Churchill's memoirs, 3rd October, 1940 : - 'We held a Cabinet meeting at PADDOCK, far from the light of day.....'
i wish i had my pictures on my computer of my various visits to cold war bunkers here in the US. yes i did break some laws by doing this, but i wanted to see some of these bunkers, mostly on peoples farms, and alot of them were in good condition. nothing compared to the bunker you were in though...
I've now got time to make a proper posting.... Ever since an article appeared in 'After The Battle' many years ago, your roving WWII Forums correspondent had wanted to see 'Paddock' - the secret War Cabinet bunker. It's now open to the public twice a year only, which is why on a warm Thursday lunchtime, a group of people are gathered in a totally unremarkable suburban road on a hill in Neasden, Norh West London, the bunker entrance is down some steps to the left... Hardhats are mandatory due to Health&Safety regulations ; this is an unrestored building and so is officially not a safe structure. We descend a concrete staircase to the upper floor where we're briefed in the photo above. Stalactities hang from every ceiling where the original air-conditioning ducting can be seen : On this floor, much of the original generating and air-conditioning machinery remains and can be seen in photos at the above-linked sites. However, the historic rooms are in the lower floor which we reach via narrow spiral staircase. First, the telephone exchange, where some of the original switching gear survives. In extremis, this equipment would have handled Government communications to all the armed services... Then, the door to the map-room... Inside the map-room, still with many original light-fittings. Through the three windows, commanders from the three armed forces would have viewed the war situation.... Most historic of all, the Cabinet Room, where the one and only Churchill War Cabinet meeting to be held at this facility took place. Churchill would have sat just left of centre of the left-hand wall in this photo, his back to the wall.... Also of interest on this floor is - literally - the driest room in the building; the unventilated, floor-tiled battery room where acid accumulators sat, ready to provide an emergency power-source if needed... Back on the surface, the bunker had originally been built in 1938/39 in a top-secret complex of buildings operated by the Post Office as a research laboratory, where 'Colossus', the world's first computer, was built. Most is now gone, replaced by brick-built housing, but around the corner, the main entrance and one building survive ( for now.. ) : The Bunker is a truly fascinating place to visit and the guides were enthusiastic and helpful. And the level of interest ? Well, on this midweek day, pre-booked tours ran every 30 minutes from 09:30-17:30, 25 people per tour, and all were fully-booked. Someone asked if it could be restored - highly unlikely - but somehow, the damp,echoing corridors, stalactites, rusting machinery, damp floors and rotting doors imparted a strong, atmospheric 'feel' - you truly felt that you were entering a portal into a desperate time in Britain's history. Verdict : well worth a visit ! Neasden will never sem as boring again.....
Thanx Martin! Nice pics! They did not have Churchill speaking in the background through the loudspeakers?
Very interesting stuff Martin. Must have been cool to realize you were walking the same ground as ol' Winston once did.
