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Report - - RAF Cold Hesledon radar station in County Durham. | Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - RAF Cold Hesledon radar station in County Durham.

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Nuke_NE

Guest
Guest
Visited the site of the old radar station in Cold Heseldon today.
Not much left to see, but there is an underground bunker system there that has been capped.

Here are my favourite pic's of the day.

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N

Nuke_NE

Guest
Guest
I'm just back from another look at Cold Heseldon.

There is a shaft to the front right of the mast on the hill that looks like it has been backfilled with stones/bricks/concrete (see this pic)

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There are three main units two are marked up as O2 and have the same big padlocks, the third has a combination lock on....

If the report from Rotor Information is to be believed, maybe this shaft is a way in....

Someone else should check this out.. as I could be way off....

This is the ROC post of Easington in the distance.
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peterblake

Guest
Guest
This was a live underground bunker, closed very early on and returned to the farmer who owns the land. The Guardroom (bungalow) was demolished and the building with the ariel mast inside was the original top of the emergency stairwell. This is capped off with concrete and there is no access to the bunker which was totally sealed up. Shame, but there it is.

Peter Blake.
 
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peterblake

Guest
Guest
It would be great to think it was still intact underground if it was just sealed off and left. I only live a couple miles away from this - I think I'll go for another look and maybe go and ask the farmer if he know any more info on the site.
The land may have changed hands over the years but the original farmer was not helpful and usually chased anyone off with a shotgun ! The bunker (which is just a small 1 level installation) was stripped out before it was decommissioned but the structure remains basically intact below ground. As far as I know there has been no access to it for many many years and it is still sealed up. Before you start digging the ladder shaft was bricked up below ground before being filled in and the access tunnel had the same treatment, so it was substantially sealed up before it was finally left and it would really need a survey and a JCB to make any real progress. If you do make contact and the farmer/land owner is interested we do hold the plans for the site at RAF Holmpton and could provide some advice/help.

Peter Blake.
 
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peterblake

Guest
Guest
Thats very interesting thanks for the info. Having lived in Seaham for so many years I knew nothing about this place until I idley put a few photos on this forum thinking it was a WW2 gun placement. I very much doubt many locals know anything about its past either.

Would there be any chance of you getting a copy of the plans. I'd be interested in speaking with the farmer and seeing perhaps if he'd be interested in seeing if the local newspaper might do an article to inform more of the locals of Seaham of the history of this site?
I will see what we can find of the plans. There is a 1 level bunker there, sealed off many years ago, and they are difficult to get back into, but not impossible. These sites were always completely stripped out before they were decommissioned and if you wat to see a similar one just look on sub-brit's website at either Beachey Head (Eastbourne) or Fairlight (Hastings) where they did in fact excavate and get back into the old sealed up bunker. These two sites are exactly the same as the one at Cold heseldon and will give you a good idea of what you might find. The biggest problem is the cost of getting back in. If your local paper contacts us we may have some photos. Look for comparisons on www.subbrit.org.uk and contact us on [email protected]

Peter Blake
RAF Holmpton.

Sorry it took me so long to reply to this one!
 

rAVNALI

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Just taken my dog for a walk and detoured around this site, well overgrown now (tussock grass-bracken etc) Spotted what may have been a services or ventilation shaft which was rubble filled to within 18" of the surface, grass overgrowing it would be easy to step into in get injured (if the dog hadn't avoided it). A couple of the above ground buildings have no doors but they are just 6' square concrete blocks which may have been POL stores or entrance/exit buildings, one looked like it had a filled in stairwell. Still being accessed above ground for the telecoms equipment installed on the masts. The site in general looks no different from the original posters photos but with more vegetation.
 
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