For the office workers, a separate shelter was constructed, which was a brick lined tunnel dug from the general office down into the ground. Under the mill, this was made wider to give a fair size room. A way out was up two long flights of concrete steps into the Margate Road.
The shelter was provided with a bucket toilet, gas curtains either end, lighting and heating. When “Hudsons look-out†gave the alarm, the office staff would pick up their ledgers and file down the stairs and carry on working in their underground office. During the war, the mill was very lucky. A lot of damage was done for nine bombs fell on the mill site, with only one failing to go off.
The street entrance to the air raid shelter was bricked up after the war, and the entrance from beneath the office was also sealed up.
Need to go back again soon bacause apparently there is another shelter that was constructed for the workers.
I appologise for picture quality but my camera kept steaming up as it was very humid down there.
leather straps for gas curtain
blocked up entrance
]
remains of toilet curtain
very old broom
some wire
spotless walls & ceilng not a single bit of chavness down there
The shelter was provided with a bucket toilet, gas curtains either end, lighting and heating. When “Hudsons look-out†gave the alarm, the office staff would pick up their ledgers and file down the stairs and carry on working in their underground office. During the war, the mill was very lucky. A lot of damage was done for nine bombs fell on the mill site, with only one failing to go off.
The street entrance to the air raid shelter was bricked up after the war, and the entrance from beneath the office was also sealed up.
Need to go back again soon bacause apparently there is another shelter that was constructed for the workers.
I appologise for picture quality but my camera kept steaming up as it was very humid down there.
leather straps for gas curtain
blocked up entrance
remains of toilet curtain
very old broom
some wire
spotless walls & ceilng not a single bit of chavness down there
Last edited by a moderator:
