Broadway Nuclear Bunker

On Saturday I visited the Royal Observer Corps underground monitoring post (or Broadway Nuclear Bunker as it is more excitingly called) on one of it's occasional open days.

The ROC monitoring site as seen through the perimeter fence

Although it was removed from active service in 1991 the site was subsequently revived under the management of Broadway Tower and has been open to visitors since 2010. 

The access shaft hatch with the white Ground Zero Indicator for
determining the position of a nuclear detonation. 

The fenced site is situated in the corner of a field very near Broadway Tower and also includes the now roofless remains of the original above ground observation post which I believe dates from the Second World War.

Looking down the access shaft

The bunker itself is in great condition and the visit was further enhanced by a brief talk from an ex-member of the Observer Corps which gave a fascinating insight into the operation of these bunkers during the Cold War. 

Looking up the access shaft

Much of the original equipment was already in place but some items have been re-introduced and added to make it as complete as possible.

What a fully equipped bunker would have looked like.

The role of the bunkers was essentially to determine the position of nuclear explosions and gather data on the initial blast and also the radiation levels following a bomb drop.

Close-up of the BPI (Bomb Power Indicator) for
determining the approximate size of a nuclear blast.

At the height of the Cold War there were nearly 1600 of these small bunkers situated at 8 mile intervals across the UK in a grid-like formation so most of us are never more than a few miles from a ROC site. However many have since been destroyed and those that do remain are in varying states of decay and inaccessibility, so the Broadway bunker is probably one of the few remaining maintained and accessible examples in the country.

In the event of a fire inside the bunker
an asbestos fire blanket was supplied.

This was the last listed public open day for this year but for information regarding private functions and future open days you can visit the Broadway Tower website

The ROC site as seen from the top of Broadway Tower.

For more details on the history and workings of these bunkers I would recommend 2 books - 
Cold War Secret Nuclear Bunkers by Nick McCamley published by Pen & Sword and also Cold War - Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989 by Wayne D Cocroft and Roger JC Thomas published by English Heritage

Above ground elements of the FSM meter (foreground)
for measuring above ground radioactivity with the BPI (bomb power indicator) behind 

If (like me) you are more interested in the visual appeal of concrete bunkers, then Nick Catford's "Subterranean Britain - Cold War Bunkers" published by Folly Books is the book for you.

To finish - a view from Broadway Tower

and just one more...

Cold War Book Recommendations

Here are two fabulous books, both of which I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in the architectural legacy of the Cold War. Both seem to be still in print so if you are interested in finding out more or buying a copy just follow the links below...


Subterranean Britain - Cold War Bunkers by Nick Catford

Cold War - Building for Nuclear Confronation by Wayne D Cocroft and Roger JC Thomas. Edited by PS Barnwell

Bunker

Nic Pehkonen, Green Bunker, 2011
Household emulsion paint on unstretched canvas hung on 4 x tarpaulin clips
Widest dimensions - width 224cm x height 180cm

This is another painting in my ongoing series of works relating to Military architecture. It has two vertical folds which allowed me to create both triangular and rectangular forms within the overall composition. 

Here is a close up view of the surface which shows some of the paint effects I achieved by letting the painting dry face down and then peeling it off the studio floor.

Green Bunker (Detail)

 

First Post

Nic Pehkonen, Brown Bunker, 2010

Household emulsion paint on unstretched canvas hung off 4 x tarpaulin clips

Widest dimensions 224cm x 180cm

This painting is one of an ongoing series of works that has evolved from a growing interest in military architecture, associated in particular with the Cold War. This includes a whole array of (aesthetically) weird and wonderful structures such as bunkers, missile sites, airfields, hangars, control towers, and radar installations, all usually involving a lot of concrete and metal.

More often than not I find I am especially drawn to buildings and places in a state of decay, either brought about through abandonment or just general wear and tear. There is something about this combination that has a powerful visual appeal. My intention as an artist is not to produce accurate or literal representations of buildings but works that are more suggestive of places or architectural forms and the effects of constant exposure to the elements, human intervention and the passage of time.

I prefer to work on unstretched canvas as this allows me the freedom to cut the painting to shape (either before, during or after the painting process). In this way the canvas becomes fully integral to the piece as a whole and not just an inert surface onto which an image is described. I suppose in some ways the finished piece is as much a three dimensional object as it is a painting.

Working with unstretched canvas also allows me to exploit the physical properties of the material as part of the painting process. Shrinkage and slight changing of shape is an interesting by-product of this. Plus I can work with the canvas on the floor. This gives me the option of folding the painting over on itself. By doing this when the paint is wet I can delineate areas without physically painting edges which I think can give a greater sense of both depth and solidity to the overall composition. I can also turn the canvas over, allowing it to dry face down before peeling it off the floor. These various techniques, combined with the cumulative build up of successive paint layers, often yield intricate and interesting patterns and textures.

See more of my work


Here is a detail of the above painting.