In message , Tom
Anderson writes

And am i right in think that's the skeleton of a dead wartime airfield
just to the east of Stansted:

Yep - Great Dunmow, in use from 1943 to 1946:

http://www.abct.org.uk/page_1592.html

And what are these mysterious road loops:

The remains of the USAF base at Little Walden (really only used for the
D-day landings and the period after).
--
Paul Terry