Hack Green RGHQ (Nuclear War) Bunker

United Kingdom / England / Nantwich /
 museum, military, Cold War 1947-1991, bunker
In the 1950s the station, officially designated RAF Hack Green, was also known as Mersey Radar. It provided an air traffic control service to military aircraft crossing civil airspace. The site was abandoned and remained derelict for many years, until the Home Office took it over. They rebuilt the R6 bunker as a Regional Government Headquarters (RGHQs) - one of a network of 17 such sites throughout the UK - designed to enable government to continue in the aftermath of a major nuclear attack on the UK.

In about 1992, following the end of the Cold War, the Home Office abandoned its network of RGHQs and sold many of the sites. This one was bought by a private company and subsequently opened to the public in 1998 as a museum with a Cold War theme.

Exhibits include the nose section of an F-4 Phantom jet. The bunker is open to the public most of the year. It has a substantial collection of military and Cold War memorabilia, including one of the largest collections of decommissioned nuclear weapons in the world. It also houses Ballistic Missile Early Warning System equipment originally from RAF High Wycombe.

The museum includes information about the function of the bunker during the Cold War. There is a simulator designed to simulate conditions in the bunker during a nuclear attack. Visitors can watch the BBC film The War Game, produced to inform the public of what would be likely to happen in a nuclear attack on Britain. Younger visitors to the museum can follow the trail by the "Cold War Spy Mouse", which avoids the more disturbing aspects of the bunker, such as the medical room, where a mannequin is depicted with symptoms of burns and radiation poisoning. If all of the missiles at Hack Green were armed, the base alone would be the 7th biggest Nuclear Power in the world.

www.hackgreen.co.uk/Hack_Green_History/hack_green_histo...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_Green_Secret_Nuclear_Bunker
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   53°1'38"N   2°31'49"W

Comments

  • For over 50 years this vast underground complex, remained secret, hidden on the outskirts of a sleepy Cheshire town. De-classified in 1993, the 35000 sq ft underground bunker would have been the centre of regional government had nuclear war broken out. Entering through the massive blast doors, you will be transported into the chilling world of the "Cold War". Re-built in the 1980's at a cost of over £32 million & transformed into the blast-proof headquarters you can explore today. Hear the sounds- even the smells of a working civil defence H.Q. at the height of the "Cold War". Exciting "Real Life" operational rooms. Many audio-visual presentations. 2 superb cinemas showing previously secret films. Explore the labyrinth of spooky corridors. All the family will enjoy the "Hands On" activities. An "All Weather Attraction", the bunker is a huge adventure playground in itself. Younger children can have bundles of fun as secret agents, following the "Soviet Spy Mouse Trail". Before ending your eye-opening tour, visit the bunker bistro for your survival rations. And don't miss our shop, take home a souvenir of your visit to the "Secret World of Nuclear Government".
  • Well documented. This is indeed a very interesting facility. Everyone should visit this, and it is a chilling reminder about nuclear war.
This article was last modified 14 years ago