Nuclear Bunker in Leeds Coal Mine ?!?

liits · Post by **liits** » Sun 16 Oct, 2011 8:40 pm

And a little closer to home, one of the Mustard Gas FFD's [Forward Filling Depots] was at Escrick, south-east of York.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sat 18 Feb, 2012 7:42 pm

I don't know if this is related (probably not) but when looking around on the Internet a few years ago I saw reference on an underground Leeds BBC article to a large bunker complex at Morley near the Leeds to London railway line. I've not found any mention anywhere else though so I don't know where the information came from. Has anyone else heard of this?

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Sat 18 Feb, 2012 8:16 pm

Ho ho! Barfly, the comment you are referring to was made by someone on the original 'Hidden Leeds' thread on the BBC Leeds website. Someone made some comment about some massive underground bunker running adjacent to the Morley Tunnel and they said it was called 'The Arc' or something... I'm afraid it was all a total flight of fancy on the part of the original poster of that message and I think they'd got confused with an old tv science fiction story from the 1990s called 'Last Train' where a group of train travellers somehow survived a global catastrophy as they happened to be travelling through a railway tunnel. The more than far-fetched scenario described the travellers as having been 'frozen' in a state of suspended animation and thus able to survive this global catastrophy only to emerge into a world largely devoid of human beings, but by coincidence one of the survivors was privy to some state secret about a refuge of humanity known as 'The Arc' where the last vestiges of humankind would have sat out this catastrophy ready to repopulate the planet.... Hmm... Yes I know! But there you go. Some people do get confused between fantasy and reality - thats why things like Wikipedia exist! Heh heh heh!

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sat 18 Feb, 2012 8:39 pm

Aha, should have known really since it wasn't mentioned anywhere else and sounded too grand to be that secret.Like to check these things though as some of the other things mentioned in the same place I have since confirmed the existence of and still contemplate trying to get into.

edlong · Post by **edlong** » Mon 20 Feb, 2012 4:19 pm

Bunkers near the London railway line in Morley sounds like someone has spotted the "manhole covers" in the fields between the railway and the ring road / Dewsbury Road (on the left as you head towards Tingley roundabout after the White Rose Centre).I believe this is all reclaimed landfill, and the "manholes" are to do with venting?

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 1:23 pm

Yes well where the White Rose centre is now used to be like a water treatment works and I think when they constructed the shopping centre they had to do some extensive re-routing of the old waterways. I think Millshaw beck also comes down this way too. I can imagine that people passing by in cars / buses might see these structures and start imagining they are something much more fanciful... Does anyone remember the old scrap yard that used to be on the left had side just before the White Rose centre as you head down Dewsbury Road towards Leeds? It had like a building that looked just like an airports control tower? What was that all about? I do know that for a while in the early 1980s one of my ex-girlfriends parents actually lived in the 'control tower' building for a while as they were given reduced rent as part of a deal where they would keep an eye on the scrap yard overnight...? But does anyone know what this place was originally? It must have been from mid 20th century, but it cant have been any kind of airfield as its on too much of a slope...

deano · Post by **deano** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 9:59 pm

jonleeds wrote: Greetings!I was startled when I came across this story on t'internet last night and I thought I ought to share it with you all to see what you think, I am sure that RikJ / Phil D will have something to say about it, eh lads? I found it on a website written by a guy called Jack Gale. This is from a chapter in his autobiography. At some point in his life he was working in coal mining and he discloses this incredible story on his website. Have a gander at this....:hi mate, i grew up in robin hood in the 60's and 70's and it is indeed exactly halfway between leeds and wakefield hence the pub..the Halfway House,your story is undoubtably true as the area was riddled with mines or pits as they used to be known, At the bottom of sharp lane on the junction of leeds/wakefield road there used to be a white concrete building which no one knew much about..we couldn't get into it even as kids ..lol,it was protected by a big mesh fence with barbed wire around the top, we heard rumours of underground tunnels underneath it but we just knew it as the g.p.o buildingwe also heard rumours that it was some kind of listening stationi had a mate who's mam worked inside and she had to take the official secrets act so he didn't even know what she didanyway heard something on the radio the other day about cold war nuclear bunkers dotted around the country, so looked on the net to see if any were near where i'd know and lo an behold that one showed up..so i grew up within a few hundred yard sof a nuclear bunker and never even knew!!so back to your story about the pits and a nuclear bunker i can well believe they were joined by a tunnel at some pointhope this sheds some light on the matter...........................................................................................CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE ATOMIC SHELTER?Robin Hood pit was situated at the Half Way House on the Leeds, Wakefield Road, Rothwell. It was about Four Miles From Middleton Broom Colliery as the crow flies. Middleton was a small pit in comparison with others, about Five Hundred people work there. Robin Hood had been even smaller. It was now worked out of coal but maintenance men worked regularly to keep the pit in good order. There was still development work in progress. The surface was being landscaped.Soon after the underground connecting road from Middleton To Robin Hood was completed Ben W. took me down it. As we were walking Ben began to confide in me about the nature of the road and why it had been built:As has been discussed it was primary an escape route for both pits. But just as important pits were being connected with the Atom Bomb in mind. Underground shelters were envisaged as protection against the bombs. In those days people were beginning to realise Atomic bombs could rain on the British Isles. The cold war had started.I was finding this a little hard to believe. I could understand the importance of an escape route. If a disaster incapacitated the two shafts, miners could then be directed to the nearest other shaft. Atom Bomb shelters was another matter.We eventually reached the Robin Hood pit bottom. It was much like the one at Middleton, I remember looking up the shaft at the small circle of light at the surface. It looked much shallower than at Middleton. There was an onsetter in attendance and he offered to wind us out. Ben declined saying, "We must push on."We headed off in another direction from where we had come Occasionally Ben looked a what I assume to be a plan of the Robin Hood workings. I was wondering if he had got us lost, for I had no idea of the way back, when we turned a corner.Confronting us was a metal air door. I had never ever seen anything like it. It was not locked but it hung on great hinges with a large bolt and hasp type device at the side. On going through this door we were met by a second similar, but much larger, door.Once through this one we entered a roadway that was about Twenty feet in height (Six meters). The roof was curved at the top like normal roadways but that was where the similarity ended.The concrete walls were smooth. They were painted a light beige colour. Everywhere was spotlessly clean not a speck of dust anywhere. The floor had a kind of Red polished non slippery surface. There seemed to be no air movement but the air was fresh and clean. The roadway was well lit by fluorescent tubes set in the roof. There was no sign of any weight problems on the roadway. If I did not know better I could swear I was not down a pit at all.I was amazed and I think Ben was, because although he had prior knowledge of its existence, it was the first time for him to see it also."What do you think of it?" he asked."Amazing, what is it""It's an atomic refuge." he explained, "In the event of miners becoming trapped down the pit they can survive down here. Although it is by no means finished, it will be stocked with food and all the essentials for living down here for long periods. Eventually there will be sleeping, preparation of food and office accommodation in-built."The roadway was about two hundred yards long and at the end were doors similar to the ones we had come through initially. We did not go through them but retraced our steps and headed back to Middleton.I have often wondered about the air circulation down in that place, the steel doors were unlike any air doors I had ever seen, there seemed to be no air circulating yet the air condition was perfect.As we headed back Ben said, "Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, it is not a secret but until it becomes common knowledge keep it to yourself."And I did for many years after............................................................................So what do you think about that then? Is this just the ramblings or imaginings of an old man or something that actually existed? I havent heard anything like it. I dont see why they would go to such trouble to protect coal miners who were already down a pit if the bomb was ever dropped. And as for the rest of us it would hardly be practical as a public shelter as we'd all have to get to the pithead and pile down the shaft to have any protection, plus chances are whatever went on at the surface when several megaton devices detonated would most likely mean anyone down a coal mine would be staying there indefinetely, I cant get my head round it... What does anyone think?

tiddler · Post by **tiddler** » Fri 19 Oct, 2012 2:13 am

Hi,With respect to jonleeds' previous post, I too remember the airport type building where the scrap yard was on Dewsbury/Ring road. Adjacent to this also was the former Leeds City Council landfill tip. The building may have been to do with the tip originally?In the Station road area of Morley there is/was an accessible WW2 air raid shelter. I did venture into in around 1990 and dare not go all the way into it as a 13 year old with friends. I've no idea if it is still accessible.

edlong · Post by **edlong** » Fri 19 Oct, 2012 3:40 pm

The "Control Tower" was access control when it was all landfill, not sure of dates but remember wandering around there as a kid in the 1980s. I guess they'd be able to see trucks etc. coming in and out, hence the design.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 5:38 pm

hi Tiddler!I do know of the air raid shelters down Station Road in Morley, although I dont know if they are still there. They used to be favorite places for dumpoing copies of 'The MidWeek Extra' free newspaper (rather than deliver them!). Back in about 1982 I can remember some (ahem) friends of mine set fire to one just behind where the mills were opposite The Rock public house - I think they are all flats now eh? There were also some more air raid shelters behind the warehouses lower down Station Road, one of the warehouses was a sticker factory and we used to get thousands of stickers out of the skips and sell them / give them away at school. Thanks for the info Edlong, I didnt know the place had been a landfill, I recall it being a scrapyard in the 90s, we didnt used to venture furthur than Daisy Hill / Morley Low station really in the 80s!