Derelict London Wartime relics

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" height=115 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="832" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 1 WIDTH="237"><div> <IMG SRC="1fa8c5a0.jpg" border=0 width="140" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="1fc333e0.jpg" border=0 width="307" height="62" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:derelictlondon@yahoo.co.uk" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:derelictlondon@yahoo.co.uk"><U><IMG SRC="08950190.png" border=0 width="80" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>   <A HREF="home_page.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home Page"><U><IMG SRC="0aa50190.png" border=0 width="80" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London Guestbook"><U><IMG SRC="08a50190.png" border=0 width="80" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 WIDTH="248"><div> <IMG SRC="1fb8c590.jpg" border=0 width="140" height="89" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> WARTIME DEFENCES, BUNKERS,SHELTERS & relics</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="183d81180.jpg" border=0 width="385" height="280" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="183f74170.jpg" border=0 width="372" height="279" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Above left - <B>Mile End    </B> Above right - <B>Farringdon</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="8abbcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="8acbcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="8adb8fb0.jpg" border=0 width="184" height="251" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Old posters in The Churchill in <B>Kensington</B>. A decent London boozer.</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1840e4fa0.jpg" border=0 width="228" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> This is a section that I really need some help with finding sites - does anyone know of any air raid shelters to photograph? Do any of you have one in your back garden? email me on: derelictlondon@yahoo.co.uk (ps. the above sign is a reproduction of an original sign and is for the benefit of the London at War Museum at London Bridge)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="8b4559f0.jpg" border=0 width="341" height="159" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div> MEMORIAL IN <B>POSTMANS PARK EC1</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1843d15e0.jpg" border=0 width="465" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>NEASDEN - THE PADDOCK BUNKER</B></div> <bR> <div> The British government decided after the first world war that should a similar war happen again, it would be prudent to have a second secure location for the most senior ministers to escape to and continue running a war. Why Neasden? This part of Neasden was home to a very secret Post Office research centre created in the late 1920s and early 1930s. This was where Tommy Flowers carried out the research that led to the design and construction of the first electronic computer, Colossus, at Bletchley Park. His computers played an essential part in cracking the most challenging of the German military codes. </div> <bR> <div> Winston Churchill's secret bunker was really secret throughout World War Two (1939-1945). There are War Rooms under Whitehall, where Churchill held cabinet meetings and slept but he also had another bunker, 40 ft below ground in sleepy Brook Road, Neasden, NW London. The bunker, codenamed Paddock, was an alternative to the Cabinet War Rooms at Whitehall, which would not have survived a direct hit. This bunker was deep enough to be completely bombproof. Paddock was meant to be Churchill's last refuge if the World War 2 Battle of Britain had been lost. It was designed to accommodate the entire war cabinet and 200 staff. It cost £250,000 to build the bunker in 1938 - that would be about £80 million now.  Paddock was so secret, that Churchill only described it as "near Hampstead" in his memoirs. But he used it just once for a war cabinet meeting because he thought it was too far away from the city and he found it rather damp.</div> <bR> <div> A steel clad door is the only clue to Churchill's secret wartime bunker . Families live next door in homes built by Stadium Housing Association. In 1997, a housing development company bought the land.They spent £15,000 on the bunker including pumping out two feet of water that had settled in the sub-basement when the fabric of the structure was damaged during the construction of the new houses above. Pumps were fitted and lighting installed on both levels and in many of the rooms.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="18454af80.jpg" border=0 width="330" height="248" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> The Post Office workers used parts of the upper floor for a social club in the 1960's. This area was also used as a recording studio. It was built to withstand the biggest bombs of the day, but water leaks in everywhere. There are no toilets underground & the kitchen is tiny. Yet it has a large map room, cabinet room, sleeping quarters for Churchill, separate areas for Army, Navy, and Air force. A room is dedicated</div> <div> for BBC broadcasts.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1847340b0.jpg" border=0 width="308" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="1849c70e0.jpg" border=0 width="199" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="184bcb0e0.jpg" border=0 width="203" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="184dfd0f0.jpg" border=0 width="253" height="271" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> The coat hooks are in the War Cabinet Room. There was dry rot fungus up to two feet deep hanging from the walls and ceilings when the room was re-opened. It’s been cleared but it’s growing back here and in most of the other lower level rooms. Churchill held just one meeting here on 3 October 1940 with twelve other ministers and three chiefs of staff. He is believed to have slept in the room next door where a rotting bed was found in one corner.The filing cabinet in the right hand pic has certainly seen better days!</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="184f2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="1851bde20.jpg" border=0 width="189" height="226" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Threads of long thin stalactites hang from the ceilings.They are hollow calcite straws caused by calcium leaching out of the concrete. In some places stalactites on their way down have met stalagmites on theirway up and fused together.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1890f2380.jpg" border=0 width="242" height="312" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="1891fc390.jpg" border=0 width="252" height="313" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> (left pic) telephone exchange room - The main distribution frame still stands with numerous racks of relays still in place- each batch of relays has a metal dust cover, some of which are labeled (right pic) the generator room - the control panel - the original diesel-powered generator is still present </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="188f38eb0.jpg" border=0 width="312" height="235" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> the kitchen</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Want present day pics of your old haunts? Researching your family tree and need location pics? </B></div> <div> <B>Pictures taken to order - low cost - any job considered (not just derelicts!).</B></div> <div> <B>Much cheaper than professional photographers.Contact: Paul at derelictlondon.com </B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1855affa0.jpg" border=0 width="175" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>LAMBETH - IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM</B> - Portable "Consul" Air Raid Shelter</div> <div> These could accomodate two people and give protection against shrapnel and falling masonry during air raids.Often used at railway stations where staff had to guide passengers to safety before taking shelter themselves.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> --<IMG SRC="185734330.jpg" border=0 width="308" height="307" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="185995330.jpg" border=0 width="405" height="307" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>HORSE GUARDS PARADE SW1 - THE CITADEL</B></div> <div> The Citadel was built in 1940 as an operations centre for the Navy and was linked to government buildings in Whitehall and beyond by a deep-level tunnel. The concrete roof and walls are 12 feet thick and designed to withstand the impact of a 500lb bomb. In the event of a German invasion, it was intended that the building would become a fortress, with firing positions provided to fend off attackers. Several thousand government officials could be accommodated for up to three months at a time.</div> <bR> <div> Sir Winston Churchill described the Citadel in his memoirs as a ‘vast monstrosity which weighs upon the Horse Guards Parade’. In an attempt to disguise the original function of the building, it is now covered with Russian vine.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>DEEP LEVEL SHELTERS</B></div> <bR> <div> After the heavy bombing of mid-1940, in the October of that year it was decided to build these shelters.Eight shelters were completed in 1942 around London all beneath existing underground stations and seven on the Northern Line. Each consisted of two parallel tunnels 1200 feet long and divided into two floors. </div> <bR> <div> Each 100ft underground and contained 8000 bunks, canteen and hospital facilities.In order to avoid a repetition of the devastating effects of the direct hits at tube stations such as Bank, the heads of the staircases were protected by heavy concrete blockhouses. (The bomb at Bank bounced down the escalator and exploded on the platform killing 117 people).</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="8d47d1e0.jpg" border=0 width="381" height="286" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>CLAPHAM COMMON</B></div> <div> Designated as an emergency command post in anticipation of London by V1 & V2 rockets which were feared to carry atomic payloads.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="185c57020.jpg" border=0 width="343" height="258" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>NORTH CLAPHAM</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="185dc2e50.jpg" border=0 width="194" height="229" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="185f2ce50.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="229" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>SOUTH CLAPHAM</B></div> <div> In 1948 the Deep Tunnel at Clapham South provided temporary accommodation for 236 Jamaican immigrants that sailed to Britain on "The Windrush". Brixton was the nearest Labour Exchange so many settled nearby. Became a youth hostel during the festival of Britain in the 1950's</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="251909c70.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="199" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="251b0ac80.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="251d98c90.jpg" border=0 width="152" height="201" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="251f11cb0.jpg" border=0 width="273" height="203" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Erol Hasan took these photos of inside the shelter (taken from the Balham Hill entrance)</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="18612ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="18632ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="18652ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>STOCKWELL</B></div> <bR> <div> Once used as a hostel for American troops</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="186745f40.jpg" border=0 width="325" height="244" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>GOODGE STREET - THE EISENHOWER CENTRE</B></div> <div> A bunker built for highly-placed army officials, including the American General Eisenhower. Most of the D-Day invasion was planned from the depths of here. It continued in use as an army transit centre until it was damaged by fire in 1956.Now used as an archival storage depot. The 1956 fire caused such alarm and proved so difficult to put out that the Minister of Works had to assure the House of Commons that the shelters would never again be used for human occupation in peacetime.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="186945f40.jpg" border=0 width="325" height="244" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>GOODGE STREET</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="186b45f50.jpg" border=0 width="325" height="245" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>BELSIZE PARK</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="186d45ec0.jpg" border=0 width="325" height="236" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>CAMDEN TOWN</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> PILL BOXES:</div> <bR> <div> Pillboxes are among the most easily recognizable survivors of the 1940 defences hastily built all over the British Isles to deal with an anticipated German invasion. They were designed to serve as local strongpoints, manned by a garrison of one to ten men armed with rifles and light or heavy machine guns, which were fired through narrow slits in the wall. Some pillboxes were equipped with a mounting to support one or more machine guns in an anti-aircraft role. </div> <bR> <div> Over 18,000 concrete pillboxes were constructed, and quite a large number still survive. Their walls are usually so thick that demolition is deemed to be more trouble than it is worth.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="186f7c1d0.jpg" border=0 width="380" height="285" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="187180200.jpg" border=0 width="384" height="288" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>BOW</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="187354fe0.jpg" border=0 width="340" height="254" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="187554ff0.jpg" border=0 width="340" height="255" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>THAMESMEAD</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="259abcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="259c52f90.jpg" border=0 width="338" height="249" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="259ecbfa0.jpg" border=0 width="203" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>THAMESMEAD - PILLBOX</B></div> <bR> <div> The turret in the left pic is believed to be the base of a rotating anti aircraft gun holder. This pillbox was strategically placed by the Thames to protect nearby Woolwich Arsenal just up the Thames and the Beckton gas works just over the river.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="187754ff0.jpg" border=0 width="340" height="255" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="1879c2010.jpg" border=0 width="194" height="257" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>PUTNEY BRIDGE</B></div> <div> When viewed from the road below this pillbox looks a little out of place!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="187b7a120.jpg" border=0 width="378" height="274" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>BARNES</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="24607a2e0.jpg" border=0 width="378" height="302" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>HANWORTH</B></div> <bR> <div> World War Two pillbox buried in undergrowth. This was presumably positioned here to protect the adjacent Hanworth Park House</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2764f4fa0.jpg" border=0 width="244" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="2766fbfa0.jpg" border=0 width="251" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>CRICKLEWOOD</B></div> <bR> <div> This pillbox is hidden away in undergrowth behind railings & not instantly recognisable as a pillbox.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="27682ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>BOUNDS GREEN</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Any places you think should be on this site?Let me know! </B></div> <div> <B>Also info (however trivial) or stories/personal memories on any of the buildings would be appreciated. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="276a2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="276c2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="276e2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>NEW SOUTHGATE - ARP SHELTER??</B></div> <div> Its possible this was some kind of wartime shelter though I cant find any records of it anywhere. Can anyone help?</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="187f5c050.jpg" border=0 width="348" height="261" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="18805b050.jpg" border=0 width="347" height="261" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="188158fc0.jpg" border=0 width="344" height="252" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="188259fc0.jpg" border=0 width="345" height="252" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>SLADE GREEN/ ERITH - (NEAR THE SITE OF) THAMES AMMUNITION WORKS</B></div> <bR> <div> (Near the site of) Thames Ammunition Works - Slade Green/Erith.These pics were taken on the marshes just west of the Dartford bridge - this is the site of the Joyce Green Aerodrome in World War 1 and the Thames Ammunition Works in World War 11</div> <bR> <div> The Dartford Area was the most heavily bombed area per acre in Britain. Dartford was the front line for the German bombardment of Britain. Planes which could not make it to London often dumped their bombs on Dartford before returning home. Flying bombs (V1 Doodlebugs and V2 rockets) fell short of London on many occasions. Over 13,000 houses were damaged by bombing and some 150 people were killed. Local A.R.P. (Air Raid Precautions) officials kept records of incidents, and records kept by Fire Watchers and Home Guard gave an idea of how many bombs fell. An estimated 2 million incendiary bombs were dropped in the Dartford Rural area. </div> <bR> <div> Matthew England writes: "The site is a heavy anti aircraft battery with two defending pillboxs and other various buildings, I think one is a shelter and one a plotting room. This site can be viewedon google earth at 51 28' 29.57" N 0 12'10.29" E. There are also records about this site in the Archaeology Data Service web site ADS record ID - CBA -DOBNAI-3073 is one and another on the Defence of Britain database record no 3073."</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="8f9ea280.jpg" border=0 width="234" height="296" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="8fb44280.jpg" border=0 width="324" height="296" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="8fd71290.jpg" border=0 width="369" height="297" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="8ff50e10.jpg" border=0 width="336" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="90113e00.jpg" border=0 width="275" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="9033fde0.jpg" border=0 width="319" height="222" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>CHADWELL HEATH ANTI AIRCRAFT GUN SITE</B></div> <bR> <div> During the London Blitz, the 274 Battery of the 86th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Honourable Artillery Company) formed part of the defences of the capital. It was deployed mainly around the north-eastern edges, near Chingford, Loughton and Chadwell Heath</div> <bR> <div> Here are the substantial remains of a World War II Anti-Aircraft Battery with pits for eight guns in two groups of four and associated structures. The buildings are subject to vandalism and are in an isolated spot, surrounded by a quarry, increasing their chances of further deterioration.From here there are views towards the Thames valley, Dagenham Dock and Fords. The site formed part of the Inner Artillery Zone which surrounded London. It is a purpose built 8-gun site (most sites had 4 guns), seeing a considerable amount of action between 1940-41. Locals recall an anti-aircraft gun called Whalebone Winnie, which was deafening during firing. </div> <bR> <div> In Summer 2008 bomb squad officers rushed to the area after the discovery of a World War Two bomb. The WW2 250lb bomb was uncovered by a digger during excavation works at the adjacent gravel pits. The bomb was obviously intended by the Germans to destroy the gun site.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="90556f40.jpg" border=0 width="342" height="244" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="90713f30.jpg" border=0 width="275" height="243" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="90951f40.jpg" border=0 width="337" height="244" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Inside some of the structures</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="90b63ee0.jpg" border=0 width="355" height="238" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="90d3ced0.jpg" border=0 width="316" height="237" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="90f28ee0.jpg" border=0 width="296" height="238" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B></div> <div> Remains of the gun mountings:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="911282a0.jpg" border=0 width="296" height="298" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Interior of an underground bunker</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>RAF BIGGIN HILL</B></div> <bR> <div> Biggin Hill is one of the most famous names to be part of the proud history of the Royal Air Force. Alongside the names of such famous aircraft as theSpitfire and Hurricane and airmen such as Douglas Bader, Biggin Hill is one of the most remembered and recognised fighter stations anywhere in the world. It is best known for its role during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War, when it served as one of the principal fighter bases protecting London and South East England from attack by enemy bombers. Over the course of the war, fighters based at Biggin Hill claimed 1,400 enemy aircraft, at the cost of the lives of 453 Biggin Hill based aircrew</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1888670d0.jpg" border=0 width="359" height="269" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="1889650c0.jpg" border=0 width="357" height="268" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="188adf290.jpg" border=0 width="223" height="297" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="188bdf290.jpg" border=0 width="223" height="297" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="188c8b280.jpg" border=0 width="395" height="296" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> "C" and "E" shaped blast shelters - designed to be ground protection for aircraft against anything other than a direct hit & attack from the open side. The sides comprise a brick core earther over to absord any bomb blast. At the rear are air raid shelters built of reinforced concrete.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="91726dd0.jpg" border=0 width="294" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="91827dd0.jpg" border=0 width="295" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B></div> <div> Pillbox in the woods, based around a tree to provide camoflage. The Germans had used glider-borne troops & parachutists and there was worry that they would launch a surprise attack on the airfield. This box was used by a section of 6 men led by an NCO. There are brackets to pivot Bren or Lewis machine guns.The doorway is extremely low to prevent the enemy from storming the box.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="91926dd0.jpg" border=0 width="294" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="91a26dd0.jpg" border=0 width="294" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Surface sleeping shelter for dawn patrols and night fighters. The metal supports for the bunks are still visible. Designed to accomodate up to 18 people. This one, according to the local air cadets, is haunted........</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="91cfac50.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> The last remaining dispersal hut - the building which pilots rested before being given the order to "scramble" (to take off with haste, as to intercept enemy aircraft).</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>AIR RAID SHELTERS</B></div> <div> In 1935 British prime minister Stanley Baldwin published a circular entitled Air Raid Precautions, inviting local authorities to make plans to provide air raid protection in the event of war. The result was the building of a number of public air raid shelters, but because they were often cold, damp and dark, they proved unpopular, and householders were soon being encouraged to make their own arrangements and to build private shelters on their properties (for instance, Anderson shelters), or within their houses (Morrison shelters), with materials supplied by the government.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="91ebcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="920b8fa0.jpg" border=0 width="184" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="922bcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>LEE, MANOR HOUSE - ICE HOUSE</B></div> <div> Believed to be about 200 years old - used by the Victorians to store ice in the warm summer months.Served as an air raid shelter in WWII. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="924fabc0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="188" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>BERMONDSEY </B></div> <div> Sign for air raid shelter in a housing estate. There is no other evidence of the shelter.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="926b0d80.jpg" border=0 width="176" height="216" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="9281ad70.jpg" border=0 width="282" height="215" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="188df3d60.jpg" border=0 width="243" height="214" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="188e01d60.jpg" border=0 width="257" height="214" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>WESTMINSTER</B></div> <div> Some rare signs in a residential street pointing to a public air-raid shelter.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="289386330.jpg" border=0 width="390" height="307" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>BERMONDSEY - NECKINGER ESTATE AIR RAID SHELTER SIGN</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B> <IMG SRC="262a40f40.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="244" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="262dddf30.jpg" border=0 width="221" height="243" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="262c44f30.jpg" border=0 width="324" height="243" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>PADDINGTON GREEN - BOROUGH CONTROL CENTRE</B></div> <div> This "secret" post war control centre is hidden in the undergrowth in the middle of the Green. It used in the Cold War as a Borough Control Centre, consisting of a wedge shaped block concealing the entrance to the stairway down to the bunker.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div>  <IMG SRC="2890cb0f0.jpg" border=0 width="203" height="271" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="2892650b0.jpg" border=0 width="357" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="2891670d0.jpg" border=0 width="359" height="269" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>HONOR OAK</B></div> <bR> <div> The beacon (left pic)  at the summit of One Tree Hill in Honor Oak  was erected to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George VI in 1935. It was subsequently used for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, her silver and golden jubilees and also at the Millennium. Beacons on the same site were used to give warning of invasion by the Spanish and later the French. The Hill was also the site of Watson's General Telegraph, a relay system established in 1841 linking London with shipping in the English Channel.</div> <bR> <div> This polygonal structure(middle pic)  on One Tree Hill is  a gun emplacement which  was erected on the hill in 1915 to counter the threat of raids by Zeppelin airships. Evidence of where the gun originally stood can be seen in the middle of the polygon (right pic)</div> <bR> <div> The next pic of shrapnal damage was taken by Tony Walker in Holborn:</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="93055c60.jpg" border=0 width="341" height="710" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> Here is a scan of the Government's World War Two installation instructions for a steel shelter (thanks to Glen Russell): </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="250957f40.jpg" border=0 width="343" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="250b4ff40.jpg" border=0 width="335" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="250c4ef40.jpg" border=0 width="334" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="250d6df40.jpg" border=0 width="365" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="25212ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="25232ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="25252ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>RAINHAM MARSHES - FLOATING PONTOONS</B> (COURTESY OF Alan Giddings)</div> <bR> <div> Some sections of the floating pontoons that were made to construct the artificial harbours off the coast of Normandy just after D-Day in June 1944. These pontoons were not taken across the Channel and have remained close to where they were manufactured.</div> <bR> <div> A Mulberry harbour was a type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy. Two prefabricated or artificial military harbours were taken across the English Channel from Britain with the invading army in sections and assembled off the coast of Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion of France in 1944.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="fd4bb230.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> AND FINALLY:</div> <bR> <div> Jeff writes:</div> <div> "A couple of years ago we found a large (10'x8') raised slab in the garden after removing some "decorative" crazy paving and a wishing well. The old man who we bought the house from assured us the "feature" was only a patio.After digging round it we found what I can only describe as a sunken pillbox. Not just a concrete slab but a completely cast re-inforced concrete building that protruded up from the ground about 18 inches. Whichmeant it had to go so we could put in a shed and decking.</div> <bR> <div> It took me a week with a pnuematic drill to remove the roof and get the walls level with the rest of the garden. What a nightmare. The roof was approx 12" thick with scaffolding tubes running through the concrete.I could find no local history as to what the bunker was or who would have paid for it during the war. Also around the back of the garden is the remains of a large section concrete wall and some further brickwork under the flowerbed that led downwards.It seemed far more substantial than the usual civilian Anderson shelters more like the Pillbox at Bow on your site. We even found a .303 practice round of ammunition. (no cordite inside)</div> <bR> <div> But as the local council didn't have record of it and the armt records couldn't find details of anything we demolished it.Shame as it would have made a good photo on Derelict London"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="793" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 65 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London Book"><U><IMG SRC="09da3a60.jpg" border=0 width="163" height="166" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="393"><div> <A HREF="mailto:derelictlondon@yahoo.co.uk" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:derelictlondon@yahoo.co.uk"><U><IMG SRC="08950190.png" border=0 width="80" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>     <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London Guestbook"><U><IMG SRC="08a50190.png" border=0 width="80" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> www.derelictlondon.com</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London Book"><U><IMG SRC="09da3a60.jpg" border=0 width="163" height="166" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>Want present day pics of your old haunts? </B></div> <div> <B>Researching your family tree and need location pics? </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Pictures taken to order - low cost - any job considered</B></div> <div> <B> (not just derelicts!). </B></div> <div> <B>Much cheaper than professional photographers</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Contact: Paul at derelictlondon.com</B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>