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Britain has a secret underground city built in case of nuclear war.
The secret fortress was constructed in the 1950s to provide shelter for up to 4,000 people, including the Prime Minister, government officials and potentially the Royal Family.
Based near Corsham, Wiltshire, the 35 acre blast-proof site aimed to keep them in complete isolation from the outside world for up to three months.
It lies 120feet below the ground and has more than 60miles of roads.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not officially confirm the existence of the complex, known as the ‘Burlington Bunker’, until 2004.
A notice on its website said: "A formerly secret Government underground site near Corsham in Wiltshire, which was a potential relocation site for the Government in the event of a nuclear war, was declassified at the end of 2004.”
An underground power station with four huge generators was built to keep it running, along with a lake and treatment plant for drinking water.
There were also hospitals, kitchens, canteens, laundrettes and offices.
Special accommodation suites were also built which are believed to have been intended for the royals.
A BBC studio for the PM to address the nation was also constructed, along with the second largest telephone exchange in the UK.
An internal Lamson Tube system was also created to relay messages using compressed air.
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The air was kept at a constant humidity, heated to around 20°C.
The aim was for the city to be the site of the main Emergency Government War Headquarters, the hub of the UK’s alternative seat of power outside London.
But the site was so secret many of the civil servants – who had been allocated a desk there – were completely unaware of it.
The secret bunker, which is located in a former stone quarry, was first commissioned in 1955.
However, it became outdated shortly after being built – partly due to the fact intercontinental ballistic missiles were able to target it.
But it stayed in operation for another 30 years throughout the Cold War, when the risk of nuclear catastrophe loomed largely over the world.
At the end of the Cold War, in 1991, the site was taken over by the MoD and kept on standby in case of future nuclear threats to the country.
Members of the public can not visit the site, which was never used.
- Royal Family
- Missiles
- Military
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