The secret place beneath a town hall building that was thankfully never used
The article reveals the existence of a Cold War-era nuclear bunker beneath Oldham's Civic Centre, built in 1977 to protect key officials in case of a nuclear attack. The bunker, now emptied and repurposed for storing old council files, is set to be demolished as part of a redevelopment plan that will replace the Civic Centre with nearly 1,000 homes. Artifacts from the bunker, including a red telephone and binary code tapes, have been moved to Oldham’s Local History Archive. The demolition marks the end of a historic site that symbolized Cold War anxieties.
Cold War Bunker Beneath Oldham Town Hall Faces Demolition After 48 Years
A secret nuclear bunker built beneath Oldham’s Civic Centre in 1977 to protect local officials during potential Cold War attacks will be demolished as part of plans to construct nearly 1,000 new homes. The underground complex, which remained unused throughout its existence, has been completely emptied with its Cold War artifacts relocated to the town’s Local History Archive.
The bunker, first revealed to the public by the Manchester Evening News in 2015, was designed to shelter senior councillors, police chiefs, engineers, doctors and communications specialists in the event of nuclear catastrophe. Hidden beneath the imposing 16-storey Modernist tower on West Street, the facility featured a red emergency telephone, binary code tape for government communications, and spare electronics stored in jars on work benches.
Historic buildings consultants Donald Insall Associates assessed the bunker’s significance in a heritage report submitted with the demolition application, stating: “Whilst the underground bunker has some very low local historic interest, linked to the site’s origins during the Cold War period, it retains very little evidence of any such intended use or character, giving a low significance overall.”
The town hall approved the demolition plans earlier this month, which will see the entire Civic Centre torn down except for its iconic tower. Six new apartment blocks will rise on the site as Oldham council pursues its vision for transforming the area, bringing an end to this relic of Cold War paranoia that once prepared for the worst-case scenario that thankfully never came.
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