History
Pye Green is shown on the 1956 "Backbone" map as a baseband connection point for telephony and with links (Backbone) to "Shrewsbury" (Albrighton), Sutton Common and "Coalville" (Copt Oak). A fourth link to Birmingham is shown for television - a hint that even in the early plans there was a recognition that common sites could be used for routing different classes of traffic. (At Sutton Common there is similarly a "TV" link to Manchester, with the "Backbone" route avoiding the city.) The plan for Pye Green was unchanged on the 1959 Network Map.
The initial development of Pye Green was the product of three contracts, all placed with GEC in 1961 or 1962: Copt Oak to Hunters Stones, also Copt Oak to Albrighton (both Backbone) and London - Birmingham - Manchester (main television and telephony route). All links were to be on 6 GHz. A contract in December 1964 transferred the Backbone section between Stokenchurch and Sutton Common to 2 GHz and other contracts provided for additional channels between Birmingham and Manchester on 4GHz and 6 GHz bands.
It seems the site was completely new, on land controlled by the Forestry Commission according to a mid-1950s OS map. By 1961 a "Wireless Station" had been established nearby - however this was a separate "Home Office" facility at the edge of Badger's Hills Wood. The "GPO Repeater Station" appears on a 1970 OS plan - BT Archives photos show the station was completed by 1966. At this point there appear to be pairs of horn antennas on three of the routes, with a single "small" horn facing Albrighton. These would be able to operate on 4 GHz and 6 GHz however the shift to 2 GHz for Backbone required dishes to be added.
By 1995 the lower "galleries" had been almost completely filled with large dishes. Later photos show a collection of dishes of various types, with the horns removed. The top of the structure appears to be original with remaining traces of the built-in crane.
The site is used for a local radio transmitter and DAB. Detailed photos from 2011 and earlier can be viewed at the Transmission Gallery: Pye Green (BT)
