In this video we look at a few abandoned ROC Posts in various states. Including a tour of a beautifully restored example of a former Nuclear Defence Bunker - the Buckminster Bunker.

Royal Observer Corps monitoring posts are underground structures all over the United Kingdom, constructed as a result of the Royal Observer Corps' nuclear reporting role and operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.

During the Cold War, ROC volunteers manned small underground monitoring posts or 'bunkers' across Britain. In the event of a nuclear attack, Observers would hurry to the post where they would report any bomb bursts, fallout radiation levels and calculate their distance from ground zero using specialist equipment.

We start in Derbyshire and the village of Whitwell where sitting on top of a hill overlooking the village is the Whitwell ROC Post. Disused since 1991 and now welded shut, with the surrounding area being severely overgrown.

We then move on to the the outskirts of the small Leicestershire village of Buckminster. Where we find a restored bunker that is looked after by Jed and Neil (old post 62). Venturing down, we can see examples of the equipment & fittings that would be used when the bunker was in operational use. Watch the video to hear Jed talking about the roles of each piece of equipment as we make our way around the site and underground in the bunker. Bomb Power Indicator, Ground Zero Indicator, Fixed Survey Meter, Dosimeter, Batteries, Bunkbed

We did plan on visiting another bunker based in Blyth, in north Nottinghamshire, just off the A1. A ROC site that is still open, although now overgrown around the entrance. However the inside of the post has been decimated by fire. Our attempts to investigate this site on the day of filming was thwarted (I wont go into this here).

Almost half of the total number of posts were closed in 1968 during a reorganization and major contraction of the ROC. Several others closed over the next 40 years as a result of structural difficulties, e.g. persistent flooding, or regular vandalism. The remainder of the posts were closed in 1991 when the majority of the ROC was stood down following the break-up of the Communist Bloc. Many have been demolished or adapted to other uses, but the majority still exist, although in a derelict condition.

**There is an open day planned at Buckminster Bunker on 23rd September 2023 - see their facebook page for more info***
  / buckminster-bunker-100071464973657