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Report - - Tunnel and Underground Things around Aldershot, Hampshire - September 2016 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Tunnel and Underground Things around Aldershot, Hampshire - September 2016

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Bertie Bollockbrains

There is no pain
Regular User
Reporting here on a small military-related tunnel in Aldershot. Normally I wouldn't post something as small as this up as a report, but it appeared on this forum a few weeks back as a lead to be checked out.There's also discussion of this tunnel on the South-East History Boards website and there seems to be no interior photos of the tunnel anywhere on the internet. So I put this report up in the hope that it is spotted by the people of South-East History Boards and by other local historians.

With thanks to @oldblagger who put this up as a lead in August.

REPORT

1. Wellington Avenue Tunnel


Aldershot is a major garrison town and has been since 1854 when the garrison was established during the Crimean War. It's almost certain that this tunnel is military related. It's entrance can be seen across the road from the Tesco's car park and it heads south towards the site of a former barracks (now redeveloped as a school and housing estate).

Difficult to make out what the tunnel was for, but unlikely to be for the movement of people as it's only about 5ft high. Beyond where it has been backfilled, it heads upwards to the grounds of the old barrack site. Cable runs line the walls.

01_zpskusba5uh.jpg


First view looking in
02_zpskixh2l8g.jpg


Ends with all this backfill after about 30metres. I can make out that the tunnel extends upwards to the surface where all this backfill is. Warning: there's asbestos among all that junk
03_zpsyozbokun.jpg


And looking back to the entrance
04_zpsz60wy0ho.jpg


Cable runs line the walls
05_zpsc9po8exz.jpg



2. Cemetery Hill Command Bunker

It is known that a WW2 era command bunker lies under Cemetery Hill, with an entrance said to have been at the end of a grassy track running alongside South Atlantic Drive. A ventilation vent can be seen at the top of the hill. Well I found that grassy track and it ends at a high chainlink fence that is boarded and can not be seen through. As this is within a military housing estate, and following a terrorist related incident at a military housing estate at RAF Marham last month, I decided it was best not to be climbing fences in this sort of area given the current security alert status.

Anyways documents posted elsewhere suggest that the command bunker was built as follows:

"This consisted of 2 parallel adits (6' x 7'), each approximately 370' in length and 170' apart. A Chamber system and Galleries (10' x 9') connecting the Adits extended to a total linear footage of 659', representing, with the Adits, a total of 76610 cu. ft. of excavation. The Adits were lined for the most part with timber sets, made of old railway sleepers, and partly with small Colliery Arches (5' x 6' 6"). The Chambering was lined with large Colliery Arches (8' x 9'). The general gradient throughout the system was 1 in 200."

According to several sources, two people died in this bunker in the 1970s when they lit a fire inside and died of smoke inhalation. I have been unable to confirm the validity of this story. Sources suggest the bunker may have been permanently sealed after this incident.

3. Underground Reservoir at Upper Hale

A couple of miles away at Upper Hale a military underground reservoir, reported several times on this forum back in 2013 and 2014. The hatches are now welded shut and access currently impossible. The "pots" seen on the surface in my photo have all been chopped off and replaced with concrete caps.

Thought I would add my own photos from 2014 to get all things underground Aldershot related into one thread.

History copied from other reports: South of an area known as 'Caesar's Camp' was a major water catchment area for Aldershot Camp which had its own water supply from Aldershot Town. There were (and still are) a number of uncovered reservoirs and until recent years a water tower and pump house on the other side of the road. These would feed smaller header reservoirs and water towers in the camp which in turn fed tanks in the roofs of the barracks.

Photos shown from two of the four chambers present here
03_zpsl3ywpkqw.jpg


15_zpshex9la2w.jpg


22_zpsojsbzvp2.jpg


10_zpsd7qniqtq.jpg


38%20-%20Smaller%20Round%20Reservoir_zpsxcaff56i.jpg


Thanks for reading
 

tirpitz

Toy Car Racer
28DL Full Member
"Apparently" the top section of that tunnel can be acessed via a manhole cover either near the school or in the playing field.
i'm fairly local to this so i've read everything i could find.
also the story of the 2 boys dying in the place up by the cemetary is true, some of their old friends have recounted the tale on the Historic Aldershot facebook group.
its quite a large network apparently but was blocked off a long time ago so the entrance could be hard to find.....
however according to people who went in as kids its in woodland you can just wak into up by the top carpark of the cemetary acessed by Galway road so take a shovel ;)
plus there is another tunnel been confirmed from the CMH to Finches the funeral directors cellar (athough an inside source confirmed existence of tunnel but also that it has been sealed)
apparently there is/was also a staircase going down to it from a building thats now flats/offices by the roundabout by the nissan garage...
i'll do some more research..
 

andyavalon

28DL Member
28DL Member
"Apparently" the top section of that tunnel can be acessed via a manhole cover either near the school or in the playing field.
i'm fairly local to this so i've read everything i could find.
also the story of the 2 boys dying in the place up by the cemetary is true, some of their old friends have recounted the tale on the Historic Aldershot facebook group.
its quite a large network apparently but was blocked off a long time ago so the entrance could be hard to find.....
however according to people who went in as kids its in woodland you can just wak into up by the top carpark of the cemetary acessed by Galway road so take a shovel ;)
plus there is another tunnel been confirmed from the CMH to Finches the funeral directors cellar (athough an inside source confirmed existence of tunnel but also that it has been sealed)
apparently there is/was also a staircase going down to it from a building thats now flats/offices by the roundabout by the nissan garage...
i'll do some more research..
Hi folks I was lucky enough to view plans of the Command centre a few years ago ;you can easily still see where the entrance is/was along Atlantic Drive,they have built a retaining wall in front of it. Regarding the deaths ,these were actually boys that were killed playing at a munition dump/tunnel alongside the nearby canal,they were the sons of army sargeant in the paras. There are meant to be tunnels leading to North Lane,and to Queen Victorias bungalow,and also to Wellingtons statue;adjacent to this are army playing fields,at the end of which is a bricked up shaft,some 4 feet tall,so the rumors may be true.
 

tirpitz

Toy Car Racer
28DL Full Member
the brick structure on the playing fields is the remains of a small AA battery.
apparently it still has the spigot that the gun would mount on in the centre....
 

Treasure Hunter513

hants_explorer
28DL Full Member
trying to find the exact location of the wellignton avenue tunnel as it looks like its worth a visit! Ive found the tescos but i dont know which side of the car park to look out from.
 

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