real time web analytics
Report (Permission Visit) - Drakelow Tunnels - Staffordshire - Sept 14 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report (Permission Visit) Drakelow Tunnels - Staffordshire - Sept 14

Hide this ad by donating or subscribing !

Lenston

Bajo Tierra
Regular User
History​

The extensive Drakelow underground complex was originally constructed during world war two as a shadow factory for the Rover car company. Rover were at this time manufacturing engines for the Bristol aircraft Company ).

It was to serve as a feeder plant supplying components to Rover's two main shadow factories at Acocks Green and Solihull, to supply spare parts and also to act as a back-up facility enabling continuity of production if either of the main shadow factories was damaged by enemy action. The tunnels have a total length of 3.5 mi (5.6 km) to 4 mi (6.4 km), covering 250,000 sq ft 200 ft beneath a sandstone ridge in Kingsford Country Park near the village of Kinver, Staffordshire.

During the 1950s and the growing Cold War, the site was initially used by the Ministry of Supply for storage.
Then around 1958 part of the site was developed by the Home Office as a Regional Seat of Government (RSG9). It was publicly exposed in a demonstration held there by the West Midlands Committee of 100 in the summer of 1963. Under later Home Defence schemes the bunker was designated a Sub-Regional Control (SRC), Sub-Regional Headquarters (SRHQ) and finally Regional Government Headquarters (RGHQ).
The site was greatly modernised in the early 1980s, only a small portion of the site was designated for use. New blast doors were fitted in place of the previous wooden factory doors and the interior of the site was refurbished in the areas forward of tunnel 4.

In about 1990 there was a plan to move the RGHQ to a much smaller bunker, formerly used by UKWMO, at Lawford Heath near Rugby. In the end this never happened, and the Drakelow site was decommissioned and sold in around 1993.

The annual open day was worth a wander and i would recommend it if you get a chance​

Pics​

15215556026_20d24258a5_c.jpg


15235476241_6c95eba350_c.jpg


15215546196_2852531e56_c.jpg


15235457181_4b2291bb14_c.jpg


15235453371_dd625e482a_c.jpg


15051852890_0dc096252e_c.jpg


15051984307_7926867979_c.jpg


15238178332_b1a6258b85_c.jpg


15051848870_8855130746_c.jpg


15238145402_2d04a90855_c.jpg


15238138652_32e343d26a_c.jpg


15238144212_b47d84429d_c.jpg


15235447401_9b3e08e043_c.jpg


15234536081_cbd69d6468_c.jpg

Thanks for looking
 
Last edited:

Derelict-UK

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Very good pics considering no tripod!!

Was good having you all down, had a really successful day.
 

lucan

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
i realy enjoyed my visit today with a couple of mates , fair play to the organisers ,
some nice shots you got there , i managed 1 half decent pic the whole visit ,
new camera going on my christmass list (please dont shoot me for mentioning the c word)
 

Lord Oort

Fear is the little death
Regular User
Awesome, me and a few friends so nearly went to this but couldn't get our acts together re time off, so we just wandered around box mine again for 3.5 hours.

Great pics!
 

Lenston

Bajo Tierra
Regular User
Awesome, me and a few friends so nearly went to this but couldn't get our acts together re time off, so we just wandered around box mine again for 3.5 hours.

Great pics!

Cheers, box isnt a bad second option lets be fair :D
 

The_Raw

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Looks stonking down there, some cool bits and pieces left behind and shots came out well mate :thumb
 

mrlee

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
I also went along to this tour, guide was derelict-uk great bloke and very knowledgable what a great place only had my camera phone and new to this do pictures I took aren't great
 
Top