Scotland’s Secret Bunker

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Barnton Quarry Survey

We would like to thank the SubBrit archive for the use of photographic material used in this report to illustrate the state of the building before decommissioning

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/index.shtml

Introduction

Although we are still some way from getting the Barnton Quarry restoration project off the ground we decided it would be useful to make a photographic survey of the site to record the current state and also identify if electrical, water and sewage connections are still accessible. While onsite we will seal up the forced entrances again, this is an ongoing battle, and one we cannot win until we can have a permanent human presence at the site.

James and Peter at the bunker before setting off on the survey

Peter, Andrew and I set off fairly early from the Bunker to get a full day at Barnton, we made sure we were well equipped with tools and protective gear as the site is quite dangerous and very dusty underground. James lent me his top camera and flash gun to do the survey. The gate that goes across the access road was closed and our key would not open the lock so with a large bar we easily prized off the lock, the next gates were also locked and again the keys didn’t work so we did the same. Once at the Happidrome entrance we found the bricked up window had been knocked out so access was easy. We left Andrew on the surface getting the gear ready to secure after our visit. We both had clothing and breathing masks suitable for use in such a place, in the torch light the air is thick with dust and above ground it is very damp.

View of Happidrome from the cliff

Barnton Quarry Happidrome after Decommissioning

Happidrome Survey

Peter and I made a survey of the Happidrome first, the general condition is poor, dark black soot is on most of the walls, a result of the fire several years back, the operations room lower floor is flooded, this is caused by water entering through the roof. Having stated those things the structure seems very solid and certainly not beyond refurbishment. I read an early station log regarding flooding in the operations floor during the 1940’s. We identified the old GPO room and the location of the original MDF, there are cables still poking up out of the ground and evidence of racks being bolted to the floor and ceilings. Part of the tote still with its slats for displaying information to the plotters can be seen from the commander’s office. The balcony is treacherous, several times we stepped on rotting metal floors and it gave way. Along one side of the upper gallery are small offices with wickets where I imagine messages passed, these were possibly communications cabins linked by teleprinter and telephone to the RAF radar, fighter stations. Additionally there would have been links to fighter command and local search light/AA gun emplacements. This place is highly atmospheric; I imagine “Most Haunted” would have a field day here. It is not often these days to get a chance to visit a building that was operational in World War 2, especially knowing that this one was a hub for all the fighter squadrons in the vicinity and would have been a hive of activity. We located the commander’s office, he has his own bit of gallery with a large meeting room attached, and his gallery had a wide wooden stepped platform. This is now very rotten but can clearly be seen. The canteen overlooks the operations hall and is just down from a serving hatch in the kitchen; at one end of the canteen are 2 small rooms, possibly stores. One room still has a large key cupboard on the wall, possibly this was more of an accommodation office as security would be in the main entrance block. One of the female toilets has a disposal unit on the wall of a very early vintage; also there are some small stoves and hand towel looking units around the place. Out of the far back of the Happidrome are some small plant rooms with the remnants of air circulation and power systems still survive. There are many rooms in this place of various sizes, most lead from the main spine corridor, to the left rooms are single depth to the right they are 3 or 4 deep with additional corridors and a joining door systems. The air conditioning/ventilation is typical WW2 style, not even close to big enough and in a similar style to that found on ships, there are some curious and different styles of vent leading from the system that would make interesting future investigation.  Considering plenty of people would be smoking in here it must have been fairly uncomfortable for those who did not. We have found several entrance points where trespassers have made their way in, we have sealed them or at least made them less accessible. We head back to the entrance to begin work on the R4 bunker and check Andrew is still around.

Flooding to a depth of about 70cm in the staircase heading down into the operations floor

Flooded operations floor viewed from the gallery

GPO Room, cable entry on floor by back wall and wall fixings for equipment racks are still visible

Totes from the Commanders Office note the slats that hold the display panels

View behind the totes before Decommissioning

Gallery floor showing serious decay

Rear of gallery several small rooms with wickets used for passing messages

Wickets on landing before Decommissioning

Gallery Before!

Atmospheric view of the operations well from the gallery note flooding and remnants of the tote frames also the window on the back wall is a viewing point from the canteen

Similar view from the opposite direction, the Happidrome was used for storage and modified, the totes were covered over but not removed

Commanders Office

Private Gallery with steps from the commanders office

The Canteen

View of the operations room from the canteen window

One of the  small rooms leading off the canteen

The Kitchen showing main serving hatch, this hatch opens into the corridor to the canteen

Kitchen Before!

Security or building services office

Key Cupboard on wall

Showers

Small Stove in Toilets, possibly a disposal unit

Odd door configuration leading to plant area

Plant Remnants

More Plant Remnants

Small Switchgear

Air Ducting

Air Ducting

Air Ducting

Air Ducting

Main Corridor

Main Corridor Before!

R4 Survey Entrance and Tunnel

The tunnel into the R4 leads from the same entrance room as the Happidrome, there is no initial stair well as is the normal design at other bunkers this is very important when considering the place as a museum that can be easily accessed by all. In an original picture the guard room has typical fittings and fixtures these are all long gone. Now the walls are full of graffiti and the floor covered in litter and debris. The tunnel is square section and has a gentle slope downwards, in the distance the shape changes to circular. Just at the top of the tunnel is a small chamber in the ground where a large looks to enter via a bulkhead. Walking into the tunnel you can see the fire damage; the flames must have rushed up here seeking the air outside. Close to the end of the tunnel it changes from square concrete to steel circular section much like that used in small London Underground passenger tunnels. Perhaps this part needed extra reinforcement or possibly it was bored out of the quarry store, anyone’s guess at the moment but some day this will get an answer. After the circular section of tunnel to the right is a vent going up to the surface, to the left just before the tunnel turns right is the remains of a water storage tank. The Blast doors are gone, stolen for scrap perhaps but manhandling those out must have been hard, even if they were cut up first. The tunnel turns left again as we enter the bunker.

Guard Room

Guard Room During Decommissioning

Tunnel Entrance Square Section

Manhole in Tunnel Entrance

Large Cable Entrance via bulkhead

Tunnel Circular Section

Tunnel as it was

Vent to Surface at end of Tunnel

Water Tank

Before!

Missing Blast Doors, note Water Tank is visible and has large section cut away from the front

R4 Survey Top Floor

In front of us is the stair well, the hoist is beaten and rusted solid. No banisters remain and the metalwork of their frames is ripped out of the concrete on the landing. Looking over the edge between massive air ducts you can make out debris at the bottom where a Mekon cabinet lays twisted among wire from the hoist.

Main Stair Well top floor note banister ripped away and massive air ducting

Interesting decommissioning shot shows some of the banisters already removed

Crane has seen better times

Mekon Cabinet lays in the debris at the bottom of the main stair well

Mekon Cabinet in is proper location

I will refer to the bunkers history at several points as it had a varied life but will concentrate on the ROTOR period, should we restore the place this is the chosen era as it is so very unique and unusual in its operations room configuration. I believe this to be a piece of hidden architectural heritage. I also have the full construction plans on file.

When it was a Rotor bunker (it original purpose) this top floor was mainly for triangulation and rest. However I believe the two large rooms to the right housed GPO equipment, the first is shown in some documents to be the GPO plant room the second is for sure the battery room, the floor and part of the wall is tiled, odd looking vents are bolted to the doors.

GPO Plant Room

Hard Standing Point for plant equipment

This is what it looked like before

GPO Battery Room

GPO Battery Room Before Decommissioning

Battery Room Door and Sink

Remnants of Lead Acid Batteries

To the left there was originally a corridor but the fire has destroyed this so you end up directly on the top gallery looking over the edge you can see the steel frame put in when the operations well was floored over to make extra space for regional government and dormitories. The frame has twisted in the heat; it is not attached securely to the sides of the well and is supported on the bottom floor so could be removed without worry. Following the edge of the well I discover small pieces of very thick glass, it is everywhere I assumed on the day it was from a balcony window similar to those typically found in R3 operations rooms, but research has shown the entire well wall was constructed from massive glass sheets. During the conversion to RGHQ at Barnton these were just clad this explains the odd shapes of some of the room in the archive photographs. What an incredible sight this must have been during the short Rotor period. Peter and I paused here almost in reflection but certainly in awe! On the main wall of the well evidence of the tote gallery can be seen, there would be a void behind the tote where enlisted personnel would climb ladders to place items onto the 3 level display boards. Across the vast well debris can be seen at every level, here and there some artefacts remain almost untouched by the fire, bells, GPO alarm lamps, switchgear, fire extinguishers and so on. Around the well would have been a single depth complex of rooms which I imagine housed plotting tables for incoming radar information to be evaluated, this information would eventually make it to the main plotting tables to allow commanders to make their battle decisions. The triangulation plotters and their officers could verify the data appearing on the main plotting tables below them and keep watch on proceedings through the plate glass walls should there be a need for consultation from the commanders.

Looking Back to the Entrance from the Stair Well

Top Floor of the Operations Well Note the Girders added in the RGHQ era to increase floor space

Twisting to the Girders, the right side is where the tote stood across the 3 floors

Looking down into the operations well

Across the floor from the Stair Well, this would have been several rooms and the wall around the Well was plate glass

Following the path of the old corridor leads us to another spine corridor; this went between the rooms at the back of the well and the recreational area. In this area there was a canteen with serving hatches into Men and Women’s separate mess halls, the officers has a smaller mess room between the two, all were served by toilets, these rooms can be clearly distinguished. At the end of this corridor are the emergency escape stairs.

Spine Corridor

WRAF Rest Room

Officers Rest room

Male Toilets

Kitchen

Kitchen before Decommissioning

Female Toilets

RAF Rest Room

Emergency Stair Well

At the far side of the well another spine corridor which is partly missing leads to the side we entered there is a corridor running along the back of the tote end wall leading to the main stair well

Across the floor, the partition walls are burnt away, this was a corridor

Large Room, this was at the end of the corridor above and lead to the next corridor

Spine corridor back to the stairs

Room to the left of the corridor

Another Small Room

End of the corridor opening onto the main stair well

R4 Survey Middle Floor

We proceed to the middle floor, taking care on the stairs; the massive ventilation shafts running in the stairwell make it feel very claustrophobic indeed. This floor was for command and communications during the ROTOR period. This time we go directly onto the operations floor from the stair well, the layout is similar with 4 spine corridors originally running around the edge of the operations well complex with min and emergency stairs diagonally opposite at the corners. Here there is more evidence of the fire which was started in the switchboard room on this floor.  More thick glass fragments are found in the debris between conduit and thick layers of dust.  Senior officers would have sat in rooms surrounding the operations well on this level making command decisions about deploying and directing fighter squadrons towards incoming Russian nuclear bombers. History shows the ROTOR system was built and right away was outdated so the system was changed to disseminate command closer to local radar stations. In effect as soon as the R4 bunkers were operational they were redundant.

Heading down the main stair well

Debris on the middle floor, teleprinter table twisted from the heat, all the partition walls are long gone

Middle Floor Well, Tote area can be clearly seen also lees twisting to the girders as the fire headed upwards from the right side of this shot

Cable run close to the tote

View diagonally across the middle floor operations well

View of the RGHQ era, the central well was floored over and the glass panels covered, this picture shows the shape of the well, the pillars are covered girders. I believe this is the top floor.

Across the opposite corridor are rooms almost untouched by the fire, it must have raged up to the surface through the operations well burning out the RGHQ era wooden floor in seconds creating a vacuum in these rooms. Although I have no information on their use they have the feel of offices, this would be quite normal considering the commanders worked on this level, I guess there would be a typing pool and secretarial section along with planning rooms and reference.

View looking down the spine corridor note paint on the doors has blistered in the heat but the fire has not destroyed the woodwork in this area

Another coridor but a similar view to show the fire damage, note the polished floors and sparkling paintwork

Looking back for the corridor

First Room off corridor, these look like offices

Office

Office

Office

Office

Condition of air ducts in this area is good, paint is still good

We made our way over to the area where the fire started; this part is the most badly damaged. This area was the communications section; there were several smaller rooms containing the tape relay centre, PABX and teleprinter room. The PMBX is still visible albeit distorted and twisted by the fire, it started here, a motorbike fuel tank was set on fire. All of the partition walls are missing and some brick walls from the RGHQ era have cracked and are falling apart. The Minerva fire alarm system lays on its back burnt out and ripped off the wall. Teleprinter parts are strewn in the debris, several teleprinter tables and some recognisable machines can be seen. Back towards the stair well are some more large rooms, I guess command rooms or secretarial.

Closing in on the communications area, teleprinter debris and tables litter the ground

Spine corridor heading back to the main stair well

This would have been several partitioned rooms making up the communications centre, the fire started in the far left corner and destroyed the lot

I believe this is a view of the Comcen Area during Decommissioning

Minerva Fire Detection Rack

Minerva Rack as it was

Fire alarm sign

Teleprinter 15 and correct table, note brickwork

Crumbling brickwork

The Switchboard where the fire was started

Another large room between the Comcen and main stair well

This shows the TRC before Decommissioning it may be in the room shown above.

R4 Survey Bottom Floor

We now head down to the bottom floor, fire has not had such an impact here apart from the falling cinders have burnt out the bottom raised floor of the operations well. The GPO room is possibly the saddest place in the building, close to my heart in any case, but made worse by the fact I have some pictures of this room before the decommissioning. This room was a treasure trove of vintage communications, I guess as there was so much room they never removed anything, the main distribution frame where cables entered the bunker is gone, a small chunk including a few blocks with CJ cables marked on them lays on the floor, all around racks of equipment are smashed almost beyond recognition. Tables and cabinets are up turned and lay like twisted wrecks on the ground. Once a well kept and looked after place has been lost, it may not be possible to rebuild any of this but it does give us space for exhibiting something fitting the nature of this room.

Stairs down to the bottom floor

Ducting Sweeps Away from the main stair well

GPO Room Doors

Destroyed GPO Room

Before Decommissioning!

Part of the MDF

Before Decommissioning!

Standing but Smashed

Toppled 62 Type Rack

BBC Room Fared a Little Better than the GPO Room

Two views of the Operations Floor Map tables here would have been a hive of activity

The air down here is kind of oppressive and we move on to discover a massive plant room, most of the equipment is smashed or has parts removed, probably to the nearest scrap metal dealer. This room is salvageable; Peter finds a massive air duct in the concrete that must lead to one of the surface ventilation towers, our torch lights simply get lost in the darkness of the void. The air cleaning units are still there as is the air conditioning, these probably wouldn’t work again but could be used to circulate air providing we trace and repair the ducting around the bunker. Banks of switchgear has been looted for metal but this would need to be modernised in any case, still it is a shame to see such destruction.

Plant room Entrance

Switch Gear

More Switch Gear

Before!

Plinths

Compressor Remnants

Before!

Filters

Circulation Fan

Before!

More Air Filtration Systems

More Plant

Just beside what looks like a compressor I find the Borehole, this is where the bunkers emergency water supply would have come from, the bore hole cap is in place and I believe it would still be usable.

Borehole Cap

In the corridor leading to the emergency exit we find another cable entry with what looks like mains cables coming through a bulkhead. This bunker is build into a hill and the entrance and emergency exit on the lower floor are at ground level, this means water doesn’t stay inside, the 3 meter concrete cube is encased by granite from the old quarry, structurally this is simply never going anywhere (short of an earthquake).

Emergency Exit Route

Back On The Surface

Our job being complete we return to the surface and start work on securing the holes and fixing the fences.

As we start mixing concrete we are visited by the local Police who have been called because someone saw me prize off the gate lock, the police are very interested in the bunker and very happy that we are trying to improve security. One of them had a Mother who served as a WAFF working on the plotting tables at a RAF station close by so it was a great discussion; I promised to post some photographs of the bunker for her so here it is sorry it took so long to get this together. It turns out the council changed the locks and forgot to send us one, not a problem we are all now in touch so it will not happen again.

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