36 C O N T E X T 1 0 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 long shaft sealed with a steel latch, the underground post could hold a crew of four. Below ground, the post had two rooms: a small room which contained a latrine and a larger work/ living area known as the monitoring room. This, measuring approximately 15 x 7 x 7 feet, contained a store cupboard, a pair of metal-framed bunks, a table, canvas chairs and scientific monitoring equipment. The standard underground post design remains the same in every area, apart from hatch conversions to a single trap door, the addition of more ventilators and new equipment, and the adoption in some areas of ‘Broad’s pattern’ checkered steel hatch covers to deter anti-nuclear protestors. However, more changes were in store for the corps. With the ease of Soviet tension and a budget crisis in 1968, the government undertook a review of home and civil defence. This concluded that the emphasis in a post-nuclear aftermath should be on survival, not rescue. The ROC survived the review, although large numbers of posts, some only two or three years old, were abandoned, reducing the ROC’s strength by almost 50 per cent. Life continued as normal for the remaining underground volunteers for more than two decades. It was not until the fall of the BerlinWall on 9 November 1989, which marked a symbolic end to the cold war, that the posts would meet their fate. Emergency government was becoming increasingly redundant, leading to drastic cuts in the size of the armed forces. Cold war redundant military architecture now had to contend with potential environmental damage, and legal questions concerning ownership and possible reuse. The defence review of 1991 concluded that, among other cold war organisations, the ROC should be stood down. It was concluded the 1950s ROC equipment was simply too basic to detect newer and smaller weapons, and costly to upgrade. It was time to say farewell to one of the most committed and recognised military organisations in Britain. Since disbandment in 1991, fewer than half of the underground posts have been cleared, with the majority abandoned. Like most military sites, the underground posts were created to follow trends in technological advancement with the intent of being hidden.This is how they remain, along with their redundant functionalist features and difficulties with conversion. With only a handful of the sites purchased and maintained by enthusiasts, their reuse has been stunted because of changing management and lack of purpose. The question we currently face concerns how underground posts and other cold war buildings in Britain can be presented. How relevant are they to a multicultural, multinational audience, and to both veterans and the young? How can this be achieved without trivialising their contribution to the war effort and ensuring an emotional engagement between visitor and the site? The sites not only face the challenge of conserving redundant and repetitive structures. They also face the problem of conserving living memory.The cultural value of these remains has to be identified. The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England initiated an immense study on cold war sites in the 1970s. Begun in the 1990s, the study was recently completed by English Heritage’s archaeological survey and investigation, and historic buildings teams. Largely founded on archaeological and architectural fieldwork, English Heritage’s study on cold war structures in England helped to form recommendations to protect individual structures. This was ascertained in a building stock assessment by English Heritage’s monuments protection programme team. The findings issued in 2001 looked at conservation options, established typologies of buildings, and identified significant buildings. As a result of this research, some of the most noteworthy structures (such as the 1980s cruise missile shelters at Greenham Common, West Berkshire) have been recorded as scheduled ancient monuments. Historic Scotland is in the process of carrying out a similar task to that of English Heritage, by locating, recording and assessing their 20th century military sites to inform designation. A thematic study of all the cold war buildings in Scotland began in autumn 2008. This is being carried out in tandem with the scheduling team’s survey of pre-1945 militaria. Similar schemes inWales and Northern Ireland have yet to be implemented, although there are signs of interest. In 2002-03, the Welsh Ancient Monuments Board took the initiative of protecting 20th century military structures in Wales. The Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) has also recently carried out research into conflict archaeology. Future propositions in these areas may make it possible to increase the heritage value of cold war buildings by statutory protection or reuse. There is a significant amount of interest into the subject to support their popularity. This could open the door to more documentation, management and, conceivably, reuse before some of the most striking and characteristic physical remains of the era are lost. Devon DeCelles, the IHBC’s membership services officer, is assisting with a thematic study of cold war sites north of the border for Historic Scotland, through the IHBC’s CapacityBuild. Drainage sump Elsan toilet Carrier Receiver Loudspeaker telephone Fixed Survey Meter Bomb Power Indicator Bunk bed Optional additional bed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Plan of the standard design of Royal Observer Corps underground monitoring post. (Image: English Heritage/NMR)
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