CROOME Court near Pershore has begun a second phase of restoration work to a Second World War medical complex, which was part of a secret wartime airbase.

A five-figure donation by an anonymous supporter has enabled an historic ambulance garage, one of six surviving buildings that are part of RAF Defford’s WWII hospital at Croome, to begin its journey of restoration.

Michael Forster-Smith, Croome’s general manager, said: “We’re all really excited that the restoration work to this historically important building has started.

“The first building was restored back in 2007 and is now our restaurant. We’ve carried on this work and last year we opened a museum which has already been a huge success with over 10,000 people visiting since it opened in September.

“The former ambulance garage building, which was part of the wartime hospital, will be another important addition to the museum.

“This is great news as there is a real appetite from our visitors to know more about the airbase and its wartime history.”

During the Second World War and Cold War, the RAF Defford airbase was one of the most secret places in the country. War-winning radar inventions were developed, tested and installed in aircraft at the site.

The former ambulance garage, which was built in the 1940s, housed the ambulances often used to shuttle personnel to the sick quarters.

It will become another important space used by the National Trust and Defford Airfield Heritage Group to help tell the stories of the airfield, the development of radar and the 2,000 people that worked there.

Restoration of the building has only been made possible thanks to a "very generous" donation towards the £100,000 project and it is hoped that this building will be open to the public later this year.

For more details visit nationaltrust.org.uk/croome