A couple of weeks ago I visited Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker, located in Essex, between Brentwood and Ongar.
Intended to be a Government communications hub in the event of a nuclear war, it is preserved complete with vintage telecommunications technology from the 1960s-80s, including teleprinters, Strowger telephone exchange and even vintage Amstrad computers! None of the old technology is operational, but some attempt has been made to liven it up, for example in the telephone exchange, a sound recording plays, and nearby a teleprinter chatters away.
(I have previously visited Amberley Museum and Milton Keynes Museum where they have working Strowger telephone exchanges, amongst other interesting stuff. I'd recommend those museums too.)
Perhaps the most interesting thing at Kelvedon Hatch is that the bunker contained a secret BBC studio which would have been used to broadcast information to the public. The studio is preserved for you to see. It also has Cold War era military radio equipment, and had medical facilities, room for up to 600 people with enough supplies to last 3 months, and areas from which government departments could be run. Even the Prime Minister could be accommodated in the bunker, running the country and broadcasting in relative safety while the bombs rained down. Well, that's the theory, anyway. Of course, luckily it was never put into practice.
From the surface, the entrance to the bunker is disguised as a small 1950s farmhouse cottage, which gives no idea of what lies within. Inside it's massive. There are 3 underground levels. In all, I spent more than 3 hours inside, including the time watching the previously secret Government information films that were playing in various places. Some of these films were for training the bunker staff, while the "Protect And Survive" films were intended to be broadcast when a nuclear war was imminent, to tell the public what to do, such as advice on disposing of dead bodies. This was quite chilling. I still remember the Cold War and the nuclear threat. It could have happened.
The one strange thing about visiting the bunker is that there don't appear to be any staff. At the entrance, you take a handheld audio player. As you walk through the bunker, the rooms / exhibits have numbers. Keying the number into the audio player gives you a commentary. You pay the entrance fee at the end of your visit, by depositing the money into an honesty box. There are CCTV cameras all over the place, and a warning that something bad will happen if you evade payment. It costs £7.50 which I thought was reasonable. You are not allowed to take photographs inside the bunker unless you have a permit, which costs additional money.
Official Website:
http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/
Reviews on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...x_England.html