Wartime tunnels have future as gigantic wine warehouse
Plans for secret labyrinth under beauty spot
APARK on the edge of the Black Country will have been visited by thousands of locals over the years.
But only a few visitors to Kingswinford Country Park will have known of a dark but fascinating secret hidden away at the north Worcestershire beauty spot.
In dense woodland, behind closed gates, is the entrance to the Drakelow Tunnels, an underground military complex that spans threeand-a-half miles.
Now it has been revealed that warehousing company London City Bond (LCB) plans to develop the tunnels into a storage and distribution centre for 10,000 tonnes of wine.
The company has also been granted permission by Wyre Forest District Council to provide a small museum at the site, which will be dedicated to the Cold War and Drakelow’s minor role in it.
The tunnels have a long history, first being used by the Rover car company in the 1940s before they became part of a network of highlyclassified nuclear bunkers scattered across the country during the Cold War.
Tours used to offer a fascinating glimpse into the past and allowed visitors to see dormitories, storage areas, workshops, electrical equipment, a BBC studio and a communications facility all dating back decades.
After construction in 1941-42, the tunnels were used to help the war effort, with parts for aircraft engines being manufactured there.
It was in 1961 that the British Government then converted half of the tunnels into a top-secret facility, designated a regional Seat of Government.
This meant that in the event of an all-out nuclear war, Drakelow, along with 12 other hidden facilities across the country, would be where the British Government would run the country from. It was used as a bunker for almost 30 years until the end of the Cold War.
According to the Drakelow Tunnel’s website: “In 1980, the tunnels were also upgraded and Blast Doors and Air Locks installed to bring the complex up to full Nuclear Bunker status.
“Throughout the 1980s, Drakelow operated under complete secrecy until the end of the Cold War in 1990.
“In 1993, the Ministry of Defence deemed the facility surplus to requirements, and the entire complex was decommissioned and sold.”