Explore a Cold War-era nuclear bunker near Cheltenham Racecourse, designed to protect from attack.
The racecourse hosts sporting events. A safety bunker is close by. It’s in Ullenwood, a village near Cheltenham. Thousands visit Cheltenham each March.
The bunker has thick walls, two feet thick. It was built during the Cold War. They built it after Britain won in 1945. It would protect from a nuclear blast.
The bunker could house government officials. It would protect them from Soviet bombs. A control room tracked UK airspace. It was all underground.
They installed thirty phone lines. The bunker included a water supply and a seal to block radiation. It became an emergency center in 1963. Gloucestershire County Council bought it then.
In 2003, a businessman bought it. The site has important history. It served as a US hospital for US forces during WWII. Over one thousand were there in 1945.
Drivers can still see the huts today. They are on Greenway Lane. Greenway Lane connects roads. It goes from Cheltenham to Birdlip Road. It joins the A46 at Shurdington.
The National Archives revealed plans in 2005. These plans dealt with a nuclear attack. The Prime Minister would go to Ullenwood.
Ullenwood and Hope Cove were SW headquarters. This was for a nuclear winter. These are two of thirteen bunkers in the UK. Ullenwood is a luxury bunker. It has two stories.
People say there is a hidden basement. The bunker has an inside balcony. It overlooks the map room where workers logged Russian activity.