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Report - - Southern Railway Control - Deepdene, Surrey - March 2019 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Southern Railway Control - Deepdene, Surrey - March 2019

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Giymo85

Amateur and proud
28DL Full Member
History (shamelessly 'borrowed' from Subbrit.org.uk)

During World War 2, the Southern Railway took over the Deepdene Hotel near Dorking in Surrey for its wartime emergency headquarters. In the grounds they excavated an underground control centre taking advantage of a network of existing natural caves that had been acknowledged 300 years before in the diaries of John Evelyn. Because of the natural protection afforded by the location of the caves they were eminently suitable for the development of a bunker to house both the headquarters' telephone exchange and Traffic Control who also had their underground control centre there.

Explore

It seems like this place ends up open at this sort of time each year and I had been keen to see it for myself when it started popping up in early 2018. On that occasion though we arrived to find a shiny new padlock in place after our 90 mile journey and vowed to return. Skip ahead to 2019 and I spotted some familiar pictures on social media. It's a pretty unique place in some respects so I knew where I was headed for the weekend.

Come Sunday morning we hopped in the car and were on our way. This time there was no disappointment. The place isn't huge but there is enough there to make it worth the journey. Certainly, I was so pleased to get to see it for myself. Other than the star attractions (namely the spiral stairs and switchboard) there remains a smattering of original features that I am glad I have seen with my own eyes.

I will say, this has been covered before in spectacular fashion on here, which I do not hope to live up to. That being said, we did take lighting (a little too much for the tight spaces perhaps) and it was my first attempt at illuminating an explore, so apologies if this is a tad washed out. Hope you like the pictures, they are unedited and just as they came out of the camera.


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The lovely switchboard remains. This was great to be able to see after my last attempt.

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And of course, those stairs.

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Only went up a couple because a bashed my head on a very obvious piece of rusty metal. Not my finest hour.

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Anyhow, thanks for looking and hope you enjoyed.

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muttman

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Great report!
It must have just opened again, a mate of mine check back in January and no luck. I might pay it another visit...
 

LittleOwl

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
haha like any asbestos sign has stopped anyone
It'll never stop us but definitely worth investing in a cheap dust mask if you're going anywhere near those pipes. The asbestos on pipe work is the deadliest of all of them. Lost a few mates in the building trade to asbestosis cos of them pipes
 

Giymo85

Amateur and proud
28DL Full Member
Great report!
It must have just opened again, a mate of mine check back in January and no luck. I might pay it another visit...

Thank you! I was pleased to have spotted the pictures online because I knew it was still sealed at New Years.

haha like any asbestos sign has stopped anyone

The signs were quite some way inside, behind a now bricked up entrance, which made me chuckle.

Nicely done!

Thank you :D

It'll never stop us but definitely worth investing in a cheap dust mask if you're going anywhere near those pipes. The asbestos on pipe work is the deadliest of all of them. Lost a few mates in the building trade to asbestosis cos of them pipes

Agreed, in my opinion a dust mask is a staple bit of kit for the hobby.
 

pirate

Rum Swigger
28DL Full Member
A dust mask is totally pointless in protection against asbestos,don’t kid yourself thinking it will make you safer

The particles will go straight through a dusk mask,plus at that point it will be on your hands in your hair and on your clothes,then transferred to your car etc etc
 
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Giymo85

Amateur and proud
28DL Full Member
A dust mask is totally pointless in protection against asbestos,don’t kid yourself thinking it will make you safer

The particles will go straight through a dusk mask,plus at that point it will be on your hands in your hair and on your clothes,then transferred to your car etc etc

I am sure you are right. A bit like the way tear gas used to cling to my CBRN gear in my old Army days. We'd then gas out the billet properly packing our gear when we got back.

Got to feel like you are doing something though, even if you're just kidding yourself.
 

xexxa

Xexxa the grey
Banned
I am sure you are right. A bit like the way tear gas used to cling to my CBRN gear in my old Army days. We'd then gas out the billet properly packing our gear when we got back.

Got to feel like you are doing something though, even if you're just kidding yourself.


It’s better than nothing. Normally if I’ve worn my mask in a place then I drive back with the windows down... better to have a little bit in your hair that you can shake off before you go than skimp £20 on a PP3 mask and leave with lungfulls of it...
 

pirate

Rum Swigger
28DL Full Member
It’s better than nothing. Normally if I’ve worn my mask in a place then I drive back with the windows down... better to have a little bit in your hair that you can shake off before you go than skimp £20 on a PP3 mask and leave with lungfulls of it...

Nope it’s the same as nothing,you can get asbestosis from a single microscopic fibre of asbestos
 

xexxa

Xexxa the grey
Banned
Well yes, but surely that’s like saying it will only take that one cigarette to damage my DNA enough to start causing a tumour so as it makes no difference I will smoke 100 a day?
 

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