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All the United Kingdom Scotland Edinburgh Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker

Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker

Formerly abandoned underground complex to keep royals safe from a nuclear war that never came.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Added By
Allison Meier
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Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker   Scotsman
Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker   Subterranea Britannica
Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker   Ben Cooper
Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker   Ben Cooper
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Corstorphine Hill map   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
No. 35 Barton Quarry   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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Thick concrete walls with a traffic cone for comparison.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Some more harmless item from the bunker’s history.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Just a piano at the bottom of a bunker.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
No. 35 Clermiston Road North  
  linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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Installation with disc phones from the bunker.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This nuclear bunker is situated 100 feet below Corstorphine Hill, embedded in the Barnton Quarry and adjacent to Edinburgh Zoo. It was built in 1944, in 1951 it was commissioned as a Cold War shelter for the British government and the Queen, should she happen to be at her Edinburgh residence. It was even outfitted with a broadcast room for the BBC. By 1955 it was was declassified and all but abandoned.

It was still used as a protected control centre up until the mid-1960's. The Soviet nuclear attack on Scotland never came, and thus the bunker was never used. It was a secret until 1963 when a group called Spies for Peace exposed it to the public. It was purchased in 2005 by a private owner who intends to turn it into a museum, although the bunker has long been explored by intrepid spelunkers.

After some acts of arson in the early 2000s, the bunker had exposed asbestos and other danger, but a team of volunteers working on the bunker since its new ownership, have gone a long way towards cleaning it and making it safe for visitors. This same team has found new uses for the space, including installations that incorporate items from it history, such as tens of disc phones that were found within. Nowadays, the bunker also does some special events, like a Halloween haunted house.

Related Tags

Abandoned Cold War Bunkers Intriguing Environs Subterranean Sites Ecosystems Military

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For now tours are given every Saturday and tickets must be booked online. The website gives information about other dates and special events.

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Added By

Allison

Edited By

SEANETTA, uloxer, zydeko, linkogecko

  • SEANETTA
  • uloxer
  • zydeko
  • linkogecko

Published

February 27, 2013

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  • http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/latest-news/queen-s-edinburgh-nuclear-bunker-to-open-as-museum-1-2810424
  • http://abandonedplaces.livejournal.com/1020581.html
  • http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/BarntonQuarry
  • http://www.scotsman.com/news/barnton_bunker_a_hot_spot_in_the_cold_war_1_1532490
Barnton Quarry Nuclear Bunker
25 Clermiston Rd N
Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 7BN
United Kingdom
55.9591, -3.277965
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