THE NOT-SO-SECRET
SECRET BUNKER
The signs are
everywhere in Nantwich. These little brown symbols with arrows point in the
direction of the “secret” bunker at Hack Green, about 5 miles outside of
Nantwich. I had first noticed the odd little signs during our last visit to
this beautiful little town and I recently had the chance to see if this secret
was worth it!
Despite the whimsy of pointing
out a “secret” bunker Hack Green was once a RAF airfield and radar installation
during WWII. Chesire county, with her flat farmlands were perfect for
airstrips.
During the Cold War Hack Green was repurposed as a Nuclear Bunker
and part of the RGHQ network. There were 17 such facilities throughout England,
meant to serve as a headquarters for regional government officials (and other
highbrow citizens) in case catastrophe erupted.
With the end of the
cold war in 1992 many of the RGHQ facilities were sold by the government and 35,000
square feet of Hack Green was purchased and turned into a museum. There are three
levels, two underground, and the blast doors of Hack Green reveal a sobering
amount of information and mementoes about how England prepared for nuclear
Armageddon.
LIVING IN THE ATOMIC
AGE WITH A STONE AGE MENTALITY
Some of the “attractions” of the museum include a very large collection of decommissioned nuclear weapons and displays about defense, living conditions and logistics in the bunker. For the kiddies, because this can be horrifying to some, is a spy mouse game, where toy mice are scattered among the displays and the goal is to find as many as possible and report back to headquarters for a reward.
Some of the “attractions” of the museum include a very large collection of decommissioned nuclear weapons and displays about defense, living conditions and logistics in the bunker. For the kiddies, because this can be horrifying to some, is a spy mouse game, where toy mice are scattered among the displays and the goal is to find as many as possible and report back to headquarters for a reward.
The full brutality of
atomic weaponry is on display in a screening room where the 45-minute film THE WAR
GAME shows on a loop. Portrayed as a pseudo-documentary, it depicts nuclear war
and its aftermath, and though it is a bit melo-dramatic, don’t take your kids
if you decide to visit. The finality of a conflict like this in this atomic age
will send us back into the stone age.
It's worth a visit for
history buffs. It takes less than 2 hours to get through everything. Admission
was £14.90 or less than $19.00usd.
Hack Green is available for weddings.
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2023 by Gregory Dunaj
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