Key Facts

Here's some key about the UK's biggest underground government bunker...

Purpose: The British government's alternative seat of power in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK.

Conceived: 1956

Completed: 1961

Decommissioned: 1991

Declassified: 2004

Aliases: Hawthorn Central Government War Headquarters, Stockwell, Subterfuge, Turnstile, Burlington as Site 3.

Districts: 22

Depth: 60-100 feet below ground.

Dimensions: 1km long and 200 meters across.

Area: 35 acres.

Transport: A fleet of battery powered buggies navigated 10 miles of tunnel.

Inhabitants: 4000 government ministers and civil servants including the Prime Minister, Cabinet Office, local and national government agencies, intelligence and security advisors and domestic support staff.

Facilities: Infirmary, bakery, laundry, two large kitchens and serving areas, telephone exchange, store rooms, office space, living accommodation, maintenance areas and workshops and an area for the storage and charging of the bunker's electric buggies.

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