Everyone entering the bunker would come this way. Personnel would have entered through the bungalow guardroom, not the equipment doors seen previously. The original banisters are still intact and the wooden handrail is showing no signs of decay. The rails are well secured to the floor and walls and have a re-assuringly safe feel. There must have been some way to remove them as access was needed for larger plant items but there is no obvious easy way to do this.
About 12 feet lower down is the start of the entry tunnel to the bunker. The tunnel is more or less north-easterly. The floor of the whole tunnel is solid concrete and very sound. Throughout the length it is dry, with one very small exception, and in extremely good condition. The walls and roof are coated with a material called, I am told, ‘pyroc’ which was meant to cut down the noise and reverberation. According to a service engineer who worked ion the bunker it was originally sprayed with a speckled red, white and blue finish but there is no trace of this any longer.
Before setting off down the tunnel, take a look back up the stairs towards the entrance. Take note of the sign! This was placed there in the early days of civilian ownership as a warning to those attending the charity dances. Unfortunately, many did not take heed and the lack of a suitable emergency exit lead to those events being discontinued. Many people think this would be an ideal night-club venue; the noise would certainly not be a problem to anyone outside the site.
