Underground
Mines, Tunnels and Bunkers.
Clifton Records Room Bunker – Bristol
June 2020
This fairly undocumented bunker was used to store valuable records and data during the war.
Browns Folly Mine – Wiltshire
June 2020
One of the larger of the stone mines in the Box/Corsham area, Browns Folly is a well preserved and regularly visited example.
Severn Bridge Tunnel – Purton
March 2020
Built by the Severn Bridge Railway Company between 1875-78, this 506-yard tunnel formed part of the western approach route to a mammoth cast iron rail bridge of 4,162 feet which spanned the river, joining the village of Purton on the west bank to Sharpness on the east.
Hougham Battery Dressing Station – Dover
July 2019
Hougham Battery is one of a number of coastal batteries established during WW2 along the Kent Coast.
Llanberis Bomb Store – North Wales
July 2019
A disused quarry converted into a bomb store in 1939.
Emmer Green Chalk Mine – Surrey
March 2019
An arranged trip to see the Chalk mine under Emmer Green. Owned by the local Scouts group.
Ramsgate Tunnels – Kent
January 2019
A large series of tunnels that go under a large area of Ramsgate Town.
Portsdown Fuel Depot – Portsmouth
November 2018
A series of tunnels for storing fuel for the local navy base during the wartime.
Longbridge Shadow Tunnels – Birmingham
October 2018
Hougham Battery is one of a number of coastal batteries established during WW2 along the Kent Coast.
North Clapham deep bunker – London
October 2018
One of 8 deep level shelters built during 1941 – 1942 by the British government during the war. Each shelter could hold up to 8000 people and were split into two floors.
Cardiff Civil Defence Bunker – Cardiff
September 2018
A small brick build bunker obscured by trees and bushes down a quiet residential street.
Thames Water Bunker – Swindon
September 2018
A small nuclear bunker build to help protect the local water supply in case of nuclear war.
Road of Remembrance Bunker – Folkstone
August 2018
An unusual bunker used as a naval relay station, build from a large concrete structure clearly visible from the road.
Winchelsea Caves – Dover
July 2018
An unusual set of tunnels used as public air raid shelters.
St Margaret’s deep shelter (Z Rocket) – Dover
July 2018
One of the first gun batteries in Dover using 5.5″ naval guns.
Dumpy B Communications Bunker – Dover
July 2018
The bunker at Langdon Hole was built in late 1942 as one of the joint operation headquarters at Dover’s two underground wireless outstations. The Dover headquarters was based in the Dumpy level tunnels at Dover Castle, and Langdon Hole was thus often referred to as “Dumpy B” (“Dumpy A” was at Long Hill
Marehill Quarry Sand Mines – West Sussex
April 2018
Marehill Quarry is the derelict site of a sand mining operation from the end of the 19th Century. It’s not very large but has a very interesting form and that is reminiscent of something out of a Star Wars set.
HMS Wildfire – Chatham
April 2018
One of the few military control bases located near key Military sites on the south coast.
Tower Woods Mine – Surrey
April 2018
A small 19th Century stone mine in Surrey.
Merstham AAOR – Surrey
March 2018
AAOR’s or Anti-Aircraft Operations Rooms were used to coordinate early warning radar information by filtering the RAW data from the radar to make the data as useful as possible. This one’s be empty for some years and not in a great state.
Dorking Deepdene Railway Control Centre – Surrey
January 2018
The well known bunker in Dorking was used for a telephone exchange and traffic control. Known for the rusty ‘100 steps’ spiral staircase which is truly terrifying to climb.
London Road Deep Shelter – Portsmouth
January 2018
Hidden under the Cliffs of Portsdown, London Road Deep shelter is a large public shelter. Built as a joint project with the Wymering Deep shelter, only half a mile away, the two shelters were designed to have a capacity for 5100 people between them.
Lywood Tunnel – Sussex
October 2017
The 218-yard Lywood Tunnel was used until it’s closure in 1963. There are future plans open it again for an expansion for the Blue Bell railway.
Ashley Road Shelter – Epsom
September 2017
A large public air raid shelter that was used as an airsoft site for a while before falling into disuse.
Seaford GPO Repeater station – Seaford
September 2017
Also known as the Seaford GPO Repeater station, the bunker was built in 1942 in preparation for the re-establishment of submarine cable links to continental Europe after D-Day.
HMS Forward – South Heighton
September 2017
A piece of British WW2 History hidden under a hillside. HMS Forward, a maritime intelligence centre, was key to monitoring the English channel and and was heavily involved in D-Day. Although it’s fallen into dereliction, attempts to restore and maintain it have been carried out by ‘Friends of HMS Forward’.
Upper Hale Reservoir – Aldershot, Surrey
September 2017
These Reservoirs were used to supply water to the local Caesars Camp military training area
AEI Tunnels – Kent
July 2017
An air raid shelter which later became storage for the W T Henley/AEI cable works that once sat next to it.
Royal Marine’s Deep Refuge – Chatham, Kent
July 2017
Built as part of the now demolished Melville Barracks in Chatham. This deep shelter was a refuge for the marines at the barracks. The history is pretty vague, but I believe the tunnels existed before the start of WW2.
Fairlight ROC – East Sussex
August 2017
One of the many ROC posts spread around the UK. This one is positioned on top of the Fairlight hills near the coastguards houses. This ones in decent condition for an unrestored one.
Tunbridge Wells Battle Headquarters – Kent
May 2017
A set of tunnels built under Hargate Forest in Tunbridge Wells. It’s often flooded although the water level fluctuates.
Ouvrage Latiremont, Maginot line – France
May 2017
One of the large Maginot line bunkers on the French/Luxembourg border. A truly colossal place that you could spend days exploring.
Godstone Main Series Mines – Surrey
April 2017
A permission visit with the local cave club who look after this site. A large set of mines under Godstone with history back to the 17th Century.
Monkton Farleigh Down Tunnel – Wiltshire
April 2017
A 1.25mile long tunnel that runs along the side of a train line. This ammo depot has an uphill gradient that makes getting to the end quite a walk.
Silvermere Bunker – Surrey
March 2017
A small air raid shelter thought to have protected the workers at a WW2 dispersed production site; Foxwarren, for for Vickers-Armstrongs near to Brookland Airfield and Foxwarren Park
BBC Tatsfield, Surrey
February 2017
BBC Tatsfield Monitoring station was used from 1929 to 1974 to monitor the frequency of domestic radio broadcasts to ensure the quality and frequency of the signals.
Staplefield Patrol hideout – West Sussex
September 2016
A tiny little bunker with some incredible history.
Coulsdon Deep Shelter – Coulsdon
Feb 2016
A public air raid shelter that never saw much use till after the war.
Dorking South Street Caves – Surrey
September 2015
This network of man made caves is carved out of the soft sandstone under Dorking.
The exact age of the caves are not know, but the earliest date written into the walls is 1672.