The War Rooms in Nottingham, one of the best-kept secrets of the Cold War era, have been unearthed through 3D scans. Constructed in the 1950s to protect 400 government officials and manage the surviving population in the event of nuclear attacks, the shelters have been opened to visitors through virtual tours. These “top-secret” shelters, built between 1952-1953, were prepared to control the surviving population in case of an atomic bomb explosion and were one of the 11 Regional Government Centers.
Thanks to the 3D scans conducted by Nottingham Trent University, areas such as original dormitories, kitchens, and offices within the shelter have been revealed to the public for the first time. In the 1950s, the British government began to feel increasingly concerned about a nuclear attack threat directed towards UK cities. It was decided that places to protect and house the remnants of the government needed to be constructed in case England survived an attack.
Dr. Daniel Cordle, a nuclear history expert, stated that the shelters aimed to ensure the survival of the country if the government collapsed. “If the government disappeared, in a way, the country would have disappeared as well. These concerns peaked with the construction of the Nottingham War Rooms between 1952-1953,” he said. The shelter was designed to accommodate up to 400 government officials in the event of a nuclear attack. In 1962, it was expanded to manage the surviving population and administration began through Regional Commissioners, who could have life or death power over the survivors.
The shelter was made public in 1963 and decommissioned in 1967. Today, it is seen as a unique time capsule from the Cold War era. During a virtual tour, many rooms in the shelter can be observed to be preserved as they were back then. In the kitchen of the shelter, there is a warranty for a refrigerator from the 1960s, while toilet papers with a stamp stating “Property of the State” were stockpiled in the restrooms.
Dr. Cordle emphasized the importance of these areas, stating that the shelter, with both male and female dorms, kitchens, and other areas, is a reflection of efforts to survive under nuclear war conditions. Additionally, a compressed air tube system enabling messaging inside the shelter and the British public broadcaster BBC’s “Emergency Broadcasting Facility” were also built inside. The facility was briefly taken over by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in 1967 and was used during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. Acquired by real estate developer Hamilton Russell, who collaborated with Nottingham Trent University, the shelter has been subjected to 3D scans and is now being prepared to be transformed into a community and commercial space.