Telephone exchange, Central Government War Headquarters
The Central Government War Headquarters (CGWHQ) is a 35-acre (14 ha)[1] complex built 120 feet (37 m) underground[2] as the United Kingdom's emergency government war headquarters – the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the Soviet Union. It is in Corsham, Wiltshire, in a former Bath stone quarry known as Spring Quarry, under the present-day MoD Corsham.[3]
In 1940, during the Second World War, the site was acquired by the Minister of Aircraft Production and used as an underground engine factory.[1] The war headquarters was commissioned in 1955, after approval by Prime Minister Anthony Eden.[1] However, it became outdated shortly after it was built, due to intercontinental ballistic missiles being able to target it, and the formulation of other plans (such as PYTHON). Nevertheless, the complex continued to have a role in war plans and remained in operation for 30 years.[4]
The complex was known variously as "Stockwell", "Subterfuge", "Burlington", "Turnstile", "Chanticleer", "Peripheral", and "Site 3"[5]
. It was also nicknamed "Hawthorn" by journalist Duncan Campbell, who first revealed its existence in his 1982 book War Plan UK.[6] It was also mentioned by Peter Laurie in his 1979 revised edition of Beneath the City Streets.[7]
^ abcColson, Thomas (8 May 2017). "Inside Britain's secret underground city built during the Cold War to protect the government from nuclear attack". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
^Chittenden, Maurice (30 October 2005). "For sale: Britain's underground city". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.(subscription required)
^Cite error: The named reference NHLE-1409131 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Hennessy, Peter (2010). The Secret State: Preparing for the Worst, 1945–2010 (2 ed.). London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-104469-9.
^"Look inside the eerie Cold War nuclear bunker deep below the Wiltshire countryside". Wiltshire Times. 28 January 2023.
^Campbell, Duncan (24 November 1983). War Plan UK: The Truth about Civil Defence in Britain (Rev ed.). Paladin / Granada. ISBN 0-586-08479-7.
^Laurie, Peter (1 November 1979). Beneath the City Streets (Rev ed.). HarperCollins. ISBN 0586050558.
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