delongid95
February 1st, 2008, 12:15
First off, apologies for the delay in posting this report, I’ve had a couple hectic weeks and exploring has been relegated to a back seat unfortunately. A big thank-you goes to the Flickrites and Comrie Development Trust for allowing access.
Located within the Northern section of Cultybraggan Training Camp, Comrie, Perthshire, this purpose built facility was completed in 1990 to act as a replacement emergency Scottish Government Headquarters, following the closure of the bunker at Anstruther (now Scotland’s Secret Bunker museum). However just after construction, the bunker was made redundant by the end of the Cold War, and was sold onto the Army for use as classrooms for the soldiers training at Cultybraggan camp. Probably costing somewhere in the region of £80 million pounds to construct and equip, this remains as another example of unnecessary expenditure by the British Government.
It was difficult to provide a description of how the bunker would have been laid out during it’s active service, as it is now entirely stripped of most communication equipment and fittings. Two elements which I am able to show you is the extensive heating, ventilation, filtration, water and power supply infrastructure which remains to the eastern side of the bunker; and also the damp, crumbling walls in some parts of the bunker, which brings into question the effectiveness of the bunker had there been a nuclear war, and also how cheaply the bunker was constructed. It is true that the entire heating etc has now been turned off to the bunker to save the Trust money, but you would expect a Government building completed only in 1990 to last a bit longer than this! For those who are interested, this link (http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/cultybraggen.htm) provides a good walk-through of the bunker in 2000. Since then all systems apart from lighting have been turned off, and almost all the equipment has been removed, other than the corroding hot-plate in the kitchen. Access to the BBC studio was not possible during my visit, as there was a problem with the key not agreeing with the lock…
Main Operations Room, plus a few flickrites
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190263.jpg
Same room, circa 1989, in a peeling photograph
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190260.jpg
Discarded toughened server rack, contents emptied
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190261.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190281.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190216.jpg
Fire and Alarm panels in the security room with the bullet proof window
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190266.jpg
Mainly panel keys here, but I still checked through for a Scottish T-Bar key!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190264.jpg
Kitchen- All that remains apart from the kitchen sink
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190268.jpg
I quite liked the tiles in the kitchen and toilets, mirrors were in a bit of a dodgy place though..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190276.jpg
The plant rooms contained enough practically brand new equipment to make anyone that's into this sort of thing require sedation afterwards. Fans, HEPA filters, water pumps, fire pumps, switchgear, exhausts, silencers, mufflers, compressors and Lister diesel generators...to name but a few
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190226.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190232.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190221.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190237.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190238.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190244.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190311.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190327.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190314.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190319.jpg
Tanks were still full..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190323.jpg
..although it smelled like there was a leak somewhere..
BT network gear. The rooms in this area of the bunker were the worst for dampness and damage
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190293.jpg
This entire wall and these cables had something growing on it..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190296.jpg
Probably the worst room within the bunker, the remains of two rabbits were decomposing into the floor here. Not sure how they got in, and if they had tried to escape by burrowing through the wall, but it wasn't nice.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190289.jpg
Mushy floor
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190285.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190287.jpg
Damp walls..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190333.jpg
Outside, communications mast
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190340.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190349.jpg
Goods entrance
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190350.jpg
Thinking that this was for delivering diesel, however that's unconfirmed. Key opened the box which had a large pipe running out from it and down into the bunker
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190351.jpg
Located within the Northern section of Cultybraggan Training Camp, Comrie, Perthshire, this purpose built facility was completed in 1990 to act as a replacement emergency Scottish Government Headquarters, following the closure of the bunker at Anstruther (now Scotland’s Secret Bunker museum). However just after construction, the bunker was made redundant by the end of the Cold War, and was sold onto the Army for use as classrooms for the soldiers training at Cultybraggan camp. Probably costing somewhere in the region of £80 million pounds to construct and equip, this remains as another example of unnecessary expenditure by the British Government.
It was difficult to provide a description of how the bunker would have been laid out during it’s active service, as it is now entirely stripped of most communication equipment and fittings. Two elements which I am able to show you is the extensive heating, ventilation, filtration, water and power supply infrastructure which remains to the eastern side of the bunker; and also the damp, crumbling walls in some parts of the bunker, which brings into question the effectiveness of the bunker had there been a nuclear war, and also how cheaply the bunker was constructed. It is true that the entire heating etc has now been turned off to the bunker to save the Trust money, but you would expect a Government building completed only in 1990 to last a bit longer than this! For those who are interested, this link (http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/cultybraggen.htm) provides a good walk-through of the bunker in 2000. Since then all systems apart from lighting have been turned off, and almost all the equipment has been removed, other than the corroding hot-plate in the kitchen. Access to the BBC studio was not possible during my visit, as there was a problem with the key not agreeing with the lock…
Main Operations Room, plus a few flickrites
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190263.jpg
Same room, circa 1989, in a peeling photograph
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190260.jpg
Discarded toughened server rack, contents emptied
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190261.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190281.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190216.jpg
Fire and Alarm panels in the security room with the bullet proof window
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190266.jpg
Mainly panel keys here, but I still checked through for a Scottish T-Bar key!
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190264.jpg
Kitchen- All that remains apart from the kitchen sink
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190268.jpg
I quite liked the tiles in the kitchen and toilets, mirrors were in a bit of a dodgy place though..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190276.jpg
The plant rooms contained enough practically brand new equipment to make anyone that's into this sort of thing require sedation afterwards. Fans, HEPA filters, water pumps, fire pumps, switchgear, exhausts, silencers, mufflers, compressors and Lister diesel generators...to name but a few
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190226.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190232.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190221.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190237.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190238.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190244.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190311.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190327.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190314.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190319.jpg
Tanks were still full..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190323.jpg
..although it smelled like there was a leak somewhere..
BT network gear. The rooms in this area of the bunker were the worst for dampness and damage
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190293.jpg
This entire wall and these cables had something growing on it..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190296.jpg
Probably the worst room within the bunker, the remains of two rabbits were decomposing into the floor here. Not sure how they got in, and if they had tried to escape by burrowing through the wall, but it wasn't nice.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190289.jpg
Mushy floor
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190285.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190287.jpg
Damp walls..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190333.jpg
Outside, communications mast
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190340.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190349.jpg
Goods entrance
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190350.jpg
Thinking that this was for delivering diesel, however that's unconfirmed. Key opened the box which had a large pipe running out from it and down into the bunker
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/delongid95/Cultybraggan%20RGHQ/2008_01190351.jpg