Once rather difficult to visit, and still only open to pre-arranged tours, a sizeable military bunker deep underground in Uxbridge will be open to visitors every weekend from this week for a trial period of three months.
As the Bunker is located 60ft below ground it can only be accessed by a staircase of 76 steps.
The site was the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF during the Battle of Britain. 11 Group was responsible for the defence of London and the South-East of England, and therefore was the main area of combat. The group headquarters were specifically at Hillingdon House within the base grounds. An underground operations room was built nearby to handle the control of the fighter squadrons – and it is that I will write about.
Incidentally, Uxbridge was the RAF base where Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) served.
Anyhow – inside the grounds of the RAF base is the underground bunker which is built about 2 stories below ground and, from my experience of visiting places like this – it’s a big one.
There will be no need to book; visitors can simply turn up and look around.
The bunker will be open every Sat/Sun from the 23rd March until 30th June – between 10am – 4pm.
There will be no charge for admission, but a minimum donation of £3 per person is recommended.
Battle of Britain Ops Room,
108 Vine Lane,
London, UB10 0BE
Best to follow the walking route document here as it isn’t easy to find otherwise.
Thanks for the tip, I will go this weekend. I already discovered Neasden’s bunker thanks to your blog and the visit was really worth it.
There’s a shorter walking route from Uxbridge station. Go down High St to the roundabout, through the subway, then along a path through the large gates on the opposite side where it says ‘St. Andrew’s Rd’ on the map.