The UK has a top-secret ‘doomsday bunker’ in London built 200ft underground which is ready to withstand a nuclear attack – and only a few people will be allowed inside.
Those curious about whether the British government maintains any contingency measures for the unimaginable scenario of a nuclear attack on our nation can stop speculating, as the response is affirmative.
In what could only be characterised as a ‘subterranean metropolis’ far beneath London’s bustling streets, there sits a highly classified nuclear apocalypse shelter. Active since December 7, 1992, this concealed fortress serves a single purpose – to provide refuge for governmental and military leaders should Armageddon materialise.
The government’s clandestine refuge is known as Pindar and sits approximately 200 feet beneath the Ministry of Defence’s Headquarters in Whitehall – further down than the London Underground rail system.
The covert installation’s designation is thought to derive from an Ancient Greek lyric poet whose home was believed to have been preserved by Alexander the Great during his destruction of Thebes in 335 BC, reports the Mirror.
The MoD’s ‘Crisis Command Centre’ required 10 years to complete and cost Britain roughly £126,300,000 to build. The subterranean facility remains perpetually prepared and has been engineered to survive even the most devastating nuclear assaults.
It accommodates around 400 bunks, contains a broadcasting studio and boasts an enormous display in the ‘Situation Room’. Britain’s doomsday bunker boasts a high-tech hub capable of operating the nation’s entire communications infrastructure, while the exclusive (or grim) invitation list for Pindar is restricted to just “ministers, senior military and civilian personnel, plus service and civilian operational and support staff”.
The Prime Minister remains the sole person granted bunker access for their relatives within this clandestine facility – and this arrangement ensures the leader’s decision-making during crucial moments isn’t compromised by concerns over their family’s safety.
The Pindar Bunker possesses the capability to be sealed from the external environment within moments and incorporates its own air filtration system which would enable occupants to survive below ground without risking contamination from potentially radioactive atmosphere following a nuclear attack.
Speaking to MailOnline, Colonel Philip Ingram revealed: “This Britain’s worst-case scenario bunker. It’s there to deal with a full-scale nuclear strike. It’s a last throw of the dice situation to try and keep things moving and the country running.”
Detailing how Britain’s administration would operate from within the classified underground shelter when catastrophe strikes, Colonel Ingram informed the publication: “There will be an access list and also a standby list for someone who can’t make it. If the Principle is killed, then the Deputy has to come in.
“It might not reflect those that are currently in government. It could be someone on the Opposition. It will be the best person to do the job.”
Pindar is thought to be linked to 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office via a network of covert tunnels, and authorised staff would have just minutes to rush and shelter themselves within the bunker before it becomes sealed should a nuclear attack or doomsday situation unfold.
Since its completion in 1992, Pindar has only been utilised for training drills and mock scenarios, yet its position beneath one of Britain’s most heavily protected buildings – the Ministry of Defence – demonstrates its significance.
Should the bunker ever become operational, personnel inside the “protected crisis management facility” would work on a three-shift rota serving eight hour periods each.
Pindar’s development was commissioned by former PM Margaret Thatcher and while packed with cutting-edge technology, it also stores vast quantities of ordinary domestic necessities such as toothpaste, mouthwash and shower gel.
Images providing a rare peek into the classified government installation were released by photographer David Moore who was given entry to the location for an artistic venture. He is thought to be amongst the only members of the public to have ever set foot inside the UK’s concealed stronghold.
His photos reveal a vast array of televisions, an enormous document shredder, a basic medical bay, bedrooms with simple bunk beds and cupboards filled to the brim. Images also capture glass cabinets housing breathing apparatus suits.
David recounts that during his visit, he spotted a bookshelf holding titles such as Len Deighton’s Cold War spy thriller The Ipcress File, along with a sign on the wall indicating ‘To the Bomb shelter area’.
David disclosed: “It is permanently manned around the clock. And although not everywhere we went was operating – it was on standby. There was a mess where staff could eat and the rooms were clearly used for briefings of some sort.”
Following David’s project completion, the MoD held a censorship panel, and only images approved by the ministry were released.
The photographer revealed: “I was asked to digitally manipulate some of the images. Door numbers were redacted and we haggled over descriptions and captions. A reference number from a map of Iran was taken off.”
David’s photographs have been featured in his 2008 publication ‘The Last Things’, and the artist believes no one else has been granted access to the top-secret doomsday bunker since his visit.
Pindar is merely one amongst a network of doomsday shelters scattered across Britain.
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