Aldridge, in a Campervan

In early May I visited Shepshed Royal Observer Corps Nuclear bunker, but forgot to post the pictures. Like many of these hidden bunkers it’s now overgrown, it’s located in bushes on the side of the road. In early May the brambles that grow all round hadn’t sprouted, now it will be unapproachable without a strimmer! 

Surprisingly in good condition outside with good paint I was delighted to find the hatch unlocked, but on opening a smooth layer of concrete was revealed, it’s been plugged. This is common, but I doubt the concrete fills the whole bunker. They possibly made a wooden block then put the concrete in. 

These Nuclear Bunkers were manned by the Royal Observer Corps in the cold war and they were only decommissioned in the early 90’s. I have visited many locally and some further afield, here are some links to the others I have seen.

This one I went to was open - sadly a month later it was blocked up:-

This is the last of the Nuclear Bunkers we visited in Yorkshire, this on is in Keighley . Situated in a field with sheep it’s now got a telecoms substation next to it. The sheep graze all round it and the mound it stands in is prominent with steps leading up to it, where others are level in the ground. The hatch is securley fixed with metal bars and online investigation show this was done by the farmer who was tired of people going down there. 

Visited Coleorton Nuclear Bunker, like many Royal Observer Corps Bunkers this was built at the site of an existing WW2 Anti Aircraft observation post. These posts were called Orlit posts , after a company that prefabricated concrete posts called Orlit. 

Someone has tried to break off the concrete cover , so this farmer has put a concrete manhole cover on top to seal it.

This over grown Nuclear Bunker is at Pattingham near Wolverhampton, unlike Shenstone it’s been left to nature and the vandals. It was also open , the hatches on these are usually locked, welded or like Shenstone concreted shut. 

Now these hatches weren’t airtight , the various vents and pipes were for measuring equipment that was fitted when the posts were in use. Fallout measurement was the main thing , windspeed, air temperature as well. Blast and point of impact were measured from meters fitted to the round pipe that is seen on all these posts, it had a round device on top with holes that recorded the flash of a nuclear bomb. 

The posts ran on batteries and were connected to all the others and HQ by BT lines so they could call in the fall out and point of impact. The Royal Corps of Observers that manned these were all unpaid volunteers and would wear Nuclear/Biological/Chemical warfare suits (NBC) , they had rations and water in there for a few weeks. of course what happened then is anyones guess. 

This one as I said was open so I took my life in my hands and went down and explored …………….