Cold War Private Underground Nuclear Shelter, Taverham, Norfolk

Summary

A private Cold War nuclear fall out shelter, constructed in 1982.

Description

Nuclear fall out shelter; 1982; designed and built by private individual; reinforced concrete, steel, brick and polythene with timber panelling.

EXTERIOR: from the outside, the shelter appears simply as a leaf and bluebell covered mound: the only visible structural elements are four vents, small metal cylindrical structures rising about a foot above the ground surface; and the entrance, a steel door sunk below ground level, shielded to the left by a concrete structure nearly 1m wide and about 1m deep, which slopes out, beside the steps that lead down to the entrance. The roof is corrugated iron, largely concealed beneath evergreen shrubs that frame the entrance. Outside the entrance is a square concrete slab set into the ground. The mound overall is about 14m long, and 4m wide, and the earth cover over the shelter is said to be about 2.5m deep. Below ground, the outer walls of the shelter consists of a layer of polythene followed by shuttered reinforced concrete, which is followed by more polythene, and finally the interior wall panelling described below. The roof structure consists of reinforced steel joists, which support steel rods with steel mesh laid on top. Above the steel structure is concrete to a depth of about 0.40m, with earth over.

INTERIOR: concrete steps lead down to the entrance, with its steel door, and then down into a corridor. At this point it is 1m below ground level. The corridor has concrete block walls, but the lower part of the wall is shuttered concrete with a corrugated edge. This projects forward slightly to the right of the corridor, but to the left forms a wide shelf which holds a generator, contemporary with the construction of the shelter. At the end of this corridor, a pair of timber doors opens into a second corridor, which contains a boiler that heats the water for a spa bath in the main room of the shelter. This corridor is also lined with concrete blocks, and slopes down to another set of double doors, of an institutional kind, with metal kick plates and hand plates. These open into the shelter itself, but just before the threshold is a removable section of the floor, a narrow board the width of the corridor. The board lifts up to reveal a trench, into one end of which is set a metal top-opening safe. The rest of the trench contains sand and gravelly earth, removable to create a soakaway toilet. There is another area of soil and sand near the entrance where water could soak away in the event of flooding. The depth of concrete to the floor here is about 0.20m, and deeper in the main room. This is a rectangular space, lined with unpainted plywood and lit by strip lighting. The floor is carpeted, laid over tiles above scree, the carpet rising up the side of the spa bath, which occupies the whole of the width of the far end of the room from the entrance. Plywood panels surrounding the spa bath are removable to allow access to water pipes and controls, while a well padded two part cover provided a sleeping platform. Additional bunks would have been located in the space outside the main room. Just to the right of the entrance is a kitchen sink unit, with a matching wall cupboard unit above. Next to the kitchen units is gym equipment to allow for exercise in confinement, wall bars and a wide plank. Approximately at the centre of this wall, close to the wall bars, is a gas fire.

History

The Cold War shelter at Taverham was constructed in an area of private woodland (part of the garden of the owner) in 1982, a period of heightened Cold War tension following Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The nuclear threat must have been particularly felt in Norfolk, with its numerous airfields (including a USAF presence), a constant reminder of the fact that the eastern counties were on the front line during the Cold War, as they had been in World War II. Anxiety about the nuclear threat must have been further exacerbated by the release, in 1980, of the government pamphlet, Protect and Survive, a document produced in 1976 but not intended for dissemination unless and until war was considered imminent. Leaks about its existence seem to have forced the government to change its mind, but it was received by the public with incredulity at the inadequacy of its advice to citizens on how to protect themselves against a terrifyingly destructive force. Presumably because the government’s intention had been not to release it until an attack was threatened, the document contains no reference to or recommendations about the construction of domestic nuclear fall out shelters, although commercial shelters were already available; the publication the following year of a Home Office Guide, Domestic Nuclear Shelters, may have been in recognition of this omission.

These events were the background and context of the construction of the nuclear shelter at Taverham, but although the owner felt the threat of attack was real, and enough to justify his actions, neither these nor his design were influenced by government advice. An awareness that local authorities, (including Broadland District Council) had constructed shelters, provided inspiration, an existing World War II Anderson Shelter in the garden was an ideal location, while time spent working at the USAF base at Sculthorpe in the 1960s may have suggested ideas about the use of reinforced concrete; the remodelling, enhancement and enlargement of the existing shelter went far beyond anything recommended by the Home Office.

The construction of the shelter was almost wholly undertaken by the owner, using mainly second hand materials, but he was also aware of the importance of using the correct strength of concrete, which was delivered ready mixed to the site. Where help was needed, this was provided mainly by friends who had worked as builders, and from other relevant trades. The work took almost six months of mostly week-end working to complete. As the shelter was nearing completion, the local planning authority became aware of its existence, and the following conflict over whether or not planning permission was required became something of a local cause celebre, with local press interest revived by a suggestion, in 2002, that it should be listed; however, as it was then too young, and not under threat, to be considered for listing the application was shelved until after the necessary 30 years had elapsed. The Cold War ended finally in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the shelter at Taverham has been well maintained ever since.

Reasons for Listing

The nuclear shelter at Taverham, constructed in 1982, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Rarity: a rare surviving example of private, domestic, nuclear or fall out shelter. The number of private shelters constructed during the Cold War is not known, but very few indeed are recorded as having survived;
* Design and construction: the design of the shelter is very carefully considered, both in terms of levels of protection and the provision of domestic comfort, and its construction is of a high standard;
* Historic interest: it vividly illustrates public anxiety during a period of heightened tension towards the end of the Cold War, and its construction was well documented by local newspapers at the time.

External Links

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