Central Government War Headquarters
Encyclopedia
The Central Government War Headquarters is a 240 acres (97.1 ha) complex built 120 feet (36.6 m) underground as the United Kingdom
's Emergency Government War Headquarters - the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the Soviet Union
. It is located in Corsham
, Wiltshire
, in an old underground Bath Stone
quarry known as Spring Quarry.
The complex was known variously as "Stockwell", "Subterfuge", "Burlington", "Turnstile", "Chanticleer", "Peripheral", and "Site 3". It was also nicknamed "Hawthorn
" by journalist Duncan Campbell
, who first revealed its existence in his 1982 book War Plan UK.
Construction began in the late 1950s. Despite the fact that it became outdated shortly after it was built, due to intercontinental ballistic missiles being able to target it, and the formulation of other plans (such as "PYTHON"), the site remained in operation for thirty years.
Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan
, but the entire Cabinet Office
, civil servants and an army of domestic support staff.
Blast-proof and completely self-sufficient the complex could accommodate up to 4,000 people, in complete isolation from the outside world, for up to three months. The underground city was equipped with all the facilities needed to survive, from hospitals, canteens, kitchens and laundries to storerooms of supplies, accommodation areas and offices. An underground lake and treatment plant could provide all the drinking water needed whilst twelve huge tanks could store the fuel required to keep the four massive generators, in the underground power station, running for up to three months. And unlike most urban cities, above ground, the air within the complex could also be kept at a constant humidity and heated to around 20 degrees Celsius. It was also equipped with the second largest telephone exchange in Britain, a BBC
studio from which the PM could address the nation, and an internal Lamson Tube system
that could relay messages, using compressed air, throughout the complex.
In order to maintain the secrecy of the site, even during the countdown to war, it was envisaged that 4,000 essential workers would assemble at an outlying destination known as Check Point. Warminster fulfilled this function, and from there a fleet of army lorries would have transported staff to the CGWH site. About 210 senior Whitehall officials and their staff, similarly unaware of their destination, were to assemble at Addison Road Station
on the West London Line
, before setting off by special train for Warminster
, changing there for a short trip by motor bus to Warminster Infantry Training Centre. There they would be broken up into small groups to conclude their journey with a 23 miles (37 km) lorry trip. The Prime Minister was to remain at Downing Street until the last moment, before being transported to Corsham by helicopter.
, in 1991, the still unused complex was taken over by the Ministry of Defence
(MoD) and kept on standby in case of future nuclear threats to the UK.
In December 2004, with the underground reservoir drained, emptied of fuel and supplies, and with a skeleton staff of just four, the site was decommissioned. In October 2005, it became public that the MoD was putting the site up for sale in a package deal that includes Hawthorn
, the military base above it. Proposed uses include a "massive data store for City
[financial] firms or the biggest wine cellar
in Europe."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Emergency Government War Headquarters - the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It is located in Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, in an old underground Bath Stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
quarry known as Spring Quarry.
The complex was known variously as "Stockwell", "Subterfuge", "Burlington", "Turnstile", "Chanticleer", "Peripheral", and "Site 3". It was also nicknamed "Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Wiltshire
Hawthorn is the location of a number of defence related underground facilities in the vicinity of Corsham, Wiltshire. Specifically the Hawthorn site was the location of an above-ground bunker used for the planning of satellite communications support to the United Kingdom's armed forces worldwide. ...
" by journalist Duncan Campbell
Duncan Campbell (investigative journalist)
Duncan Campbell is a British freelance investigative journalist, author and television producer who, since 1975, has specialised in the subjects of intelligence and security services, defence, policing, civil liberties and, latterly, computer forensics. He was a staff writer at the New Statesman...
, who first revealed its existence in his 1982 book War Plan UK.
Construction began in the late 1950s. Despite the fact that it became outdated shortly after it was built, due to intercontinental ballistic missiles being able to target it, and the formulation of other plans (such as "PYTHON"), the site remained in operation for thirty years.
Features
Over 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) in length, and over 60 miles (96.6 km) of roads, the site was designed not only to accommodate the then ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
, but the entire Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
, civil servants and an army of domestic support staff.
Blast-proof and completely self-sufficient the complex could accommodate up to 4,000 people, in complete isolation from the outside world, for up to three months. The underground city was equipped with all the facilities needed to survive, from hospitals, canteens, kitchens and laundries to storerooms of supplies, accommodation areas and offices. An underground lake and treatment plant could provide all the drinking water needed whilst twelve huge tanks could store the fuel required to keep the four massive generators, in the underground power station, running for up to three months. And unlike most urban cities, above ground, the air within the complex could also be kept at a constant humidity and heated to around 20 degrees Celsius. It was also equipped with the second largest telephone exchange in Britain, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
studio from which the PM could address the nation, and an internal Lamson Tube system
Pneumatic tube
Pneumatic tubes are systems in which cylindrical containers are propelled through a network of tubes by compressed air or by partial vacuum...
that could relay messages, using compressed air, throughout the complex.
In order to maintain the secrecy of the site, even during the countdown to war, it was envisaged that 4,000 essential workers would assemble at an outlying destination known as Check Point. Warminster fulfilled this function, and from there a fleet of army lorries would have transported staff to the CGWH site. About 210 senior Whitehall officials and their staff, similarly unaware of their destination, were to assemble at Addison Road Station
Kensington (Olympia) station
Kensington station is a station in West London managed and served by London Overground and also served by Southern and London Underground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2...
on the West London Line
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
, before setting off by special train for Warminster
Warminster railway station
Warminster railway station serves the town of Warminster, in Wiltshire, England.The station is operated by First Great Western and is a main station on the Wessex Main Line with regular services to Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton and Portsmouth, as well as a limited service to and from Bristol and...
, changing there for a short trip by motor bus to Warminster Infantry Training Centre. There they would be broken up into small groups to conclude their journey with a 23 miles (37 km) lorry trip. The Prime Minister was to remain at Downing Street until the last moment, before being transported to Corsham by helicopter.
Post–Cold War
At the end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, in 1991, the still unused complex was taken over by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
(MoD) and kept on standby in case of future nuclear threats to the UK.
In December 2004, with the underground reservoir drained, emptied of fuel and supplies, and with a skeleton staff of just four, the site was decommissioned. In October 2005, it became public that the MoD was putting the site up for sale in a package deal that includes Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Wiltshire
Hawthorn is the location of a number of defence related underground facilities in the vicinity of Corsham, Wiltshire. Specifically the Hawthorn site was the location of an above-ground bunker used for the planning of satellite communications support to the United Kingdom's armed forces worldwide. ...
, the military base above it. Proposed uses include a "massive data store for City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
[financial] firms or the biggest wine cellar
Wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not...
in Europe."
See also
- Civil Contingencies SecretariatCivil Contingencies SecretariatThe Civil Contingencies Secretariat, created in July 2001, is the department of the British Cabinet Office responsible for emergency planning in the UK. The role of the secretariat is to ensure the United Kingdom’s resilience against disruptive challenge, and to do this by working with others to...
- RAF Rudloe ManorRAF Rudloe ManorRAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box, was a Royal Air Force station located north-east of Bath, United Kingdom between the towns of Box and Corsham, in Wiltshire...
- Corsham Computer CentreCorsham Computer CentreCorsham Computer Centre is an underground British Ministry of Defence installation in Corsham, Wiltshire, built in the 1980s. According to the MoD, the centre "processes data in support of the Royal Navy"...
- Continuity of governmentContinuity of governmentContinuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
- Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear BunkerKelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear BunkerThe Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch, in the Borough of Brentwood in the English county of Essex, is a large underground bunker maintained during the cold war as a potential regional government headquarters...
External links
- Wiltshire's Underground City, a BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
website with galleries, videos, and an interactive map - Britains Cold War - Guide to the Cold War in Britain