Last view of the bunker

Readers will probably be relieved to learn that this is the last of the Cold War project series photographs of the Ullenwood bunker: I have now posted all of Michael Hesketh Roberts's pictures in all their glory, both in colour and in black-and-white. Thank you to the English Heritage National Monuments Record for the permission to reproduce the photographs.

A sombre scene of dereliction

The view across Ullenwood towards the big hangar with Lofty's house on the right: it all looks rather sad in this black and white shot from the Cold War project 1999 series by Michael Hesketh Roberts. Thanks as ever to English Heritage National Monument Record for permission to reproduce the photos.

The nettles by the bunker

Thanks to the English Heritage National Monuments Record for this photograph of the Ullenwood bunker from Michael Hesketh Roberts's 1999 Cold War project series.  The bunker is looking suitably bleak and the nettles are beyond the point of edibility.

Ullenwood: the kitchen sink

How many cereal bowls, soup bowls, plates, mugs, knives forks and spoons did we all wash up in that sink over the years? And one can't quite see from this Michael Hesketh Roberts 1999 English Heritage NMR Cold War Project photo, but I rather think it may not even have been a double-bowl sink.  Looks as though a batch of pea soup has ended up on the floor ...

Missing only the tumbleweed ...

Thanks to English Heritage National Monuments Record: this 1999 black & white Michael Hesketh-Roberts view of the kitchen and dining hall at Ullenwood in July 1999 seems to strike just the right note of post-Christmas ennui ...

Ullenwood July 1999 ...

My thanks again to English Heritage National Monuments Record for permission to reproduce Michael Hesketh-Roberts's 'Cold War' series. Here are shown the last pair of the huts at Ullenwood right at the top on the left. I don't remember the diggers ever using these particular huts for anything but I stand to be corrected if I've forgotten...

A sad sight and then a sadder one ...

The gradual decline and demolition of Ullenwood can be seen here: (© English Heritage.NMR) thanks again to English Heritage for the top picture from Michael Hesketh-Roberts's July 1999 "Cold War project" series. The dining hall and kitchen block are still just about standing but becoming gradually shabbier and more derelict. The last coat of paint was a rather splendid blue.

Bottom picture taken by Phil on the day of the 2004 reunion about five years later towards the end of the demolition: the remains of the kitchen step are shown: you can see the same bricks at the corner. A few weeks ago, I posted a different perspective taken by me on the same day in 2004 here.

The huts near the top at Ullenwood

© English Heritage.NMR. More huts and more long grass. I have a vague recollection of these 

huts sporadically in use as "married quarters" but I'm not sure if I've imagined that. Luxury, no doubt. There may even have been running water...

From the July 1999 Michael Hesketh-Roberts "Cold War project" series for English Heritage

National Monuments Record.

The serving range and the sink at Ullenwood

© English Heritage.NMR. Another from Michael Hesketh-Roberts' series fom July 1999. 

Roof doesn't look too good and I can't see any bowls of banana custard or any fish cakes.

Dr Ferris comments: "I had assumed that the photograph of the wrecked kitchen at Ullenwood was taken shortly after the inevitable and terrible gastric explosion suffered by Crickley Hill Man following his extraordinary eating exploits recently chronicled on his site. Or is my memory simply playing tricks on me again?"

Another "Cold War project" photo from July 1999

© English Heritage.NMR Thanks as ever to English Heritage for this view of Ullenwood from the gate straight up towards the back of the site (Lofty's house and the mess hall and the other parts where we spent nearly all our time are out of sight to the right). From the "Cold War project" series taken by Michael Hesketh-Roberts.

The long grass can rarely have looked more attractive ...

© English Heritage.NMR - thanks again to EH National Monuments Record for this verdant shot of the huts up to the left as you came into Ullenwood camp. From the series taken by Michael Hesketh-Roberts as part of the "Cold War project" in July 1999.  The long grass, inevitably, leads me to recall Richard Savage's periodic impassioned public appeals in the evenings after supper to the female diggers entreating them, at Lofty's behest, not to leave their contraceptive pills in the long grass. Lofty's fear was always alleged to be that the foxes would find the pills and eat them and then there would be no more fox cubs and that would be a sad thing.  Not sure about the science there. 

The Government Officials could have lived on nettle soup ...

 

 

© English Heritage.NMR I am again indebted to English Heritage National Monuments Record for permission to reproduce these photographs of the Ullenwood bunker exterior taken in July 1999 by Michael Hesketh-Roberts as part of the RCHME/EH "Cold War Project" which are both captioned "This Sub-Regional Government HQ was formerly an anti-aircraft operations room".

Clearly if the background radiation wasn't too bad the rations could have been supplemented with some nettle soup. Doubtless someone will point out that young nettletops are best and these look a trifle advanced by July.

The hangar and Lofty's house at Ullenwood

© English Heritage.NMR.

I am again indebted to English Heritage National Monuments Record for permission to reproduce photographs of Ullenwood. These were taken in July 1999 by Michael Hesketh-Roberts as part of a survey by RCHME/EH of the defence installations built in Britain between 1946 and 1989. July 1999, "Cold War project". This photo is described as "Accommodation huts at the south-east side of site. This anti-aircraft operations room was subsequently a Sub-Regional Government HQ."

Crickley aficionados would say it shows the hangar, the bunker and the back of Lofty's house which was directly behind the end of the mess or dining hall. According to Wikipedia: "The word hangar comes from a northern French dialect, and means "cattle pen."

JP says there used to be a mortuary trolley that he thinks probably was found in the hangar which was handy for transporting hut components and such-like from winter storage to the flat-bed truck for transport up to site at the beginning of the season.

My memory of the hangar ends with me briefly in casualty at Cheltenham General to be patched up after injuring the top of my left thumb while struggling to open the rusted door to get at the kit we needed.