Who owns burlington bunker

Nick Croxson from Historic England said: "Because it's underground there are problems with damp. Mr Croxson said a partnership agreement between Historic England and the MoD was being set up to set out a framework of how to manage the site in future.

The rooms, which are part of the Corsham Tunnels, are ft 30m underground and were adapted to a government facility in the s. The massive complex was designed to safely house up to 4, central government personnel in the event of a nuclear strike. In a former stone quarry and codenamed Burlington, it was to be the site of the main Emergency Government War Headquarters - the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London.

Historic England's register provides an annual snapshot of historic sites known to be at risk from neglect, decay or inappropriate development. It has houses built over the area. I do not know what has happened to the ventilation and lift shafts.

Some house owners may have a surprise in store in a few years time! This is really cool! I live literally right on top of Burlington. Great photos by the way. Thanks for sharing this.

I was thinking about seeing if I could go down with a couple of friends sometime. I imagine that many people have asked this, but do you know any entrances that I could use? You can email me here: tr. Yes, the famous red door is alarmed and luckily enough not discovered coming out we will return and do it all again. Would be amazing if you could email me the location of the entrance you found. Email: hoodj gmail. Hi would love some information on the most recent access please email at harryjwest28 gmail.

Be careful mate, one of my mates went in there last week the alarm is turn off by the red and the other red door, when he got out police were waiting be careful. Hi could you email a description of how to get in would be greatly appreciated harryjwest28 gmail. R, afternoon. Any details for access would be grately appreciated, not on the website, direct email is daniel. Hey Hellen was towards the opposite side of the mines to the red door I believe over by the quarrymans pub.

Found an entrance to the Box mines a few weeks back and had a look around today after being lost in there for a good few hours! I was in the last of the National Service Army in , and as part of the civil support force of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was posted to the British Southern Cameroons, West Africa, in on the troop ship Devonshire. On our return the same year, shortly after the Berlin Wall had been constructed, a small detachment of us were posted to RAF Corsham, for a few months, and to be honest we had no real idea what the place was meant for!

I have been to the Red Door a couple of times with the help of someone very familiar to the quarry. If you are keen to get a good tour of Box I would recommend contacting one of the local mining clubs down there. Just wanted to say it was interesting reading through your posts.

Photos are amazing too and brought back memories. Having to read though a security statement, sign your name and then told to wear a pass and not take it off was really exciting. Also when there was a security incident the pill boxes would be manned with armed guards which for a kid was amazing. There would be carts driving around, people going back and forth, I can remember a rescue team practising a rescue operation with a dummy.

In one of the bunkers I remember a railway track which I presume came from the branch just by the Box tunnel, but just carried on in to the darkness. There were lots of offices and carpeted areas that looked modern, but also as we went further there were older looking things. On one occasion I helped my Dads team remove an old generator. I noticed Royal Arthur has been turned in to houses.

There used to be an old helicopter there that the soldiers would pull around. We were allowed to play on it a couple of times.

I too had to sign official secrets act documents when going to work with my Dad at the former HMS Osprey site in Dorset. The railway sidings would have indeed been from the Box tunnel branch, in a section of Tunnel Quarry. There is definitely a rail link straight to the bunker which does come from the Box tunnel and was supposed to be for the Queen primarily.

There is also a closed off shaft from Thingley rail junction where nuclear missiles were off-loaded into the rail tunnel. If anyone can please help me I used to have an entry point but has been sealed very tight with brickwork and bars.

If anyone could please send me either a picture and rough location or even a screen shot on Google Maps I would be immensely grateful. Does anyone have any information regarding; possible entry points, security, safety etc. At Fylingdales there was still is an RAF radar monitoring station and every sensor looked east. In we came right to the brink during the Cuban missile crisis. Having been caught with their trousers down in , the Government really believed it could happen, indeed, it might well happen.

In the Soviets rolled their tanks into Czeckoslovakia as it then was and brutally suppressed a democratic rising. A system was devised to preserve the Country, the civil power, the means of retaliation and what of the civil population could be saved, exercises were carried out, planning was done so that we would be ready if the Soviets really did press the button.

We knew they could, we believed that given the chance of getting away with it, they would and that the UK was the prime target in Europe. Perhaps it also warned the Soviets that we had prepared, we might not be annihilated in the first strike, that we might mete out retaliation and destroy an equal number of their cities before the UK was fried from end to end which might just not make the game worth the candle.

The Rotors are now well known though they were still secret when Duncan Campbell wrote the book. One was recently busted because it was being used as a cannabis growing factory! Do you still fancy doing a YouTube video would be good to get people involved to have a look and explore. Was this complex used in WW2? Back in the early 70s my Grandfather drove me around the secure site above this place. I think it was called HMS Arthur with lots of individual huts and all looked very well kept.

He used to work underground there as a carpenter for many years most probably helping to develop the bunker in Burlington. My Mother was a stage dancer back in the 40s before she married and once her group performed down there. They were blindfolded and escorted down in a lift. She says it was all military personnel and they had a proper stage arena to entertain! He did bring home some nails and screws in tobacco tins which I still have a couple of!

Unfortunately he died in his early 60s from cancer and apparently many of his fellow work mates suffered the same fate. He also took me to the entrance to Box Tunnel Corsham side and I could see the light at the other end which was most rare.

Vaguely remember the side rail entrance into Spring. I spoke with my mother about this recently and I have some other stories… which compelled me to write you a few lines. Would love to visit! Hi Colin Just read your reply sorry for delay. My grandfather was called Percy Lodge and my uncle also worked there as a painter decorater…he was called David Lodge.

Hello Kevin. Hello Colin. Thanks for your reply. My dear Uncle David unfortunately passed away at quite a young age. He left the job he was doing at Royal Arthur and started his own business doing decorating. He lived in Box at that time and was a frequent visitor to the local pub and a member of their darts team if I remember? Do you live in Corsham? Sorry to here about Dave. There are loads of private keep out signs and deep water signs.

The entrance seems to be under a bridge at the entrance to Haysoms Drive. There are houses built on top too with new looking ventilation pipes sticking out of the ground.

Would love to know what it is and if it is still in use! Also why it was left off the map. You used to be able to see the entrance better but fully grown trees seem to have been planted there since. It looked like a rather large bunker entrance door. What intrigues me is the new looking ventilation pipes on the surface, surely the biggest giveaway to any bunker. I suspect the door under the bridge is a service room. Hi Urban, When I was a kid 13 I lived above this complex. We lived 5 minutes from the old iron back door on the A4 and spent every weekend in the mines.

We knew every rock, turning, crane, junction, camera ladder, cistern, etc etc from Box to Corsham all underground we even found a huge horse shoe bat colony that no one knew existed :- We got chased out of the MOD sections now and again but just treated it as a bit of harmless fun We saw a lot of very sensitive stuff including — computers the size of houses!

And a large map on the wall showing the Queens bunker and a lake! Everyone living in the area knew it! We were both chatting and laughing after that, but he told me that in all of the mines history, me and my mate were the only 2 to get in and out without being caught a feat even the SAS never achieved lol. What a brilliant story! From an era when kids knew how to have fun, get out the house and explore! You gotta be good on your feet though, Spring Quarry back door entrance, got escorted out of there for trespassing last night by MOD police, the bloke was pretty sound to be fair but boy did that shit us up when they came, he was stern but fair had a dog as well, think we just got a caution but not sure.

Daniel Marshman. Sounds like you had a good day out! Spring is partially used for underground data storage now so will be monitored even heavier than before. Do you know if it was just bad luck that you were caught or was it a sensor that alerted the MOD Police? Hi Mr. I have explored the Box mines side many times and have seen some great and some very weird things but have never made it through the large red door that connects the 2.

Have you explored Box much and seen all the strange red brick sculptures and the area known as the cathedral? Is this a good place for a teen to go explore with his dad? If so please write back. If it is not please tell me where there is a better place to go exploring thanks.

Hi there love this site a few months back I went down Box with a few friends but we would all love to visit Burlington is there any information on entrances into the complex? Or Monkton Farleigh? Hello, does anyone know of my good places to explore around Swindon and surrounding areas Please email me on s. Plus is it easier getting there from back door or jacks?

We went again last night we have been struggling to find the red door we have seen the crane though. Can you take me to this, I document and have a film crew. I urban explore and have a website facebook me search Lola Cavey. Anyone help? Hi, came across this place on sunday….

I am amazed, what a place. I so want find information about the site. Happy researching! Hi these are amazing. Thanks for sharing them. Did you get any of the murals that are in the book? Thanks Beth, the murals are part of Spring Quarry — not visited on this occasion. Thanks Luke, the truth is, this is only half of it!! As for your South Coast trip. Where exactly? Exploring definitely gets easier the more rural you are, less eyes on you than in London and suburban areas.

Well, most of the South Coast reports on here are pretty simple to explore give or take a couple. Even more so when our house is pretty much over it! Great site! Great reads. Yep — the West Country is a pretty strange place and so much to explore. Absolutely fascinating read Adam! Burlington blows both out of the water though, the extent of this place is incredible.

All three are places I hope to explore one day. I understand safety is paramount when approaching these kind of explorations and would be greatful if you could give a rookie any tips on how to approach these tasks, general research, rules etc.

Hope to see more from you, thanks again for the read! Fantastic photos Adam, thanks for posting them. I heard part of this was given listed status by English Heritage? Does that mean it will be open to the public at any point? Or is it already accessible? Having been to Chernobyl yes really this kind of cold war stuff really interests me… Any tips on how to get in there? Sorry mate but you wont get anywhere near it now.

Or maybe you will, all I can say is keep doing your research and you might get lucky one day! Go to Corsham and make friends with the big cheeses of the MOD there?????? I live in rudloe which is where the MOD is based. Your site makes some fantastic viewing.

I am very envious of your access to Burlington having seen the clips of what lies within — what an incredibly spooky place it must be!

I live in Wareham, close to Holton Heath and my son and I have been fascinated by the old RN cordite factory since we moved here, but have only seen the various mounds through the trees and the perimeter fence from the Sandford Rd. Was it fairly easy to get into and do you think if anyone caught us in there would be much fuss?

I live in Poole too an have explored the Holten Heath site and Burlington. There are a few interesting bits in Holten Heath and i found it fairly easy to access but recently they have improved the perimeter fence probably due to bunker explorers like myself we went through and underground bit and even climbed a ladder to a kind of pill box at the top.

As for Burlington I did alot of research before staying there for 3 days. I used maps and google with a bit of photoshop and overlayed them. I used the idea of the ventilation system which has inlets scattered around the whole area. I found my way in a group of random trees which had steps to an iron gate which already someone had cut. Anyway would like to hook up as you sound like me and are local.

Plus in Sopley area is another bunker which i found and visted but cant get anywhere near and its well hidden by just a random bungalow on top. It use to be a command post for RAF Sopley which funny enough had a barracks near by which is derelict today. Would love to share info and if any one knows anymore bunkers in the Dorset area to contact me. I have also visted the smaller roc bunkers that are all over Dorset one good one is in six penney handley still accessable but empty in a camping site.

Anyway if anyone knows more or would like to contact please email me. Hi, my names Toby, I live just outside Salisbury and have done a fair bit of exploring including a few places not mentioned on here.

I would love to share my stories and also find out more info on a few places around the Salisbury area. Hi, I saw your comment on The Urban Explorer, I know of a few places in Wiltshire and I was wondering if you would like to share experiences and maybe a bit of exploring too? Thanks again,David. Thanks for the comments David. All publicly accessible and above board too. Fire me an e-mail :.

Hello, I like your story of burlington, me and a few friends have been trying to find a way in for a few years now, we have come across a couple of doors like this one but cant get through them, is that the only way in?

Couldd you email me explaining where it is? I would be very grateful if you could. Sorry for the delay. Hi, interesting to read your story and look at your photographs. Nothing was ever made public of course. Now we know that the rumours were in fact based on truth. Another rumour of the time was that of the local university being a target for an enemy attack a nuclear target and the reason being was that it was some how involved in an experiment that was related to the defence of the country.

It would appear that the truth was in fact to do with the computer and computing development that was going on at the university which was connected to the early development of the internet. The other rumour that was prolific at this time was that Phillips had developed an electric light that would burn forever.

What intrigues me now of course is that although these ideas were just rumours when I first heard about them with the fullness of time they have become established as having a lot of truth to them. Whilst it is difficult to proove any of this as a I did not keep records and b there was never any written evidence it does seem to me to be more of a coincidence that with time these things have developed as they have.

What intrigues me now is what rumours about today will become far more than just rumours in years to come. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. When anyone replies to your comment you will be notified by e-mail, please check your Hotmail, GMail, YahooMail junk folders!

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Jun 2, at Reply to Martyn young. Dawid says:. Business Insider obtained the following photos from the Ministry of Defence.

They were taken in Though the site has been declassified since , much of what is known about it has been in the public domain since , when journalist Duncan Campbell reported its existence. Mining had taken place since Roman times, but the period from to around became a 'golden age' of quarrying after Isambard Kingdom Brunel oversaw the construction of the nearby Box Tunnel, a huge engineering project which created an underground stretch of railway from London to Bristol.

Lehmann's Corsham project took eight months to complete and involved painting murals of six canteens. The oil paint used was supplied by the factory, and also used in the production of wartime aircraft. As reported in historian Nick Catford's exhaustive account of the Burlington Bunker , contingency plans from assumed that the UK would be hit by atomic bombs in the event of war, with 35 targeting London.

Planners predicted that those bombs would kill around 1. The secret project would be referred to by the codename "Subterfuge" later codenames included Stockwell, Burlington, Turnstile, and Eyeglass. It is currently on a list of historic buildings deemed "at risk" from neglect due to problems with damp.

As reported by Catford, the list of materials stored on the site by gives some indication as to its sheer scale. Kitchen and dining equipment included: canteen tables, 2, dinner plates, 2, tea cups, 1, tumblers, and 11 tea trolleys. This bathroom is part of an odd suite of rooms which many believe were built to accommodate the Royal Family. The area has only one point of access, and has high-ceilings and is painted, unlike most of the complex.

Speculation about the royal connection is unlikely to be confirmed because sensitive references to royals in government documents — even declassified ones — are typically redacted. The government is still trying to sell the tunnels and ground above to a private investor. Proposed uses include an enormous wine cellar or a data storage centre like the one pictured.

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