Burlington Bunker - Corsham's secret city
No one would ever suspect that the much-filmed, honey-stoned market town of Corsham, in Wiltshire, would be the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war.
Of Spies and Bunkers ....
The nooks and crannies of Britain include a surprising number of formerly secret Cold War underground hide-outs which can now be visited. We round up a few of them here, as well as some other stories of places associated with espionage and wartime secrets - plus the story of MI9 - lesser-known stablemate of MI5 and MI6.
MI9 - assisting the great escapes of World War Two
We hear in Bond films and other stories about secret service organisation MI6, tasked with controlling British espionage abroad, and domestic espionage specialist MI5. But there were once other MI (Military Intelligence) secret service operators ...
Dover Castle - enduring military stronghold
The magnificent Dover Castle in Kent occupies such a strategically important position on the English coast that it has continued to function as part of the nation's defences from the twelfth to the twentieth century.
Scotland's Secret Bunker: Cold War-intended seat of government
An innocent Scottish farmhouse hides the entrance to RAF Troywood, a Cold War nuclear bunker 100ft underground. Had there been a nuclear war, Scotland would have been governed from here. Since being decommissioned, it can now be visited by the public.
The Drakelow Tunnels
Drakelow Tunnels are a former Top Secret underground military complex beneath Kingsford Country Park north of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The complex is now open to the public and apparently haunted.
Hack Green bunker - a Cold War secret, now revealed
For over 50 years, a number of vast underground complexes around Britain remained secret. They were nuclear protection bunkers, designed to accommodate government officials in the event of an atomic war. Several are now visitor attractions, including one that was hidden on the outskirts of a sleepy Cheshire town.