Down the rabbit hole

Fascinated to hear Peter Hennessy talking on the Today programme about the publication of the War Book - the step by step guide on how the government would handle the countdown and initiation of nuclear war.
As part of that plan senior government officials would speed by train from Paddington to Burlington. You won't find Burlington on the map; it's actually a gigantic underground bunker beneath Corsham.
We used to joke about this when I worked at The Bath Chronicle because it was fairly common knowledge. So if we knew, undoubtedly there was a missile sitting somewhere in an icy Russian silo with Corsham tapped into its targeting system.
I wonder if it is still there?
Some years ago me and a colleague did the local rite of passages which is to try and get in to the network of caves and bunkers through one of the many holes that dot the hills.
First stop is a pint at The Quarryman's Arms where you can get a map and a very decent 6X (the pub is actually chained to the hillside trivia fans).
Then is was a hike to find a good-sized rabbit hole and down we went. In six hours of flailing around we came across old mining equipment, a cavern called the Cathedral and not a lot else. When I watched The Descent it brought back memories; without the crazy monsters.
Some have much better luck (or better maps).

Good reports on the War Book story in:
The Guardian
Associated Press
and particularly The Daily Mail which does these type of stories very well and has found some great images to accompany the copy.

And if you want to see the War Book then you'll have to make an appointment to view it at the National Archives.

Comments

[James Barlow]

I believe the calculations at the time were that a Russian attack using two thermonuclear devices (i.e. Megaton range) would be sufficient to bring about the collapse of UK civil society, both from the initial deaths and the subsequent fallout, lawlessness, agricultural collapse and other secondary affects.

While attending a ballet performance in Moscow, a Soviet minister commented to the British Ambassador at the time that our country was considered a very high value target, and thus over fifty warheads were aimed at Britain.

The book this is taken from is by the same chap:

The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War (2002) by Peter Hennessy

[Sean]

The way onward from Cathedral was there in plain sight - we should had clambered over the other side of the 150 years worth of rubbish dumped down the shaft at the top. That's the way to the bunker (past barbed wire, an underground stream to a CCTV camera and metal door)...

[PhilC]

I did want to find that door with the little CCTV camera above it but I think the failing torch batteries were starting to spook me.
We should have gone back again . . .

[BristleKRS]

Your little adventure sounds like the later episodes of Edge Of Darkness!