Underground Bunker

A Surprising Feature of our Council Offices

The Main Control Room
Phil Coley
Smaller Control Room
Phil Coley
Emergency Tinned Rations
Phil Coley
Bunk Beds
Phil Coley
Emergency Generator
Phil Coley
Chemical Toilet
Phil Coley

Did you know that there is an underground bunker at Castle Point Council Offices?

In 1974 Benfleet Urban District Council was replaced with Castle Point Borough Council, an amalgamation of Benfleet and Canvey Island councils, making one central office.

In the late 1980s plans were drawn up for the centralisation of services. Central government legislation remained regarding command / control / emergency planning bunkers, as a hang on from the early cold war years and as part of the old civil defence programme.

Basement Control Centre

Central government decreed that the new office, which was to be built on Kiln Road, should have a basement control centre. Originally, this underground bunker was designed to be a “30 day nuclear proof control and command centre”.

The work was funded by central government and the bunker was built and fitted with all the equipment necessary for an emergency, including food rations, first aid, disposable items of clothing, a small kitchen with appliances, bunk beds, metal lockers, a washroom and unisex chemical toilets, together with full communications systems.

The bunker was built with a thick, reinforced concrete roof, two separate entrances with thick doors, two main control rooms, a generator, air purification system and full staff facilities. All this is kept in full working order, albeit much of the older analogue and very early digital equipment has now been removed.

The Control Centre Today

The control centre is in excellent condition today and is currently used for staff meetings, training exercises etc, but should the need arise it could instantly be set up with all that is necessary for an emergency.

We thank Bill Snow from Castle Point Council for the tour of this building. Unfortunately, at the present time tours of the bunker are not available for the general public.

Pictures of some of the rooms

The Smaller Control Room

This control room is the first one you come to when entering the Bunker.

Sleeping Room

These are some of the bunk beds installed for when an emergency occurred. The room is currently used for storage.

Emergency Generator Room

This generator would keep the Bunker going if power failed.

Chemical Toilets

Facilities for use in an emergency.

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  • When I was employed at Castle Point Borough Council, one of my jobs was as Health & Safety Officer and I often had to go down into the bunker to check everything (such as various items of equipment and filing for each Department) to ensure that it had been stored safely. It was really quite eerie being down there completely alone in such a large area, cold too ….. and not much fun if someone happened to turn the lights off from the other end of whichever area I happened to be checking!

    By Eileen Acreman (26/02/2011)

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