Lost Cold War nuclear bunker found

By Dean Murray

A lost Cold War lookout post has been rediscovered at Scarborough Castle.

English Heritage announced on Friday, March 13, that they have located and explored the bunker that was sealed and buried in 1968.

An archaeological dig uncovered the forgotten post, which would have been used by the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) to plot nuclear bombs falling across Britain.

Experts from the heritage charity have opened the entrance and lowered cameras into the chamber below to assess its condition.

English Heritage said: "The newly uncovered post has been located on the headland within the grounds of Scarborough Castle. One of over 1,500 posts across the UK during the Cold War, it was constructed in 1963/4 to detect nuclear explosions during a time when the threat of nuclear warfare loomed large."

They said that the post's location and condition have remained unknown ever since.

Designed to withstand attack, the posts were built to a near-identical spec – they included communications facilities and bunkbeds for the occupiers. They were manned by the Royal Observer Corps, a civil defence organisation with over 20,000 volunteers.

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Following careful analysis of existing data and a newly commissioned ground survey, experts at English Heritage, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, were able to identify its location.

An archaeological dig began on Saturday, March 7, discovering the entrance to the post that weekend, and they have now opened the sealed entrance to assess the bunker’s condition.

The discovery is part of a project led by English Heritage to mark the ROC’s 100th year in 2025 with a search for past members and an event at the York Cold War Bunker. The find bolsters the charity’s continued efforts to tell the story of this unsung organisation, largely made up of volunteers.

Kevin Booth, Head of Collections, English Heritage, said: "Wherever you lived in Britain you were probably no more than a few miles from an ROC post – yet few people knew they existed.

"It seems strange to have a Cold War bunker built inside Scarborough Castle, but in many ways it is a perfect location: this headland has been an observation post for thousands of years, from bronze age settlement, roman signal station, medieval castle, WWI gun battery and, here, a 1960s concrete bunker watching for armageddon."

Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "It's really exciting that this lost bunker has been uncovered by the team working on this project marking 100 years of the Royal Observer Corps.

"This find builds on our understanding of their story and shines a spotlight on their important work protecting the UK. The project has been made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, and I'm sure that they will be thrilled to know that they have played a role in this discovery."