Pictures prove existence of Runnymede nuclear bunker

Jan 30 2009 By Emma Heseltine

Pictures have emerged to prove the existence of a nuclear bunker under the old Runnymede Council offices in Addlestone.

Long thought to be an urban myth, the network of reinforced concrete rooms were built in 1965 at the height start of the Cold War with Russia.

The bunker's existence has only been confirmed in recent weeks when Emma Warren, curator of Chertsey Museum, was invited in by the Council to record and take pictures of the interior, ahead of the office's demolition this year.

Emma said: "When the old council offices were built, part of the plans were for a nuclear bunker at the bottom, underneath the rest of the building, for a select few people and important documents.

"It was kept secret from most people, with only a few of the most important people knowing about it."

When the bunker was completed it was below the offices of Chertsey Urban District Council, which became Runnymede Borough Council in 1974 following a merger between Chertsey and Egham councils.

There is a narrow set of stairs down into the bunker from inside the building, and a large room with three smaller ones off it, including a shower for anyone who had to stay down there for a long time.

Emma added: "The bunker has been used for storage for many years and was flooded quite recently, so it's not in a very good state.

"As far as I'm aware, there are no surviving documents relating to the bunker, and any lists of who was to use it has long since disappeared."

It is thought that any documents listing who might be able to use the bunker if there had been a nuclear attack, have been destroyed, because they would also reveal who was not entitled to stay in safety.

Runnymede Council vacated the offices in March 2008 when it moved next door into the current £11m purpose-built new civic offices, and plans to sell the old site off for redevelopment.

Despite the pictures, the council still refuses to officially acknowlege the bunkers' existence.

A nuclear bunker also exists underneath the Spelthorne Council offices in Knowle Green, Staines, and is being used to store old files and furniture.