Inside the Cold War nuclear bunker at a major Cambridgeshire housing development

15 June 2024 , 17:40

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The historic bunker, known as ‘magic mountain’, is Grade II* listed

An old Cold War bunker is set to feature in a major housing development being built in Cambridgeshire.

Developers will preserve the historic site as they work to transform a former airfield in Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, into a shiny new complex boasting 6,500 new homes as well as schools, shops, parks and business spaces. The old bunker is located on the site of the airfield.

Many of the old airfield hangars - used for housing and repairing aircrafts - will be photographed and recorded before being demolished and built on top. Other areas of the historic airfield, including a nuclear bunker built during the Cold War, are set to live on. The bunker was used to provide safety for intelligence gathered by spy planes to be processed.

The new development will also offer schools, shops and parks

The bunker, also known as ‘magic mountain’, is a Grade II listed building and is currently being managed by developers Urban and Civic, responsible for building thousands of new homes. The historic site was created to withstand bombs or chemical attacks during the Cold War, and could have operated on its own for a short while during an attack. The space was not designed to act as a place of sanctuary for locals to flee to in the event of an explosion, but rather a place of work to process intelligence data collected by the TR1 reconnaissance aircraft.

Much of the inbuilt bunker infrastructure remains in place

The bunker had work completed on it in 1989 which meant it was only in use for a short period of time during the war. Now, developers have big plans for the site, as the nuclear bunker will form part of the heritage area of the development, where several hangars will also be preserved to honour the history of the airfield.

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The bunker had work completed on it in 1989 which meant it was only in use for a short period of time during the war

The bunker, also known as ‘magic mountain’, is a Grade II listed building

Developers at Urban and Civic admitted that a final decision on what purpose the bunker will have in the heritage area is yet to be made. At the moment, they will instead focus on ensuring the space is in good working order, drawing up plans on how it can best be used in the future, and making sure the site is well maintained.

Zahra Khaliq