Hawthorn, Wiltshire, also known as Corsham or TURNSTILE, is an immense nuclear bunker in the United Kingdom. The complex was built 120ft below RAF Rudloe Manor, Corsham, in Wiltshire from the 1940s onwards to the 1960s. Until at least the early 1990s it contained the emergency government command centre (Central Government War Headquarters). The facility began life as an underground aircraft factory in the Second World War, and by the 1950s was developed as a command bunker housing the British government (including the Prime Minister and the Cabinet), commanders of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army, as well as providing accommodation and work facilities for some 4,000 civil servants and military personnel. The facility was intended to be self-sufficient and provide a safe refuge for the government and military commanders, allowing them to continue to govern the country and direct British armed forces in the event of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The complex is now largely abandoned, and may never have been fully operational due to maintenance and construction costs. The codename BURLINGTON was first used in 1961 and in 1963 was changed to TURNSTILE. Before 1961, it was known as SUBTERFUGE. While the site was being built, it was referred to as STOCKWELL. More recently the site has reportedly been known as "Site 3". Corsham High Street Corsham is a small town in northwest Wiltshire in England, close to both Bath and Chippenham. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect oneself. ... RAF Rudloe Manor is located south-east of Bath. ... Corsham High Street Corsham is a small town in northwest Wiltshire in England, close to both Bath and Chippenham. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... The Central Government War Headquarters, at Corsham, Wiltshire, was the site of the highest level administration in the event of a catastrophic emergency. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the head of government and so exercises many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services being the oldest of its three branches. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Facilities

The 35 acre complex was accessible by a private railway station, with a private line connecting to the main British rail network at Box Tunnel. In the event of imminent nuclear war, it was assumed that the government would be evacuated from London by rail or helicopter, as the roads would be jammed with refugees trying to escape London. The underground sections of the facility were reached by a large elevator, with a double escalator providing access at the facility's more secret western entrance. Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through the Box Hill. ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ... A set of elevators or lifts, in the lower level of a train station. ... Escalators at Westminster tube station, London. ...

Living facilities included accommodation for nearly 4,000 people, with dormitories, industrial-sized kitchens, a bakery, a canteen, one of the largest laundries in the world, a large and well-equipped hospital with dental surgeries, and even a pub, named the "Rose and Crown", a virtual copy of a pub in Whitehall popular with civil servants (this may be an urban myth). The bakery and canteen would be staffed by carefully selected civilians. Communications were provided by a public address system, a giant telephone exchange, and dozens of pneumatic tubes. There were even BBC studios. Dozens of offices were built, including teleprinter rooms and a radio room. Over 3500 1953 swivel chairs were included. The entire facility was self-sufficient, with its own electricity generators, water purifiers, and air ducts which could be sealed against gas or radiation using immense steel gates. A typical American college dorm room A dormitory or dorm is a place to sleep. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation. ... Bakery foods A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, cakes and similar foods. ... Canteen has several different meanings: Canteen (place), a private cafe, restaurant, or cafeteria at a school, office, or military base. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sound reinforcement system. ... A Verizon Central Office in Lakeland, Florida at night. ... Pneumatic tubes, also known as capsule pipelines, are systems in which cylindrical containers are propelled through a network of tubes by compressed air or by vacuum. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world. ... Teletype machines in World War II A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is a now largely obsolete electro-mechanical typewriter which can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point through a simple electrical communications channel, often just a pair of wires. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... The following is a partial list of chair types, with internal or external cross references about most of the chairs. ... Radiation in physics is a process of emission of energy or particles. ...

In addition to providing accommodation, the facility was also designed to store the United Kingdom's stores of gold bullion and precious artifacts from museums and art galleries across the country, which were to be sent to safety in the bunker in the event that war seemed imminent. General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6 , d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art, and usually primarily paintings and sculpture. ...

Some sources suggest that accommodation was provided for the Royal Family, though this is doubtful, as the high-tech Royal Yacht Britannia, built in 1953, was intended to be used as a mobile refuge for the Royal Family. Most of the site was laid out on a grid plan. Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ... Britannia HM Yacht Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660 (Charles II himself had 25 Royal Yachts, while five were simultaneously in service in 1831). ... HM Yacht Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. ... A simple grid plan road map (Windermere, Florida). ...

Details

The complex comprises a series of tunnels and caverns in the stone quarries of north Wiltshire. In the 1940s an underground aircraft factory was constructed in the tunnels at great expense. After the war, no doubt reluctant to entirely discount the enormous investment, various government and military units were stationed in and above the excavations. These included the Royal Observer Corps, signals units and supply depots. From the 1950s if not earlier provision was made for a government command centre in the event of London being untenable. The acquisition of thermonuclear weapons by the Soviet Union led to increased interest in the site. Over the course of the 1960s rooms were apparently provided for the Commanders-in-Chief Committee, for the Prime Minister and War Cabinet, and elements of the higher civil service. Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was, until stood down in 1991, a part of the UK Ministry of Defence. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... A grouping of the heads of the armed forces of the Crown of the United Kingdom, the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of General Staff, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of Air Staff. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... A War Cabinet is committee formed by a government in time of war. ... A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. ...

It is believed that doubts about the safety of the site led to the development of plans for a reserve bunker, possibly in Wales, but this is not thought to have been completed. By the early 1990s, and the end of the Cold War, civil defence spending was slashed by the British government, and Corsham proved no exception. The site is now largely decommissioned, though some capacity for revival and use may survive. The recent upsurge in terrorism has awakened interest in the survivability of the government, but it is unknown whether this will lead to any revival of Corsham's fortunes. As of 2006, the British government's emergency bunker is located beneath Whitehall, in the PINDAR Crisis Management Centre. For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their alliance partners. ... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ...

Controversy

The TURNSTILE facility attracted much controversy in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, as analysts debated whether or not it was actually useful. Many military analysts in the 1960s argued that building the complex was a waste of money and resources, as the chances of getting the government out of London in the event of war were slim. If the British government had been expecting war with the Soviet Union for some days, then the necessary preparations could be made to move to the bunker. However, the chances of an immediate surprise attack were considered to be far greater. If the Soviets attacked using bomber aircraft, the government would have around twenty minutes to evacuate London before the bombers came within range, but if a missile attack was launched, much less time would be available. Although Fylingdales radar station could identify incoming Soviet bombers around twenty minutes before they reached Britain, a missile attack would be much faster: missiles coming directly from the USSR would only be identified two or three minutes before they hit London, and missiles launched from Soviet submarines in the North Sea would hit London within twenty to thirty seconds after being picked up on radar. This problem — the four minute warning — meant that the military would have only three or four minutes, and possibly as little as twenty seconds, to get the necessary personnel out of London before it was hit by a nuclear missile. Military analysts argued that it was more than likely that the government would be destroyed in London in the event of a surprise Soviet missile strike, and that the construction of TURNSTILE was therefore a waste of money. However, the government continued with construction, arguing that a safe refuge was still necessary for the new government which would replace those killed, and that the Prime Minister and military commanders stood a chance of escaping from London by helicopter. Of course, the bunker would serve a vital purpose if the government was given more notice of incoming Soviet missiles, and had enough time to get to the bunker before British cities were hit. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... RAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force radar station in North Yorkshire. ... USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the distance of, and map, objects such... The four minute warning was conceived by the British Government during the Cold War. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ...

Current status

In the 1990s, the British government offered the facility for sale. As of 2005, it has a population of four maintenance staff. The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ...

The Times [1] reported on October 31, 2005, that it was for sale. The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

"A formerly secret Government underground site near Corsham in Wiltshire, which was a potential relocation site for the Government in the event of a nuclear war, was declassified at the end of 2004" [2] and is now up for sale.

"The Ministry of Defence is seeking new tenants for a secret underground city, built to shelter the Government in the event of nuclear war, which is now surplus to requirements. The site at Corsham, Wiltshire, is large enough to house 4,000 government personnel. Completed in 1961, it covers hundreds of acres and is connected by ten miles of tunnels. As well as two railway stations and a reservoir, the sunken suburb 120ft (37m) below ground even has a pub." [3] "Property developers looking for the ultimate place to get away from it all need not apply. The site has a notional value of £5m but there is a catch. It is available only as part of a private finance initiative that involves investing in the military base on the surface above. Already two uses are being considered: a massive data store for City firms or the biggest wine cellar in Europe. More outlandish ideas put forward include a nightclub for rave parties, a 1950s theme park or a reception centre for asylum seekers. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ruled out any suggestion of using it to store nuclear waste or providing open public access because of the dangers that still lurk below." [4]

The "dangers" are of a natural rather than a man-made form. The tunnels of which the complex is comprised are carved out of relatively soft stone - the whole area began as an underground quarry. Much of this tunnelling was rough. The second phase of development was the construction of the ammunition depots and aircraft engine factories, which also did not result in a uniformly high standard of civil engineering, hurried as it was by the exigencies of war. The net result is that much of the complex is damp, prone to falling roofs, and quite unsuitable for long-term use.

BBC Wiltshire online have an Exclusive Virtual Tour of Burlington. The Virtual Tour includes a video tour of the entire underground complex, 360 degree panoramic image galleries and an interactive site map of the entire complex. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/underground_city/index.shtml

Trivia

• The walls had photos of the Queen and Princess Margaret, as well as of Grace Kelly and other celebrities, placed by construction workers and maintenance staff.
• The address of one (unspecified) key feature was 3 East Second Street.
• The facility contains many murals from its days as an aircraft factory, including a bizarre painting of a Christian missionary being cooked in a pot by cannibals.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor) (born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms. ... HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret (Margaret Rose Armstrong-Jones, née Windsor; (August 21, 1930—February 9, 2002) was a member of the British Royal Family, the second eldest daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and sister of the current British... Princess Grace of Monaco, (born Grace Patricia Kelly) (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film actress who, as a result of marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19, 1956, became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. ... Salle des illustres, ceiling painting, by Jean André Rixens. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ whom they believe is the saviour of the world. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Cannibalism is the act or practice of eating members of the same species, e. ...

References

• Peter Hennessy, The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War. Penguin Books, London, 2002.

See also

• Box Tunnel
• Corsham Computer Centre
• Q-Whitehall
• Civil Contingencies Secretariat

BBC Wiltshire online have an Exclusive Virtual Tour of Burlington. The Virtual Tour includes a video tour of the entire underground complex, 360 degree panoramic image galleries and an interactive site map of the entire complex. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/underground_city/index.shtml Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through the Box Hill. ... Corsham Computer Centre (CCC) is an underground British government installation near RAF Corsham and RAF Rudloe Manor in the heavily-tunneled Corsham area of Wiltshire. ... A number of military citadels exist under central London, dating mostly from the Second World War and the Cold War. ... Responsibility for emergency planning in the United Kingdom was transferred from the Home Office to the Cabinet Office in 2001. ...

External links

• Photos and tour through the Spring Quarry complex which includes Hawthorn
• Aerial photo of Hawthorn, Wiltshire. Other map and aerial photo sources.
• Unofficial page with information
• abovetopsecret.com - article and forum with pictures
• Subterranea Britannica
• Nettleden site - good info site with many pictures
• UK Secret Bases