Edzell Woods is a relatively new settlement. It started life as the married quarters for the RAF staff at the adjacent aerodrome. During the Great War there was a smaller aerodrome at the Inch of Arnhall, but in 1939 work began to build Edzell Woods by taking over a number of local farms.

During the 1939-1945 war it was used to service and repair planes. Even these risks were significant for the test pilots, several of whom died carrying out their duties there. Once National Service (conscription) was discontinued there was a period of inactivity at the aerodrome, then the U.S. Navy arrived in 1959 and built an early warning monitoring station at “The Base”.

With the fall of the Iron Curtain and end of the Cold War, and new technology overtaking that used at the base, The U.S. Navy no longer needed the base and it was closed in 1997. The greatly enlarged staff accommodation was sold off, and a new community was born.

The home owners have been obliged to take responsibility for many of the services on the site but this challenge has been accepted, and with its pleasant open design and streets named after American Navy heroes,  Edzell Woods’ residents are taking a pride in its steady development.