Hit up, or more like down on our way north to steamy paper things with Sir Speed of Suffolk.
Parking up in a blatent dog walkers spot we went for a stroll in the park, the sun was going down, golden light, blue skies and a quarry surrounded by a bleak looking fence. Must be in there then.
Upon approach what lay before us was a vast concrete slab, coated in poor quality graff and enfenced with glass, litter and probably used sharps.
Sparkling like an orange person class Balaeric Island '4* hotel'
After an embarressing number of minutes probing every corner of the bunker searching for the accesses, a phone call to Lucy1 led us back where we had already been. A classic 'how did we miss that gaping hole' type route led us inside to the upper level bunker (Operations Rooms for local RAF figher command). A stripped out horrifically smoke damaged mismash of corridoors, machine rooms, tiny office rooms, more toilets than you'd have though nessacery and this multi level operations room. The lower level (of the upper bunker) was flooded with nasty black & oily gunk to knee level. Some Rooms in this upper level looked like they held some promise, but the rotton, smoke & time damaged floor wasn't having any of it.
Unlike some others, we actually found the lower level bunker, an R4 ROTOR bunker (1952>) first, only on the way out did we discover the upper level operations centre was more than just a bunch of machine rooms. This fair sized tube section was maybe 70m long from top double double doors (beautifully welded shut
) to base where it turned right around a bluff into the R4 complex. Dumpedi n the bottom was a van of some kind, possibly something french judging by the crappy construction.
Straight away your faced with this horrifically burn't out wreck of a bunker. I would have never thought it possible for an underground structure with no air circulation and more than half of its vents crammed with rubble and debiris to be able to support a fire atall. Our collective judgement was it burn't very slowly probably no more than a smoldering line creeping its way around the complex and powered by a bunch of tyres in the lower level of the 2/3 level operations room. We found it easily, but the huge multi level pit of twisted steelwork, rust and asbestos dust hanging in the air within it made photos virtually impossible.
A pair of fair sized blowers for air ventilation. Can't remmeber what level these were on. It was at this point some neds turned up and started trying to kick their way into the bunker from a door not far from here.
NedProoF(TM)
Moving away from the NedDoor back into the lower levels of the ROTOR the only area worth photographing was the plant room, occupying approximately half of the lowest level of the complex the total lack of airflow at this level was most likely its saving grace.
AirRotatARGH
No ORBz but there is ghost!
By now we were both fresh out of 'photo inspiration' and a bit concerned by the amount of time we'd been inhaling suspect dust particles. One more shot then out, back to the surface.
Fuel Oil pipes for one of the gen sets, possibly the only colour to be had in the entire place.
To any future visitors, unless your really really really into your ROTOR's, I wouldn't bother. Posting this report just to save you the effort, my handful of shots show pretty much everything there is to see, and its not a lot.
Back out of the quarry of despair and into the SpeedWagon and northward.
Parking up in a blatent dog walkers spot we went for a stroll in the park, the sun was going down, golden light, blue skies and a quarry surrounded by a bleak looking fence. Must be in there then.
Upon approach what lay before us was a vast concrete slab, coated in poor quality graff and enfenced with glass, litter and probably used sharps.
Sparkling like an orange person class Balaeric Island '4* hotel'
After an embarressing number of minutes probing every corner of the bunker searching for the accesses, a phone call to Lucy1 led us back where we had already been. A classic 'how did we miss that gaping hole' type route led us inside to the upper level bunker (Operations Rooms for local RAF figher command). A stripped out horrifically smoke damaged mismash of corridoors, machine rooms, tiny office rooms, more toilets than you'd have though nessacery and this multi level operations room. The lower level (of the upper bunker) was flooded with nasty black & oily gunk to knee level. Some Rooms in this upper level looked like they held some promise, but the rotton, smoke & time damaged floor wasn't having any of it.
Unlike some others, we actually found the lower level bunker, an R4 ROTOR bunker (1952>) first, only on the way out did we discover the upper level operations centre was more than just a bunch of machine rooms. This fair sized tube section was maybe 70m long from top double double doors (beautifully welded shut
) to base where it turned right around a bluff into the R4 complex. Dumpedi n the bottom was a van of some kind, possibly something french judging by the crappy construction.
Straight away your faced with this horrifically burn't out wreck of a bunker. I would have never thought it possible for an underground structure with no air circulation and more than half of its vents crammed with rubble and debiris to be able to support a fire atall. Our collective judgement was it burn't very slowly probably no more than a smoldering line creeping its way around the complex and powered by a bunch of tyres in the lower level of the 2/3 level operations room. We found it easily, but the huge multi level pit of twisted steelwork, rust and asbestos dust hanging in the air within it made photos virtually impossible.
A pair of fair sized blowers for air ventilation. Can't remmeber what level these were on. It was at this point some neds turned up and started trying to kick their way into the bunker from a door not far from here.
NedProoF(TM)
Moving away from the NedDoor back into the lower levels of the ROTOR the only area worth photographing was the plant room, occupying approximately half of the lowest level of the complex the total lack of airflow at this level was most likely its saving grace.
AirRotatARGH
No ORBz but there is ghost!
By now we were both fresh out of 'photo inspiration' and a bit concerned by the amount of time we'd been inhaling suspect dust particles. One more shot then out, back to the surface.
Fuel Oil pipes for one of the gen sets, possibly the only colour to be had in the entire place.
To any future visitors, unless your really really really into your ROTOR's, I wouldn't bother. Posting this report just to save you the effort, my handful of shots show pretty much everything there is to see, and its not a lot.
Back out of the quarry of despair and into the SpeedWagon and northward.
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