Steve HigginsAs Bob said in a previous comment Burlington is a massive part of British history, unfortunatly it is being sold off to a private investor who will no doubt gut it and destory all of the sites characteristics and history. Discover Burlington Bunker in Corsham, England: Below a historic English market town lies a secret underground city complete with kitchens, laundries, storerooms, and an underground lake. It is a wonderful artifact of some very dangerous and difficult times. This article recalls the past for me too. The site is massive, and covers an area from Corsham to almost Batheaston, and then north to Colerne and possibly as far as Marshfield. By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider lee harris near wolveseven tho this was built before pre 40s possibley middle of ww2 when construction was started this complex has been all most stiped of most things aka iner walls and showing bear rock this site shouldnt be turned into a mussium the site is run down in certen aka old bakery aka rust that when you get by stripping the inner walls out i think that this site could last anouther 20 years without any body been in there but it would be to far gone to bring back serten areas to the oringinal standerds but the gverment need shelters and the new ones will be bigger but probley lasting more than 50 year time scall dont for get the 80s where it all really hotted up there all so goning to be new bunkers to withstand bunker busters bombs as well and people of the UK we havent seen nuthing yet as we probley still building them some where ???? Formerly a government nuclear bunker, it is now open to the public to enjoy. Many of the staff would have been military and no-one would have had their families with them except perhaps the PM IF he was ever to be based there. A fascinating place. because if we got hit by a nuclear bomb there wouldnt be enough supplies to survive that long underground, just look at the amount supplies this place had, three monthes worth! Mark QuestedMr IHBDTOT010509 - You most likely entered one of the other sites, as all the entrances into the Relocation site are within the boundaries of the military base, Corsham JSU. Believe me, nobody would want to live there! This is worth a full documentary and further information as this is only part of the total underground complex in wiltshire which is an important part of our social history. (Indeed, Burlington was originally abandoned, precisely because it could be targetted by nuclear weapons.). (Indeed, Burlington was originally abandoned, precisely because it could be targetted by nuclear weapons.). What an amazing part of Cold War History. Mark Quested. Yes the government were paid a lot but the bunkers were constructed to allow the country to continue to function and not just to save the rich. Keith Gardnermatty shaw why does a bunker need escapes? paige from corsham this is kwl but i have 1 qwestion how do they get air and i relli wonnna go down there !! If lifts failed we had to use escape exits KSG, Keith GardnerA bit of my past come alive ! Account active One word... PINDAR. I know of a couple of other underground bunker some in london where I grew up under an importance base there and everyone seems to go on about the replacement. A Dundee Cold War bunker carefully restored for more than a decade will be opened to the public for the first time this year. A disused Tube station where Winston Churchill took refuge during the Blitz is among several London Underground sites to be opened to the public. In addition to the entrances shown on the map, there was also another entrance near Box Hill tunnel, where a train from London could enter and offload passengers at an underground railway station. In emergency, the sites had diesel generators and diesel fuel. But this is simply not the case. i.e. There is a lot of asbestos down there. I grew up with this site. Masks or face coverings are mandatory in enclosed public spaces. The site was never operational and after 1980 people did pass from New works into Tunnel quarry, ammuntion was still stored in Tunnel up until 1962 it was finally closed in 1966, Monkton farliegh is used by Wansdyke security, Eastlays is used by Octavian for wine storage. Most would be as unaware of the vastness of the complex as your readers. One last thing, to say that the site almost reach's Colerne, Batheaston and Marshfield is quite preposterous. This is very much like a site that was built in West Virginia in the US for much the same reason - continuation of government operations while under nuclear attack. I think it's a great idea to open Spring quarry as a piece of history but it is an issue of cost. with leader teams please more information when open i can come visit here looking foward love justin from cardiff, Did the bbc make a tv programme on this? Love to see it have public guided tours and a Museum. This Cold War bunker is still undergoing a massive revamp before it can open its doors to the public. They could easily put some skylights in to let daylight in. I did but whether they already knew about it I do not know.My grandmother, Elsie Comley, lived at Travellers Rest. matty shawwhy does a bunker need escapes? A tribute to British Engineering. There are very few left. Of course there is, a nuclear attack is no longer the sole fear. I got stuck in the near by box stone mine system when a friend and i followed a bunch of geology students. Salvatore Albathissa so good. TonyAgree with Jim, what a lost asset should be used as a museum. In addition to the entrances shown on the map, there was also another entrance near Box Hill tunnel, where a train from London could enter and offload passengers at an underground railway station. Like Americans! martin (east anglia)lots has been said about who worked here, but what about the people that built it? Most of the UK bunkers were closed down and sold off by John Major's government in the 1990s. Kids. She dealt with anything from bars of soap, spare masts for sailing ships through to very "hush hush" parts for more modern ships, subs etc.My father, Harold Comley, went from bing a sheeter employed bt the then "Min. Bob McNairI hope it is possible to preserve this place for people to visit. Dear WANT TO VISIT,The Relocation Site (commonly known as Burlington) is within the boundaries of the MOD military base, JSU Corsham. Cold War City, Stockwell, Subterfuge, Turnstile, Site 3, Hawthorn Central Government War Headquarters Telephone switchboard Burlington Bunker. AndyTony Mays, just shows the attitude and aptitude of you, NORAD etc etc ring a bell, now where is that place, oh yes AMERICA. Another great BBC web site. United Kingdom: Burlington Bunker, a.k.a. I think the public should be able to visit it, it would be really interesting for adults and kids in local schools as an education. Close dialog For your protection, your session will end in 15 seconds due to inactivity. Especially in military terms. Stunning! Claude BallsYou can rest assured that it will never be open as any form of museum - just think of the Health & Safety issues alone, what cost public liability insurance! MQ. My friend and i ran back to collect our bikes which were left outside one of the cave entrances and left the caver's, but i think they had some explaining to do as to how they ended up coming out near this site. The site in the US was also top secret, and its existance unknown to the general public until only recently. Thus these mobile Python groups could not be pre-targeted by enemy nuclear missiles. no one importantthis is kind of cool iguess, Mark QuestedRob - Burlington has not been replaced. They were the location of the NATO Civil Agencies protected wartime Headquarters - codename WELLBRIGHT. I hope the bunker will be put to good use and some of it will remain open to the public as a museum to show what efforts were put into the preparations for disasters. Act fast, they won’t last. of Works" to Head of quarry safety over the whole ares shown above and more.Ernest Comley, my beloved grandfather, worked underground there for many years.My father helped to construct the nulclear bunker under there and, when told that he would not be allowed to use it in the event of war, was so annoyed - and he had a hell of a temper - that he told me to tell CND about it.
We got into Box not long ago the quarry was amazing very easy to negotiate once we got the correct info and miles of walking 6/12 hrs underground we experience the amazing cathedral, red brick status, the red sub door and many other things that this place had to offer. The 140 square meter site was completed in 1961, just before the Cuban missile crisis, at the height of the Soviet threat. Jim£5 Million for this space, a bargin. want to visit.....can anyone describe EXACTLY where i can gain access to this site, there are a few posts telling of entrances and i am keen to have a look at it.... Mark QuestedMJ12 - Corsham IS near Bath! Congrats. It'd be really secure also. It was built so that the government could run the country during a nuclear attack. I know where some of the outlets come out but it would be great to see the scale of this above ground. We emerged covered from head to toe in mud and clay. even tho this was built before pre 40s possibley middle of ww2 when construction was started this complex has been all most stiped of most things aka iner walls and showing bear rock this site shouldnt be turned into a mussium the site is run down in certen aka old bakery aka rust that when you get by stripping the inner walls out i think that this site could last anouther 20 years without any body been in there but it would be to far gone to bring back serten areas to the oringinal standerds but the gverment need shelters and the new ones will be bigger but probley lasting more than 50 year time scall dont for get the 80s where it all really hotted up there all so goning to be new bunkers to withstand bunker busters bombs as well and people of the UK we havent seen nuthing yet as we probley still building them some where ???? Another great BBC web site. Burlington Public Library has reopened to the public as of Friday, November 6. Set within a 240-acre abandoned quarry, it was a sprawling underground city, a 35-acre network of hidden entrances, streets, canteens, and purpose-built rooms designed to house Prime Minister Harold Macmillan along with the entire British government — even, it seems, the Royal Family — in the event of nuclear attack. They are called HEPA filters. Ray BrittonThere is already another bunker open to the public, and unsurprisingly is called "the secret bunker", I think its in the north or Scotland. johntwine ex cpl raf policeI was stationed at raf box as a dog handler in 1953/4our guardroom was at the top of the lift shafts 2 lifts, every one who worked below had a Token which they had to ask for before we let them down.whilst on leave my dog escaped and was found in Corsham that ended my leave. why not go and invade IRAN ohh hold on, no oil. angela wade i worked there in the 60s it is vast,but i found it quite depressing, in the winter we used to go down in the morning while it was still dark and come up to the dark so never saw much daylight i worked in the stores and later in an office i left when i married. Thank God this never had to be used for real! Charles - PINDAR (i.e. If you showed an overview map of 'top-side' locations, that would help.Some of the pictures on the various web sites look familiar, but such a long time ago.Another thing, people must recognise is that most servicemen/women did not get to venture into the greater complex (tunnels) at all during up to three year postings in some cases.They just had access to their own areas that came with its own access/entrances 'top-side'. It would be a great shame if this facility could not be opened up as a tourist attraction. Was this a money saving exercise or was this just overlooked in the building plans. There are a few inaccuracies in Peter Hennessey's book. Gary K. Rogers, PE, PhDA similar bunker existed at the Greenbrier Hotel,White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, USA. It was a great adventure to explore the seeming endless tunnels, one of which links to a loading platform next to the Bath-Chippenham main line. The City of Burlington continues to take appropriate action to prioritize the health and well-being of our community and staff. A well-preserved World War 2 bunker in Guernsey will open to the public in the spring. i know of a enterance that is still completly unblocked ! A CurrahVery interesting....but hardly anything that explains what it all means! Tunnel Quarry along with the other sub-depots in Monkton Farleigh, Gastard and Neston haven't been used since the war ended. It had everything that 4,000 government staff — though not their families — would need to survive for 90 days in conditions of thermonuclear war, or a major conflict with the Soviet Union: 100ft-deep reinforced concrete walls, bedrooms and offices, wired telephones, a bakery, a hospital — even a BBC broadcasting studio to communicate with survivors. Nck Westawayi got lossed looking around here on a school trip with the corsham school its amazing and always gets a mention now and again the tv and also its code name was turnstile, Osama Bin LadenGrreat cave, I have been here now for three years now. Remember, we worked down there, but lived 'top-side'. Burlington DaiWales did have s similar sort of site - see Trecwn in Pembrokeshire, gary millerdo these caves link up with the eastlays caves i use to work in these caves and wondered if they where once linked. There is a full timeline of the history of burlington on my website... http://www.chocolatechipdesign.co.uk/nettleden/burlington/timeline.shtml (if the BBC will allow me to post the link). Jamie, Spring Quarry is a dark, dank old underground quarry, full of asbestos, with danger of rock falls, wet and damp, 100 underground, stuffy air supply, no natural light, and the lights have to stay on otherwise one would be plunged in darkness, etc. These sites have been neglected for years, they cost many millions of pounds just to heat and light. Swindon MarkSurley there has to be some national heritage to protect this place, considering the importance of it during the cold war, its an outstanding peice of modern history. Two of the German government's top-secret Cold War bunkers have recently been opened to the public. trying to find the field my unit had to guard on Globel earth (help) post code will dojohn@johntwine.plus.com will find me, I was in the WRAF in 1951 and worked at RAF Hawthorne as a teleprinter operator in the underground "city". any millioners in here lol. Though the site has been declassified since 2004, much of what is known about it has been in the public domain since 1982, when journalist Duncan Campbell reported its existence. MeganWonderful.This should be heritage listed. no we didnt disturb damage or break anything we just enjoyed exploring the place and i feel others should be able to view it. It was a great adventure to explore the seeming endless tunnels, one of which links to a loading platform next to the Bath-Chippenham main line. MQ. Why do most of the "roads" have AMERICAN names?e.g.EAST 1st AVE.etc.or was this secret place built to protect U.S.topbrass over here? I love looking back at our past and things like this just amaze me. They are called HEPA filters. Steve MatthewsThere will be a segment on Blue peter this month or next about the burlington underground city! rootThe general population have no idea how much of this stuff is around them and how much money has been spent. Most would be as unaware of the vastness of the complex as your readers. It is currently on a list of historic buildings deemed "at risk" from neglect due to problems with damp. The ROTOR radar system cost millions in the late 40s/early 50s but was obsoleted by supersonic atom bombers and then ICBMs by 1958. Dear WANT TO VISIT,The Relocation Site (commonly known as Burlington) is within the boundaries of the MOD military base, JSU Corsham. KaiTruly disgusting to see how much better protected rich people were during the war but hey nothing changes, if you aint got lots of money you're considered worthless and you fight for your queen and country like sheep. £5 Million for this space, a bargin. please contact on this site. TrishI remember the locality when as a small child I lived with my parents, on the RAF Hawthorn base - my father being employed underground at Rudlow Manor. Everything is rusting and rotting away. If Burlington opens in the future I'll be one of the first in the queue! with leader teams please more information when open i can come visit here looking foward love justin from cardiff, Mel - CorshamDid the bbc make a tv programme on this? There’s nothing quite like it. Speculation about the royal connection is unlikely to be confirmed because sensitive references to royals in government documents — even declassified ones — are typically redacted. Area 10-13 never had any NATO civil agencies installed there, it might have been proposed but no staff were ever located at Site 3 and the areas never had any office equipment installed. So much public money was spent on this, it would be nice if we could explore it in person. Tunnel Quarry along with the other sub-depots in Monkton Farleigh, Gastard and Neston haven't been used since the war ended. on the excellent site! If so does anyone know what it was called, matthew (plymouth)i think this is amazing, i would be will to pay admission to see it. Ooh, I sense enormous potential for some kind of computer game: a kind of Splinter Cell crossed with Silent Hill crossed with Lara Croft stylee game! The surviving Python groups would merge to form a national government nucleus. I bought a book (still available from Amazon)called Secret Underground Cities by N J McCamley, which will certainly be of interest to anyone who lives or lived in this great part of the country. we wouldnt even no about them untill they be declasefide in 2060 and even then that will be any bunkers that have been built in the 80s,90s and by the way a bunker should last 100 years beoucse of raidation it last 35 years befor you can even consider going out side :( i carnt spell so sorry, MoleAn authoritative history of this site is to be found on the rather excellent Subbrit site. For heaven's sake keep the developers away! CharlesOne word... PINDAR. As a born and bred local of Neston, rumours of this place abounded, as kids we gained access via an entrance not marked on the maps, were fairly quickly 'caught' and given a right dressing down and escorted out, we managed about 60 yards into the complex, as kids though we weren't sure what it was all about. This is very much like a site that was built in West Virginia in the US for much the same reason - continuation of government operations while under nuclear attack. If you showed an overview map of 'top-side' locations, that would help.Some of the pictures on the various web sites look familiar, but such a long time ago.Another thing, people must recognise is that most servicemen/women did not get to venture into the greater complex (tunnels) at all during up to three year postings in some cases.They just had access to their own areas that came with its own access/entrances 'top-side'. Regional governments have a duty to function also, so I wonder just how many smaller satellite subterranean sites there are around the UK. The agencies concerned were the Nato Oil Executive Board and the Defence Shipping Executive Board. Tony MaysLeave it to those dumb britts to do something so paranoid. However Corsham was more than just an ammo store - it had aircraft and weapons factories as well. The bunker will be open to the public during the weekend of September 29 - 30 as part of Doors Open Day 2018. What energy source is used to power & heat the city? RobTo suggest that there wouldn't be a modern alternative now is ridiculous. There are a few inaccuracies in Peter Hennessey's book. Since the Air Conditioning plant has been shut down it has become very damp in most places, with some areas completely flooded. no gates no locks you can walk strait down there and trust me it is like nothing u have ever seen before i found the entrance completly by accident while riding my motorcross bike around a flat dusty area in the middle of nowhere (wiltshire) then came to this shady tin entrance with steps and at the bottom of these steps were 2 huge iron doors one had fallen of i couldnt see my hand infront of my face at this point so we left and thought we would come explore another day ( today) we picked up a few ridiculasly bright torches n went for a wonder , we didnt have a clue where we were there was some crazy stuff down there as well toilets , HUGE generators . I recon they were named practically. The remarkable bunker was built in … Therefore, it is unlikely that you entered the relocation site. Now we know about nuclear winters that last for years and they were indeed living in fantasy world)Museum sounds good idea,a tribute to a government folly that we paid for so that they would be safe and no one to govern above)Whoops!