Page 1 of 1

One for Brian

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:02 am
by aimlessrock
saw this and it reminded me of the post about your bunker

Inside Essex's 'secret' nuclear bunker
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-42567088

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:03 am
by steve_k
there's one the same just a mile or so up the road from where my son lives in lincolnshire.

absolutely massive place, i can't remember if it's still being looked after or if they sold it. but (apparently) it is possible to get inside.................
there's quite a few dotted around the country if you know where to look.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:33 am
by Speedtouch
I visited Kelvedon Hatch when I worked over in Essex in the mid 1990s. Interesting place - you have to drive a couple of miles down a narrow country track to get to it, and initially all you see is a radio mast and a ramshackle building above the bunker.

There's a small one near me in East Kent, though I've yet to explore it.

Quite a few more listed here:
https://www.higgypop.com/underground/locations/

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:54 pm
by Brianmoooore
Slight difference in scale to mine!
Speedtouch wrote: Quite a few more listed here:
https://www.higgypop.com/underground/locations/
Mine's identical to the three ROC posts in the list above, though, and absolutely immaculate inside.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:32 am
by Speedtouch
Yep, there's one near me:

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/roc/db/98 ... 26002.html

Not surprising, as they are just about everywhere, according to this map! :mad:

http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/posts-map.html

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:08 pm
by Jesus325iTouring

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:25 pm
by Brianmoooore
Just about everyone should be living within about seven miles of one, IIRC, but a lot have had all the surface fittings removed and the shaft filled, leaving no evidence that they ever existed, and many of the rest have leaked water into them, and are now just underground water tanks.
I've had a couple of weirdos turn up at different times over the last few years, whose main ambition in life seems to be to visit as many of these as they can, and both say that mine is in exceptionally good condition, compared to the others they've been in.
The surface fittings of mine could do with a coat of paint, and the fence is in poor repair, but inside, if the underside of the hatch was wire brushed and painted, it's as good as the day it was commissioned.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:45 pm
by martauto
Lets have a pic or two then Brian please.

Mart.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:16 pm
by Brianmoooore
Pics. are here: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/roc/db/98 ... 44003.html courtesy of one of the weirdos mentioned in my last post.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:34 am
by Speedtouch
Herein lies the problem with ROC bunkers - because their locations are so well documented, in the even of a war breaking out, you'll be indundated with hoardes of such "weirdos" wanting to get in to save their anoraks and stamp collections! :roll:

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 5:31 pm
by martauto
Brianmoooore wrote:Pics. are here: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/roc/db/98 ... 44003.html courtesy of one of the weirdos mentioned in my last post.
Rent it out as a holiday "cottage" Brian !!
Not as daft as it seems mate.

Mart.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:20 pm
by Brianmoooore
martauto wrote:
Rent it out as a holiday "cottage" Brian !!
Not as daft as it seems mate.

Mart.
Been considered, but I've been working almost full time on three others for the last three years to the tune of about £80k on materials and fittings. Still got the garden/surroundings of one to finish and then another (5 bed) one to go, so not exactly looking for work.
The ground drops away quite steeply on one side of mine, and one day I'll take a few measurements to see how far I'd have to go back to get level access into the place. I have access to a 27 tonne digger and a massive dumper truck, so moving a few tonnes of earth isn't a problem.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:55 pm
by Captain_Birdseye
I had no idea they were so ubiquitous. I lived in Corsham growing up and we had the famous network under Rudloe, complete with pub and train system. Was auctioned off iirc. Some of it will still be in use and some abandoned/filled, no doubt.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:02 pm
by Jesus325iTouring
Captain_Birdseye wrote:I had no idea they were so ubiquitous. I lived in Corsham growing up and we had the famous network under Rudloe, complete with pub and train system. Was auctioned off iirc. Some of it will still be in use and some abandoned/filled, no doubt.
My son has been to quite a lot of the underground so he tells us.

Royal Arthur in Rudloe/Corsham has all been sold off now for housing I believe. Went around there about ten years ago proper spooky place!

When did you "grow up" in Corsham?

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:16 pm
by Captain_Birdseye
'85 - 2011

Oh right, yes we used to walk a bit around royal Arthur, they had the remnants of an assault course there I think. I guess it will all have changed after 10 years. It's a long time for me too. I only visit the graveyard and the pub when I go back!

We moved there in 85 when my Dad was posted to Copenacre (Corsham). There used to be 3 Copenacre sites, then that got reduced to one, and now that's gone too, they all went to Abbeywood or were privatised. RAF Rudloe became a purple site (ie joint forces rather than just RAF). I visited there when I worked for the MOD, no idea of it's current status. There is a new site in Rudloe now, think it's just 'MOD Corsham' or what not.

One night I wondered into one of the base entrances in Rudloe, didn't even know it was there, after a night in the Dingo nightclub and was greeted by a guard with a rifle! I meant to cut across the living-quarters to take a short cut home, as I had successfully done other nights but went the wrong way, being worse for ware on the grog, he didn't say anything though.

There's quarries there too and caves, as you probably know. The whole place must be hollow

:D

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:33 pm
by Jesus325iTouring
Made my wife laugh then at the mention of the Dingo!

You are quite correct about it all being hollow, do you recognise these pictures we took a couple of weeks ago.........

Image

Image

Spooky children in the tower.....

Image

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:37 pm
by Captain_Birdseye
Cool, where is that? It doesn't jog any memories. Do you live near by? I just remembered Chris Lilly the rugby player bought the Dingo and it became Lilly's.

Re: One for Brian

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:44 pm
by Jesus325iTouring
Just outside Chippenham. Our older boys now in there 20's went to Corsham School. We lived in Rudloe for two years before we moved to where we are now. Dingos/Lilys has now been flattened for housing. Last time I saw the place there were 2 knackered 450sel Mercs there and rabid looking Alsations on the flat roof on top of the buliding.

The tower is called Brownes Folly give it a google winkeye