RAF Neatishead bunker.
Yes you've seen that right, a report from myself which has posted within a month of visiting instead of the last couple of years! Anyway a nice little group visit with the likes of Norfolkexplorer and co on a wet and windy summer days. I've been waiting patiently to see inside this beauty for ages and finally got the chance to make it and it doesn't disappoint. Top marks to the volunteer/s that open it up and let us have free roam of the place for a few hours.
History.
At the end of World War II in 1945 the world entered seamlessly into a new conflict that was to last 45 years – the Cold War. As the defences for the United Kingdom were reorganised with fewer but more advanced Radar Stations to meet the new threat, RAF Neatishead continued to play an increasingly important role in the Air Defence of Great Britain. The station was established as a Sector Operations Centre (SOC) and continued to be used as such until 2004, by which time the only other SOC was in Buchan, Scotland. In 1954, the main Operations Centre was re-established deep underground in a vast two-storey hardened Bunker designed to withstand attack by Nuclear bombs.
Between them, the Centres were responsible to NATO for the Air Defence of the UK, the Western North Sea (including the vital oil production platforms), and the Eastern North Atlantic well out past Ireland. To provide cover over such a vast area, a number of remote Radar sites were set up to feed information in to the Sector Operations Centres, with Trimingham on the North Norfolk Coast being the Radar site still associated with RAF Neatishead today. By 2004, technology had improved to such an extent that all controlling functions could be undertaken from one Control Centre at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland.
Today, parts of the site are still active, while others are decommissioned and there is also a Radar Museum on site which itself is worth a visit if only to see the recreated control room.
information about the museum can be found here: http://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/
While information about the site and the above history can be found here: http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafneatishead/
1. Lets start of with 'that' picture
2. One of the many blast doors
3. Peely paint and blast doors, a match made in heaven!
4.Inside some of connecting service tunnels.
5. One of the smaller plant areas.
6. The other side of 'that classic' photo.
7. Another lovely blast door, sealing off the more livable areas.
8. Inside the decontamination area.
9. Panel inside one of the control rooms.
10. Messing around in the control rooms. You don't want to see some of the other shots...
11. Entrance to the heat ex-changer/filter room.
12. Inside the above room.
13. Looking down to the water filtration room.
14. Water filtration room.
15. Another from the filtration room.
16. Standard corridor shot...
17. Another plant room.
18. Another corridor shot.
19. Arty farty chair shot!
20. Standard arty farty key shot!
21. Finally arty farty spiral stair case shot!
Thanks for looking
Yes you've seen that right, a report from myself which has posted within a month of visiting instead of the last couple of years! Anyway a nice little group visit with the likes of Norfolkexplorer and co on a wet and windy summer days. I've been waiting patiently to see inside this beauty for ages and finally got the chance to make it and it doesn't disappoint. Top marks to the volunteer/s that open it up and let us have free roam of the place for a few hours.
History.
At the end of World War II in 1945 the world entered seamlessly into a new conflict that was to last 45 years – the Cold War. As the defences for the United Kingdom were reorganised with fewer but more advanced Radar Stations to meet the new threat, RAF Neatishead continued to play an increasingly important role in the Air Defence of Great Britain. The station was established as a Sector Operations Centre (SOC) and continued to be used as such until 2004, by which time the only other SOC was in Buchan, Scotland. In 1954, the main Operations Centre was re-established deep underground in a vast two-storey hardened Bunker designed to withstand attack by Nuclear bombs.
Between them, the Centres were responsible to NATO for the Air Defence of the UK, the Western North Sea (including the vital oil production platforms), and the Eastern North Atlantic well out past Ireland. To provide cover over such a vast area, a number of remote Radar sites were set up to feed information in to the Sector Operations Centres, with Trimingham on the North Norfolk Coast being the Radar site still associated with RAF Neatishead today. By 2004, technology had improved to such an extent that all controlling functions could be undertaken from one Control Centre at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland.
Today, parts of the site are still active, while others are decommissioned and there is also a Radar Museum on site which itself is worth a visit if only to see the recreated control room.
information about the museum can be found here: http://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/
While information about the site and the above history can be found here: http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafneatishead/
1. Lets start of with 'that' picture
2. One of the many blast doors
3. Peely paint and blast doors, a match made in heaven!
4.Inside some of connecting service tunnels.
5. One of the smaller plant areas.
6. The other side of 'that classic' photo.
7. Another lovely blast door, sealing off the more livable areas.
8. Inside the decontamination area.
9. Panel inside one of the control rooms.
10. Messing around in the control rooms. You don't want to see some of the other shots...
11. Entrance to the heat ex-changer/filter room.
12. Inside the above room.
13. Looking down to the water filtration room.
14. Water filtration room.
15. Another from the filtration room.
16. Standard corridor shot...
17. Another plant room.
18. Another corridor shot.
19. Arty farty chair shot!
20. Standard arty farty key shot!
21. Finally arty farty spiral stair case shot!
Thanks for looking
Haha! forgot about 'that one' or should i say 'those ones...' lets save the eye bleach for Page 3 
