Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Staffordshire The Hanbury Crater

The Hanbury Crater

The site of one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, created when a massive bomb dump accidentally exploded.

Staffordshire, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Tree and shrub growth has softened the crater but it’s scale is still apparent   David Stowell
Stacking bombs in the tunnel   Daventry B J Royal Air Force Official Photographer/Public Domain
Crater just after explosion   Royal Air Force/Public Domain
Warning sign on the edge of the crater   David Stowell
Surviving portion of the Fauld tunnels -photo taken before the entrance was sealed   Noel Jenkins
Hanbury Crater taken 7 Feb 2021   Hoody / Atlas Obscura User
Footpath alongside the crater.   Mark Richard Phelan
Fauld Disaster Memorial   Hoody / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The military accident that created the Hanbury Crater on November 27, 1944 was, at the time, the largest non-nuclear explosion ever to have occurred in the world. It occurred when some 3,500-4,000 tones of bombs, shells and rifle ammunition exploded at RAF Fauld, a bomb dump in a disused gypsum mine.

The resulting crater was 100 feet deep and 400 yards across (some report more than double these figures). Not all of the bombs exploded and it has been too dangerous to recover the unexploded ones from the crater—they remain as a potential threat to this day. 

The cause of the explosion was said to be someone using a brass chisel to remove a detonator from a bomb, although these days the idea of returning unused bombs to a bomb dump still containing their fuses would seem ludicrous.

The effect was devastating. Nearby, an entire farm was obliterated. Water released by the destruction of a 450,000 cubic metre reservoir added to the damage and 37 people were drowned. About 70 people were killed in the incident including RAF personnel and six Italian prisoners of war who were working at the site.

Another remarkable fact is that much of the mine and much of the stored ordnance survived the explosion and the facility continued to be used by the RAF until 1966. Until recently it had been possible to enter the underground facilities (probably illegally) but all entrances are now sealed. Visitors are not permitted to enter the crater but it's scale can be clearly seen from its perimeter. A memorial has been constructed close to the site, and there another at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas.

Related Tags

Craters Bombs Explosions

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

oldarchitecture, Hoody

  • oldarchitecture
  • Hoody

Published

November 1, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Hanbury Crater
1 Fauld Ln
Staffordshire, England
United Kingdom
52.853593, -1.732043
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bevin Boys Memorial

Staffordshire, England

miles away

'Shot at Dawn' at the National Memorial Arboretum

Alrewas, England

miles away

Royal Shrovetide Football Match

Ashbourne, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Staffordshire

Staffordshire

England

Places 7
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Bevin Boys Memorial

Staffordshire, England

miles away

'Shot at Dawn' at the National Memorial Arboretum

Alrewas, England

miles away

Royal Shrovetide Football Match

Ashbourne, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Staffordshire

Staffordshire

England

Places 7
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Completed Japanese balloon is inflated for laboratory tests at a California base, recovered in 1945.

    Omaha, Nebraska

    Site of a Japanese Balloon Bomb Explosion

    These experimental weapons brought World War II to Nebraska as well as 26 other U.S. states.

  • The memorial.

    Forest Park, Illinois

    Haymarket Martyrs Monument

    Chicago’s incendiary role in the labor movement.

  • Heligoland (foreground) and Düne beyond.

    Heligoland, Germany

    Heligoland

    This strategic isle was once swapped between empires and almost entirely destroyed in a bomb explosion.

  • A warning sign at the site.

    Parachute, Colorado

    Rulison Nuclear Test Site

    The site where a nuclear bomb was lowered over 8,000 feet underground and detonated as an experiment in natural gas extraction.

  • Side profile of the bomb prototype.

    Lincolnshire, England

    Petwood Hotel Bouncing Bomb

    The remains of a legendary WWII weapon prototype.

  • A turquoise Lago Coatepeque.

    El Salvador

    Lago Coatepeque

    This color-changing crater lake in El Salvador is occasionally impenetrable to sunlight.

  • Approaching the south rim of Easy Chair Crater on the trail..

    Nye County, Nevada

    Easy Chair Crater

    An unusual double cinder cone with a bent oval crater, in the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field.

  • The top of the Stairway to Heaven Memorial.

    London, England

    Stairway to Heaven Memorial

    An inverted staircase above the entrance to the Bethnal Green Underground Station functions as a memorial for people who lost their lives during the worst civilian disaster in the U.K. during World War II.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.