Dotted all over the UK are the remains of small underground bunkers in varying states of repair. Some have been filled in and forgotten about but some are still there today, usually out of the way, just out of town and looking inconspicuous. If you didn’t know better, you might think it was something to do with drainage or maybe something to do with water supplies. Under the locked steel lid however, is a hidden space and a fascinating Cold War history, both of the people who volunteered to operate these posts but also of what might have been if the Cold War went nuclear.

This ROC post was opened in 1959 but closed less than a decade later in 1968 as part of a defence spending review which saw the number of active ROC posts reduced from 1,583 to 873. The surface features of the post are fairly well preserved. The hatch is still intact but not easy to open. Below ground, the post is said to be in good condition with several items remaining from when it was operational.

For more details on ROC posts visit the Audlem ROC post page.