I'm afraid this report is more a case of me throwing the towel in than reporting the triumph of finally making it inside the country's most elusive (and as all signs would have it best remaining) disused Rotor bunker. Unfortunately over the last few years i have pretty conclusively covered just about every inch of tunnel and duct around this site but finding a way of getting past its pair of locked and alarmed blast doors without the use of a gas axe has proved elusive.
That said however this place very very much deserves a report! The up and down, high and low adventures ive had here have been some of the best of my exploring career. From a n00b braving the beeping guardhouse in 2007, Its been a roller-coaster experience all the way. Unfortunately like most roller coasters this once appears to have finished up back at ground level but maybe im quitting too soon??
Anyway enough of my rambling. I may not have gained access to the R4 itself but there is much more to Bawburgh than that. In the 80s it was extended to form an RGHQ for the area and that essentially means that a second bunker was built along side the original ROTOR. This bunker is almost on the surface and not blast protected. Not blast protected means no big steel doors keeping me out! The extension only need be described with one word.. MINT id have eaten my dinner of the floors in there. Short of Burlington i have to say its the best preserved cold war bunker ive had the pleasure of setting foot in. It may not consist of much, two dormitories, a canteen and a few plant rooms but by bunker standards there was so many retro items left it didint matter.
The RGHQ extension lead on to the original ROTOR access tunnel. The main blast doors to the bunker are locked and by all signs alarmed too. Indeed the alarm its located at the other end of the tunnel in a pair of stack system computers that look like they should be able to power google for half the UK not just keep an eye on 3 or 4 doors! Still with the 'alarm system enabled' light blinking at us and the some what dick headed owners already having warned us off the place i think its best respect this bit of 80s computing history!
Then to the final area, the most recent part of the story and probably the most gutting part of it all. I could of think of one more way in and i got there and it was locked, simple as. I must admit however with the lights on down there it did seem worth it. This part was the ventilation / pump room and emergency exit shaft. If the inside is anything like this i think i might just wet myself..
So never mind hey? i should be moving away from this neck of the woods before the years out and with that will go my chances of getting into much more of this amazing bunker. Maybe we should just leave it to Catford to sort out!
That said however this place very very much deserves a report! The up and down, high and low adventures ive had here have been some of the best of my exploring career. From a n00b braving the beeping guardhouse in 2007, Its been a roller-coaster experience all the way. Unfortunately like most roller coasters this once appears to have finished up back at ground level but maybe im quitting too soon??
Anyway enough of my rambling. I may not have gained access to the R4 itself but there is much more to Bawburgh than that. In the 80s it was extended to form an RGHQ for the area and that essentially means that a second bunker was built along side the original ROTOR. This bunker is almost on the surface and not blast protected. Not blast protected means no big steel doors keeping me out! The extension only need be described with one word.. MINT id have eaten my dinner of the floors in there. Short of Burlington i have to say its the best preserved cold war bunker ive had the pleasure of setting foot in. It may not consist of much, two dormitories, a canteen and a few plant rooms but by bunker standards there was so many retro items left it didint matter.
The RGHQ extension lead on to the original ROTOR access tunnel. The main blast doors to the bunker are locked and by all signs alarmed too. Indeed the alarm its located at the other end of the tunnel in a pair of stack system computers that look like they should be able to power google for half the UK not just keep an eye on 3 or 4 doors! Still with the 'alarm system enabled' light blinking at us and the some what dick headed owners already having warned us off the place i think its best respect this bit of 80s computing history!
Then to the final area, the most recent part of the story and probably the most gutting part of it all. I could of think of one more way in and i got there and it was locked, simple as. I must admit however with the lights on down there it did seem worth it. This part was the ventilation / pump room and emergency exit shaft. If the inside is anything like this i think i might just wet myself..
So never mind hey? i should be moving away from this neck of the woods before the years out and with that will go my chances of getting into much more of this amazing bunker. Maybe we should just leave it to Catford to sort out!
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