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Report - - Shorts Tunnels - Rochester - March 2013 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Shorts Tunnels - Rochester - March 2013

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Els

Obsessed with BS7671
Regular User
History shamelessly stolen from the Time Chambers web site.

The tunnels were originally excavated/extended by the Short brothers in September of 1941 for their seaplane factory as there existing one was nearing full capacity – the site was chosen for its natural defense against air attacks. The new factory space was to provide an extra 12000 sq.ft. of workspace for the company – this was created by two one-hundred meter long tunnels, connected by four seventy-five meter tunnels that met with the cliff face. At the eastern end of the tunnel complex the company built an extensive network of air raid tunnels which consisted of two parallel tunnels both three-hundred meters in length and connected by fourteen crosscuts. There was a hospital and three vaults constructed within the network; this network was connected to the Shorts factory by a singular four-hundred meter tunnel. After the war the factory section was used by blawknox for storage and workshops. This site existed until the early nineties where it was subsequently blocked and houses built on the site.

This was a really great place to visit and be given the run of the place though taking pics in the dark is never much fun. Anyway, here they are...


THE SHELTER

Diverging tunnels.
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It's a shaft with air in it.
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A tunnel.
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Doors.
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Lots of stuff left over from the factory.
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More stuff from the factory.
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The well.
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Some kind of moving stuff type of thing.
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And a light.
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Conveyer belts parts.
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More conveyer belt parts.
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A rather fine collection of electrical cable type carrying brackets.
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And another rather fine collection of electrical cable type carrying brackets.
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Yet another rather fine collection of electrical cable type carrying brackets with a view down another tunnel
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Doors to the stores.
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The very, very long connecting tunnel to the shadow factory from the shelter.
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THE SHADOW FACTORY

Entrance to the shadow factory from the air raid shelter.
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And turn through 180 degrees.
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The linking tunnel.
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One for the factory floor tunnels.
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Ventilation equipment
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Plant room.
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More ventilation plant
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Storage shelf's.
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Electrical plant. I quite liked the design of this one.
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Another factory floor.
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Access tunnels to the shadow factory.
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