please empty your brain below

Looks like I shall be heading to Kelvedon Hatch later this week after reading your blog about the shelter.
Fascinating stuff, I look forward to seeing all that mothballed equipment.
You certainly get around!

I was really surprised to see an Apple drive in a government office setting. :-0

It really is a fascinating place, I visit fairly regularly because I'm involved with the radio room at the end of the tunnel, just before you get to the blast doors.

Yes - I can recommend it if you want a sobering and thoughtful day out. Police had the authority to put people out of their misery, for example.

I was amused by the bog roll which was printed on every sheet "use both sides"! It was not there the last time I visited, though.

Speaking of bunkers, Radio 4's continuity announcers are hiding in one for a few weeks.

I visited this place a number of times in 2001 whilst making a documentary about the Government's post-apocalyptic planning (this was just after 9/11, and such topics were of growing interest). Perhaps the most interesting thing is the owner himself -- despite letting people make their own way about, he has a huge bank of CCTV cameras hooked up, and is quite happy to monitor unsuspecting visitors.

There's another secret bunker at Hack Green in Cheshire, which I was taken round as an older child. I seem remember it also has an endearing amateurishness in the presentation offsetting the deadly serious purpose of the place.

OpenStreetMap is more open with the details of the access road. Perhaps a little late now, but maybe useful for other secret stuff. It also tends to be bang up to date, with new roads or streets showing almost immediately. L.

The whole set up reminds of the small town Social Security office I started work in 1992, the decor is very similar. My manager at the time took part in a civil defence exercise and confidently stated that the whole thing was a giant waste of time, he seems to remember being trapped in a dormitory full of farting TA types. Also in the office safe there used to be a set of emergency instructions in a sealed packet. No one was allowed to open it and it was checked from time to time. Everyone wondered what our emergency instructions were but I seem to recall that most managers said they would say something like "pay everyone". We also had way more first aid stuff than could ever be needed in a office of 50 people and I have always wondered if that could be a secret civil defence edict?

DG

So glad you went in! We went there and were so put off by the amateurish entrance and odd cafe(!)/shop we didn't venture any further. Thankyou!

EP

I've spent more than a few nights there as Mike (the owner and jolly nice chap) would hire it out to a group I was part of.

We, being a group of airsofters, would wander around in camofluage carrying replica guns which would interest some of the visitors (especially their kids).

Good times, but I'm a bit too old for that lark now - for all I know the group still goes there.

(The bunk beds were surprisingly comfy...)


My grandad took my brother and me there when I was 13 and my bro was 10. The three of us were the only people in the building and I was so incredibly unnerved, having never heard that a nuclear attack had been a real possibility. Scary place!

It is now "later in the week" (Thursday)and as I said in earlier I would go there I have now done so.
Got the tube to Epping then the 501 bus.
Went to canteen first and got some soup. No staff serving, self service and honesty box for payment.
The same applied for the tour, no staff just put the money in the box on your way out. No wonder they have so many security cameras. It was well worth the visit and I hope to go again. Pity it all seems rather neglected, I doubt if it is attracting enough visitors. By the was dg the videos that were showing were not running from VHS but from DVD or Hard disk players.











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