The History
Stolen of course from those good guys at subbrit & Wikipedia
Pear Tree House is one of South London’s best-kept secrets, a block of council flats in Lambeth’s enormous Central Hill Estate. It has 8 two-bedroom flats and the former control centre for South East London in the basement. In the early 1960’s the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth was grouped with the neighbouring boroughs of Southwark and Camberwell to make up civil defence region 53a. Negotiations were taking place between them on a site for a control centre for the area and the then Conservative-leaning Lambeth were very keen.
A large area near Crystal Palace was designated for a new housing estate and as it was in the extreme south of the borough and well protected by the local hills a site at the junction of Lunham Road and Hawke Road in SEI9 was chosen. Whilst the two-story bunker was being designed and approved the structures of civil defence and London government were changing. Work on Pear Tree House started in 1963 but it was now merely going to be a borough control centre, the existing borough control in St Matthews Road, Brixton was to become a sub-control. It cost £31,850 of which the Home Office paid 75% (£23,25O)
The 18-room bunker and flats were completed in 1966 and the bunker went into care and maintenance when civil defence was stood down two years later. In 1971 London was designated a civil defence region again and in 1973 the Greater London Council set up emergency planning teams looking at the future structures of civil defence in the capital. It was decided that London would be split into 5 groups of boroughs each having its own control centre. The GLC selected the Pear Tree House bunker as the South East group war HQ and although not ideal it was converted in 1979.
Because of its location Pear Tree House received a lot of attention in the 1980s. It was a focus of local CND marches, it’s blast doors were fly posted and it was open to the public for a week in 1982 for CND’s ‘Hard Luck’ campaign which coincided with the dates of the cancelled’ Hard Rock’ exercise. Speakers during that week included Duncan Campbell and Bruce Kent. In the late 1980s the arrangement to rent the bunker from Lambeth expired and nuclear-free Lambeth threatened the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority with eviction. Another site was looked for but an agreement was made and it remained the SE group emergency centre until 1993. It was later used as a social services store and is now empty.
The Explore
Having had my eye on this one for a while, a chance finding of some old pictures online gave away what could be a potential entrance and a way in for some shenanigans.
I sounded it out with a few mates and eventually dragged @clebby and @Seffy along to see if my hair brained plan would work.
Mockney time appeared to be broken on this occasion and I actually arrived first rather than my usual hour late, new leaf n all that.
Entrance wasn’t by far the worst we have ever encountered and soon we were rummaging around the rooms and having a much needed explore.
The outside of Pear Tree House doesn’t really give much away, it fits in with its shitty surroundings and unless you know what’s hidden underneath you would have no idea what’s there.
The bunkers communications masts are still up on the roof of the flats above but these days are unused.
[
The main room looked as though it had been used as meeting room and signs on the wall hinted at it being used around 2001. The tables and chairs were also much later than what the bunker would have had originally. Although the map on the wall appeared to be one of the original 60’s maps.
The lower floor had a few interesting rooms, a small plant room, post office equipment room, a radio room and a comms room.
One of the more interesting lower floor rooms was the “scientific advisor” room, not sure what the purpose of this room would have been but the large map was petty detailed and pretty special.
The other special room on the lower floor was the “Bomb blast room” It appeared that this room would have been where the magic happened in the event of a nuclear attack. It had the largest and most detailed map of the lot along with a switch system that operated warning lights and a warning buzzer in other parts of the bunker.
The upper floor was equally as decent.
The kitchen, canteen and toilets were located here alongside another small plantroom.
A nice sign laden corridor linked these rooms with an emergency exit at one end.
The Works Group room was found here too, this had yet another large map in it but not as detailed as the others
Although not the most complete bunker ever found Pear Tree House was pretty decent and a good way to spend a few hours
7/10 on post Covid trip advisor for this one
Stolen of course from those good guys at subbrit & Wikipedia
Pear Tree House is one of South London’s best-kept secrets, a block of council flats in Lambeth’s enormous Central Hill Estate. It has 8 two-bedroom flats and the former control centre for South East London in the basement. In the early 1960’s the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth was grouped with the neighbouring boroughs of Southwark and Camberwell to make up civil defence region 53a. Negotiations were taking place between them on a site for a control centre for the area and the then Conservative-leaning Lambeth were very keen.
A large area near Crystal Palace was designated for a new housing estate and as it was in the extreme south of the borough and well protected by the local hills a site at the junction of Lunham Road and Hawke Road in SEI9 was chosen. Whilst the two-story bunker was being designed and approved the structures of civil defence and London government were changing. Work on Pear Tree House started in 1963 but it was now merely going to be a borough control centre, the existing borough control in St Matthews Road, Brixton was to become a sub-control. It cost £31,850 of which the Home Office paid 75% (£23,25O)
The 18-room bunker and flats were completed in 1966 and the bunker went into care and maintenance when civil defence was stood down two years later. In 1971 London was designated a civil defence region again and in 1973 the Greater London Council set up emergency planning teams looking at the future structures of civil defence in the capital. It was decided that London would be split into 5 groups of boroughs each having its own control centre. The GLC selected the Pear Tree House bunker as the South East group war HQ and although not ideal it was converted in 1979.
Because of its location Pear Tree House received a lot of attention in the 1980s. It was a focus of local CND marches, it’s blast doors were fly posted and it was open to the public for a week in 1982 for CND’s ‘Hard Luck’ campaign which coincided with the dates of the cancelled’ Hard Rock’ exercise. Speakers during that week included Duncan Campbell and Bruce Kent. In the late 1980s the arrangement to rent the bunker from Lambeth expired and nuclear-free Lambeth threatened the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority with eviction. Another site was looked for but an agreement was made and it remained the SE group emergency centre until 1993. It was later used as a social services store and is now empty.
The Explore
Having had my eye on this one for a while, a chance finding of some old pictures online gave away what could be a potential entrance and a way in for some shenanigans.
I sounded it out with a few mates and eventually dragged @clebby and @Seffy along to see if my hair brained plan would work.
Mockney time appeared to be broken on this occasion and I actually arrived first rather than my usual hour late, new leaf n all that.
Entrance wasn’t by far the worst we have ever encountered and soon we were rummaging around the rooms and having a much needed explore.
The outside of Pear Tree House doesn’t really give much away, it fits in with its shitty surroundings and unless you know what’s hidden underneath you would have no idea what’s there.
The bunkers communications masts are still up on the roof of the flats above but these days are unused.
[
The main room looked as though it had been used as meeting room and signs on the wall hinted at it being used around 2001. The tables and chairs were also much later than what the bunker would have had originally. Although the map on the wall appeared to be one of the original 60’s maps.
The lower floor had a few interesting rooms, a small plant room, post office equipment room, a radio room and a comms room.
One of the more interesting lower floor rooms was the “scientific advisor” room, not sure what the purpose of this room would have been but the large map was petty detailed and pretty special.
The other special room on the lower floor was the “Bomb blast room” It appeared that this room would have been where the magic happened in the event of a nuclear attack. It had the largest and most detailed map of the lot along with a switch system that operated warning lights and a warning buzzer in other parts of the bunker.
The upper floor was equally as decent.
The kitchen, canteen and toilets were located here alongside another small plantroom.
A nice sign laden corridor linked these rooms with an emergency exit at one end.
The Works Group room was found here too, this had yet another large map in it but not as detailed as the others
Although not the most complete bunker ever found Pear Tree House was pretty decent and a good way to spend a few hours
7/10 on post Covid trip advisor for this one
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