The Central Government War Headquarters (CGWHQ) is a complex built underground as the United Kingdom's emergency government war headquarters – the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the

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. It is located in

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest of ...

, Wiltshire, in a former Bath stone quarry known as Spring Quarry, under the present-day

MoD Corsham MOD Corsham (formerly Basil Hill Barracks) is a Ministry of Defence establishment located between the towns of Corsham and Box in Wiltshire, England. History The War Office bought a section of the Pockeridge estate to provide space for Basil ...

. In 1940, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the site was acquired by the

Minister of Aircraft Production The Minister of Aircraft Production was, from 1940 to 1945, the British government minister at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. It was responsible ...

and used as an underground engine factory. The complex was known variously as "Stockwell", "Subterfuge", "Burlington", "Turnstile", "Chanticleer", "Peripheral", and "Site 3". It was also nicknamed "

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" by journalist Duncan Campbell, who first revealed its existence in his 1982 book ''War Plan UK''. It was also mentioned by Peter Laurie in his 1979 revised edition of ''Beneath the City Streets''. It was commissioned in 1955, after approval by Prime Minister Anthony Eden. However it became outdated shortly after it was built, due to

intercontinental ballistic missiles An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

being able to target it, and the formulation of other plans (such as

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). Nevertheless the complex continued to have a role in war plans and remained in operation for thirty years.

Features

Over in length, and with over of roads, the site was designed to accommodate not only the Prime Minister, but also the entire Cabinet Office, civil servants, and an army of domestic support staff. Blast-proof and self-sufficient, the complex could accommodate up to 4,000 people in complete isolation from the outside world for up to three months. The underground city was equipped with all the facilities needed to survive: from hospitals, canteens, kitchens and laundries to storerooms for supplies, accommodation areas and offices. An underground lake and treatment plant could provide drinking water, and twelve tanks could store the fuel required to keep the four generators in the underground power station running for up to three months. The air within the complex could be kept at a constant humidity and heated to around . It was also equipped with the second-largest telephone exchange in Britain, a

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...

Features

Scheduled monuments

Post-Cold War

See also

References

External links