Underground 'Cold War City' For Sale

Hogwash McFly writes "A huge underground complex that was built as a nuclear refuge for the British Prime Minister in the 1950s has been put on the market. Code-named Burlington, the bunker now has a population of only four maintenance workers, yet sprawls over 240 acres and accommodates 60 miles of roads. Underground power stations supply energy for 100,000 street lamps and amenities include a railway station and a pub called the Rose and Crown. Among ideas suggested for the £5,000,000 bunker include a data centre, wine cellar, rave club or fifties theme park. It is not clear whether a tank for keeping laser-equipped sharks is included, however."

Comments

Re:Canada has something like that.

[Luthair]

I've been there it was quite interesting. Apparently the start of the movie The Sum of All Fears was filmed there.

Re:Very cool!

[Hogwash McFly]

I quite like the 50s theme-park idea myself. Well, my version is not so much a theme-park as an 'alternate reality experience'. The fact that it is isolated from the outside world is perfect for a 'blast from the past' opportunity, and already containing a lot of 50s equipment is a bonus.

Imagine going on a weekend trip with your significant other and/or a group of mates. When you get to the bunker you are given a change of 50s clothes and assigned rooms. You are told that the year is sometime in the 60s and the that nuclear strikes have devastated England, forcing many underground. The country is at war, and some of our brave men are fighting on the Russian front. Reports of troop advancements are broadcast over the sound system, and even the 'Prime Minister', who is living in a secured section of the bunker, could broadcast morale-boosting speeches during your stay there.

There could be a cinema showing old movies, and short propaganda films could even be appended. The article states that there is already a pub there - build a few more, perhaps even a 50s nightclub (cabaret?) and similar amenities. Basically, there would be the normal level entertainment found at any holiday camp, but with a twist - it's a different time/dimension and you are 'living there', wishing that the troops fighting alongside the Americans will come home safely, even though it's all fictional. Actors could summon people at random to perform 'important tasks' like tending to wounded soldiers fresh off a plane or manning a radio station.

It could be like a LARP, but more mainstream and far less geeky, i.e. a theme-park that tells you it's not a theme-park.