Royal Air Force Bishops Court or more simply RAF Bishops Court is a former Royal Air Force airfield, radar control and reporting station located on the south east coast of Northern Ireland, approximately from Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland and from Belfast, Northern Ireland. A Marconi AMES Type 84 radar was located on the airfield and an AMES Type 80 radar was located at Killard Point, Ballyhornan (remote from the station itself). An AMES Type 93 mobile radar was also located on the airfield from 1989 until the station closed.
History
Airfield
The Class A bomber airfield opened in April 1943 with a main runway of and two subsidiaries of .
Dwight D. Eisenhower landed at Bishops Court in May 1944 while inspecting airfields.
- No. 7 Air Observers School RAF between (17 May 1943 and 15 February 1944
- No. 12 Air Gunners School RAF between 1 August 1943 and 31 May 1945
The responsibilities of the site were assumed by the air traffic control centre at Prestwick, Scotland, in October 1978. The radar equipment was soon removed from the site, however the RAF remained. In the early 1980s new bunkers were constructed and a mobile radar was installed. The decision to close the 577 acre (2.3 km<sup>2</sup>) site was taken in the late 1980s and it was put up for sale in the period 1991–1995.
Alexander Galt, the famous Scottish artist, was stationed here during the war. While there, he painted murals on the wall of the Officers' mess. The paintings are still visible.
Current use
Since the sale, the land surrounding the runway has been used for agriculture, while the land at one end of the site (including some of the airfield runways) has been used for motor sport being called Bishopscourt Racing Circuit.