An amazing labyrinth of rooms buried deep under a hillside in rural Essex.
A muddy track leads to a very ordinary looking bungalow which conceals the entrance to the complex. Pausing only to pick up our audio wands we started down a long corridor designed to protect from blast and also make it easy to defend against civilians i.e. us, if we had tried to gain entrance when the five minute warning sounded.
It was originally built for the RAF
to control our reaction to a nuclear attack but was then converted to act as Regional Government HQ.
to control our reaction to a nuclear attack but was then converted to act as Regional Government HQ.Up to 600 personnel, possibly including the Prime Minister would have been able to live here for up to two weeks, safe from nuclear fallout, organising the survival of anyone on the surface and even broadcasting to them.
It had its own water supply and electricity generators but would have been dreadfully crowded with personnel having to use the beds on a shift basis. Probably rather smelly after two weeks.
The small hospital had body bags and coffins stacked ready for casualties.
Of course if it suffered major damage, they would have been buried alive and as no one on the surface knew about them, there would have been no rescue.
A very interesting visit and a reflection on the insanity of nuclear war.
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