1980s.
The tower's architecture is a rare example of a functional Cold War-era air traffic control building preserved in the UK.
The site was the location of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, which lasted for 19 years starting in 1981.
The base's runway was once the longest in the UK at 10,000 feet, designed to handle large strategic bombers.
The restoration project was funded by community groups and local heritage grants to prevent the structure's demolition.
The control room retains some of its original operational layout, offering direct views over the common's landscape.
The surrounding common is now a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its rare lowland heathland.
The Greenham Control Tower is a restored 1950s modernist structure that once served the RAF and USAF Greenham Common airbase. Following the closure of the airbase in 1992, the building fell into dereliction until its restoration and reopening as a visitor centre and café in 2018. It now serves as a community heritage site documenting the Cold War history of the common and the notable Women's Peace Camp protests. The building features an exhibition space, a control room with panoramic views, and a café. Visitors can observe the vast expanse of the former runway, which has been returned to heathland habitat. The tower remains one of the few surviving original structures from the Cold War era airbase operations.
The external walkway of the control tower provides a 360-degree panoramic shot of the historic runway and heathland.
Visit the viewing deck on the top floor for the best vantage point of the runway and surrounding heathland.
Check the local events calendar, as the site frequently hosts heritage talks and community workshops.
Allow time to walk the flat trails surrounding the tower to see the former bunkers.
Do not attempt to walk off-trail into restricted parts of the former base, as some areas remain part of active nature conservation management.
Typically closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; occasionally closes for private events or during severe weather.
Maintain quiet in the exhibition areas; respect the surrounding common as a protected nature reserve.
