Corsham's secret underground city
Site 3
Burlington: The 35 acre secret city under Corsham.
Beneath Corsham, Wiltshire, lies the Burlington Bunker—officially the Central Government War Headquarters (CGWHQ)—a vast Cold War-era facility constructed in the 1950s within a former Bath stone quarry. Designed to house up to 4,000 government personnel, including the Prime Minister and Royal Family, it featured dormitories, offices, a hospital, a BBC studio, a telephone exchange, and an underground lake for water supply. The bunker remained on standby until the 1980s and was declassified in 2004, having never been used for its intended purpose.
Post-decommissioning, parts of the site were sold, with sections repurposed by Octavian Vaults for fine wine storage, now housing over $2 billion worth of wine. The remaining areas are under the Ministry of Defence, with some sections designated as scheduled monuments and Grade II* listed due to their historical significance. While public access is restricted due to safety concerns, the Burlington Bunker stands as a testament to Cold War-era engineering and Britain’s contingency planning.
“go half way throw box tunnel thers a underground train station go in 2 it thers a red door go throo it its black with soot but u can still mack out the couler you will cum out on a little road follow it u will cim out in the middle of the citty ” – anonymous
Corsham Computer Centre,
Burlington Bunker,
Peel Circus,
Corsham,
Wiltshire,
SN13 9LB.
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