History
The extensive Drakelow underground complex was originally constructed during world war two as a shadow factory for the Rover car company. Rover were at this time manufacturing engines for the Bristol aircraft Company ).
It was to serve as a feeder plant supplying components to Rover's two main shadow factories at Acocks Green and Solihull, to supply spare parts and also to act as a back-up facility enabling continuity of production if either of the main shadow factories was damaged by enemy action. The tunnels have a total length of 3.5 mi (5.6 km) to 4 mi (6.4 km), covering 250,000 sq ft 200 ft beneath a sandstone ridge in Kingsford Country Park near the village of Kinver, Staffordshire.
During the 1950s and the growing Cold War, the site was initially used by the Ministry of Supply for storage.
Then around 1958 part of the site was developed by the Home Office as a Regional Seat of Government (RSG9). It was publicly exposed in a demonstration held there by the West Midlands Committee of 100 in the summer of 1963. Under later Home Defence schemes the bunker was designated a Sub-Regional Control (SRC), Sub-Regional Headquarters (SRHQ) and finally Regional Government Headquarters (RGHQ).
The site was greatly modernised in the early 1980s, only a small portion of the site was designated for use. New blast doors were fitted in place of the previous wooden factory doors and the interior of the site was refurbished in the areas forward of tunnel 4.
In about 1990 there was a plan to move the RGHQ to a much smaller bunker, formerly used by UKWMO, at Lawford Heath near Rugby. In the end this never happened, and the Drakelow site was decommissioned and sold in around 1993.
The annual open day was worth a wander and i would recommend it if you get a chance
Thanks for looking
The extensive Drakelow underground complex was originally constructed during world war two as a shadow factory for the Rover car company. Rover were at this time manufacturing engines for the Bristol aircraft Company ).
It was to serve as a feeder plant supplying components to Rover's two main shadow factories at Acocks Green and Solihull, to supply spare parts and also to act as a back-up facility enabling continuity of production if either of the main shadow factories was damaged by enemy action. The tunnels have a total length of 3.5 mi (5.6 km) to 4 mi (6.4 km), covering 250,000 sq ft 200 ft beneath a sandstone ridge in Kingsford Country Park near the village of Kinver, Staffordshire.
During the 1950s and the growing Cold War, the site was initially used by the Ministry of Supply for storage.
Then around 1958 part of the site was developed by the Home Office as a Regional Seat of Government (RSG9). It was publicly exposed in a demonstration held there by the West Midlands Committee of 100 in the summer of 1963. Under later Home Defence schemes the bunker was designated a Sub-Regional Control (SRC), Sub-Regional Headquarters (SRHQ) and finally Regional Government Headquarters (RGHQ).
The site was greatly modernised in the early 1980s, only a small portion of the site was designated for use. New blast doors were fitted in place of the previous wooden factory doors and the interior of the site was refurbished in the areas forward of tunnel 4.
In about 1990 there was a plan to move the RGHQ to a much smaller bunker, formerly used by UKWMO, at Lawford Heath near Rugby. In the end this never happened, and the Drakelow site was decommissioned and sold in around 1993.
The annual open day was worth a wander and i would recommend it if you get a chance
Thanks for looking
