Terminal decline since 2007
In the time honoured tradition of the British Worker during a warm summer, one half of TheTimeChamber took the opportunity to bunk off work early and catch the train to London. Apart from a typical delay at East Croydon caused by the wrong type of sunshine on the tracks, the journey was standard Notwork Fail …
Pyestock. A name that still echoes with many explorers. It was over ten years ago that we first visited and it was during our penultimate visit that we sat atop the Bramshott cooling towers at night looking towards the then still-in-use Noise Test facility, wondering whether we would ever be able to see inside it. …
Continue reading “What goes around, comes around – A Return to Pyestock, the Anechoic Chamber”
Recently, on the Cuckfield ROC Post page we posted photos of our Wartime Post Telephone after it had received a light restoration. During this restoration, and the restoration of a friends Post Telephone (Al at Portadown Post) it was noticed that various marks and stamps were present on the wood and that 2 of the phones …
Fancy coming and seeing a fully restored Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post? Well come down on one of our open days this year and learn about the vast difference between the WW2 and Cold War role of the ROC. See original equipment, uniforms and other items. No need to book, but it can get busy …
Cuckfield ROC Post Museum Open Days 2017 Fancy coming and seeing a fully restored Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post? Well come down on one of our open days this year and learn about the vast difference between the WW2 and Cold War role of the ROC. No need to book, but it can get busy …
1916 Eastern Command Bombing School, Godstone, Surrey Here on TheTimeChamber we consider any kind of exploring fair game and we are not just content with dodging security or poking about in old derelict mills and hospitals. We are also fascinated by social history, and the temporary changes to our landscape that are almost invisible to the …
Continue reading “It isn’t all about Cold War bunkers and broken concrete you know…”
ROTOR Site Codes. Decoded. Almost….. A pair of fellow ROTOR bunker aficionados (big thanks Harry Fleming and Bob Jenner) have worked out how the ROTOR phase 1 underground R1-R4 ROTOR site codes came about, and it is surprisingly simple…. The consulting civil engineers for the ROTOR Phase 1 project were Mott, Hay and Anderson. Which give …
Continue reading “ROTOR Site Codes ‘decoded’, well almost……..”
Another successful year at Cuckfield, we had 305 visitors spread over 3 open weekends during the months June, July and August. Our most busy weekend was the final one at the end of august. We were lucky enough to be visited by a number of former Observers, Brian from Horsham Post, Judy from Lewes Post, …
Continue reading “Cuckfield ROC Post Open days 2016 – so how did we do?”
From time to time we are very lucky on here on TheTimeChamber as occasionally, someone we know drops us a line wanting to know if we would like to come and see something interesting, and normally off-limits. This has happened before when the Station Manager at Charing Cross Station agreed to show us the old …
Continue reading “Hidden London – Clapham South deep level shelter preview tour”
So, this airbase is a pretty big place and there are some cool relics. Including the control centre which has some very cryptic numbers and letters on various boards around the walls. We were curious as to what they were so set about decoding the designations to try find out what they had been upto. Turns out …
The latest Asylum to be sold for development is Severalls in Colchester. Plans are moving forward and as the water tower and the front eschelon of the main ward block are listed the character and distinctive design will hopefully remain a landmark on the Colchester landscape for a long time to come. Read more about …
Continue reading “Another one bites the dust, Severalls to be demolished.”
So, its more or less then end of the summer and the end of another great year of open days at Cuckfield Royal Observer Corps bunker. This has been our best year so far. We had over 250 visitors spread over 3 open weekends. The furthest visitor was from Spain, and the oldest visitor was 89 …
Continue reading “Open days at Cuckfield. So how did this year go?”
Overnight on the 29th December 1940 London was subjected to the worst raid of the Blitz. Over 100,000 incendiary bombs and 24,000 high explosive bombs rained down on the City of London causing horrendous damage and the loss of life for 160 civilians, 14 auxiliary firemen and injuring 250 people. The area heavily damaged stretched …
UPDATE 2012. TheTimeChamber found themselves in Kent on family business and decided to check up on the current status of this site. Entry was the same, and power is still on in the bunker but it is comprehensively stripped of almost all fittings. On Google Earth it is possible to see a van parked in …
So, you might know TheTimeChamber is interested in all things Cold War. We have read a lot of books and articles on the subject, and been to lots of museums and sites. This story is one that fascinates us the most though. Most people think that the closest we have come to Nuclear armageddon was …
Continue reading “When the world nearly annihilated itself……”