Scotland's secret bunker

Scotland's Secret Nuclear Bunker - darkometer rating : 5 - A no longer quite so secret former government nuclear bunker in Scotland, Great Britain , that has been opened to the public to serve as a kind of Cold War museum. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Like other such installations this bunker was a regional government relocation facility, intended for the worst-case scenario, namely if World War Three ever broke out. Its official title was 'Central Government HQ for Scotland in the event of a nuclear war'. Quite explicit. The bunker as such was originally built in 1951 as an early warning radar station run by the RAF . It then became a Civil Defence Corps base before assuming its main Cold War role as a standby emergency government command centre in 1968. As such it would have housed some 300 staff, including the Secretary and Minister of State for Scotland. Originally there had been three separate government HQs in Scotland, but the other two fell victim to “streamlining” (cost-cutting) over the years. So this bunker eventually remained as the only such site in Scotland. All communications for Scotland between governmental branches, the military and police would have gone through this command centre. The bunker is 100 feet (30m) below ground and is further protected by up to 15 feet (5 m) thick reinforced concrete. The whole structure sits in a bed of gravel, intended to serve as a giant shock absorber. The bunker and its role were officially kept top secret until it was decommissioned in 1993, following the perceived end of the Cold War.