Vee goes "Cold War" exploring

[® Andy]

So not widely known, but during the Cold War the government built 1563 small underground bunkers all around the country. These were manned by volunteers from the Royal Observer Corp, whose job was to monitor for nuclear blasts and fall out and report back via telephone line to central ROC HQs, as well as sounding sirens/maroons to warn of impending doom. In the early 90s, with the Cold War deemed mostly over, the ROC was disbanded and the ROC monitoring bunkers (or posts as they're known) were sold or demolished. Some have been reused by telecoms companies, some are owned by individuals and secured, some are accessible if you know where to look.

When I get a chance, and I've nothing bigger to explore, I'll knock another ROC post off the long list.

On the way back from Warwick yesterday I popped by a couple, and the first one made me laugh. Never literally been able to take the Vee up and park outside before .

Full set of pictures on my site ... http://www.veehicular.net/veehicular-Al ... tonStoney/

But ...

I did a second ROC post near Oxford too ... http://www.veehicular.net/veehicular-Al ... BoarsHill/

A couple others, along with an ROC regional HQ, at ue.veehicular.net.

Something rather special about walking into a field somewhere, opening a hatch and disappearing down a long ladder a la Lost .

 

[oatz]

Very very interesting.

When I was younger we used to mess around in an old MOD camp in Greatworth and also at school we had a disused form of bunker which we were banned from but obviously used to sneak in and explore and reading this would explain its purpose/existence.
All of this exploring was great fun and after reading this seems to have regenerated something that still hugely appeals to this very day....have you got any more picts of the actual bunker?

 

[ColinG]

Something rather special about walking into a field somewhere, opening a hatch and disappearing down a long ladder a la Lost .

arrghh....can you imagine the spiders??? [smilie=hide.gif] [smilie=hide.gif]

very interesting though, how on earth did some come to be privately owned?? and for what purpose?

 

[® Andy]

All of this exploring was great fun and after reading this seems to have regenerated something that still hugely appeals to this very day....have you got any more picts of the actual bunker?

If you follow the links to the full sets of pictures above then you can see the insides of the bunkers ... both of yesterday's were dark and damp and pretty bare. The best one I've visited tho' had a lot of stuff still present ... here are the pictures from that one.

ROC posts are quite small with a small toilet room which held a standard chemical toilet, and a main room for the 3 ROC members who manned it. Click here for a nice diagram.

 

[® Andy]

arrghh....can you imagine the spiders??? [smilie=hide.gif] [smilie=hide.gif]

very interesting though, how on earth did some come to be privately owned?? and for what purpose?

Funny you should say that about spiders. Often you'll find none down there, because simply put there's nothing for them to eat. The very first ROC post I ever did hadn't been opened for over a decade and was hidden in a bramble thicket. Apart from being 2 inches deep in water, it was remarkable fresh smelling, and of course there wasn't a creepy crawly in sight since these things were pretty well sealed to withstand fallout.

However, yesterday even tho' I don't mind spiders ... I was slightly put off by this big bastard whose web was across the top of the ladder, where the hatch was partly open due to the padlock hasps being caught. I poked it with a stick .

Regarding ownership ... the ROC posts were actually closed in 2 batches. The first batch was in 1968, and at that time ownership was mostly returned to the land owner from whom the land had originally being commandeered. When the second final batch were closed in 1992, the Government saw the monetary potential of them and so they were put out to public auction. I'm sure that many were just picked up by the existing land owner for small sums since nobody was interested. However, the telecoms companies bought plenty since they provide an ideal secure and normally dry space for switching equipment associated with cellphone masts etc.. A few were bought by enthusiasts and occasionally come up for private sale. Personally I'd have loved to have bought my own small bunker for a couple of grand when they were originally sold .

 

[DennisV6]

Hey andy great pictures, you should of give me a PM im about 15mins down the road from Boarshill. towards the swindon direction.

We could of had a little chat.

 

[Jainy]

Our very own "Urban Explorer" returns....!!! Good pics and write up Andy...!!

There was a local council fight with a local historian society group not so long ago in my home town, as the council wanted to knock down an apparently 'rare' circular concrete bunker erected before the first WW....sad really, as if we carry on demolishing buildings like this, these will just remain 'photographic' evidence to our kids and their kids....they'll never know what it's like to see one in reality... shame really...

Keep on exploring and posting....nice change from Piper X induction kits..!! [smilie=icon_silent.gif] :lol:

Jainy

 

[® Andy]

And here's the video ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZw-dnxgc0