Pear Tree House: South London's Secret Nuclear Bunker

During the Cold War, a number of nuclear bunkers were established beneath London which, due to their nature, are tricky to find- or indeed have been demolished altogether.
There is one particular bunker though which is hidden in plain sight; you can see it on a south London housing estate- beneath a block of flats known as ‘Pear Tree House’- and in this video we will be exploring the intriguing story behind it...
Thank you so much for all of the kind comments I’ve received recently.
I really do enjoy reading your thoughts and would love to hear what you think about the Pear Tree House bunker- would you be prepared to sit out the apocalypse down there?! And if you’re old enough to have any memories of the Cold War era, please do let me know below.
Thank you too to all of you who’ve subscribed recently; it’s wonderful to have you here!
If you haven’t yet subscribed, I’d truly appreciate it if you could please consider doing so because this, along with clicking the bell icon to receive a notification, will ensure that you don't miss out whenever I publish a new video.
Likes and shares are also very welcome as they really do help the channel to grow!
Thanks again for watching, friends.
Stay well and please be sure to stay tuned.
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Related links:
A look around the inside of the Pear Tree House bunker:
• Pear Tree House - Secr...
‘If the Bomb Drops’- a BBC Panorama documentary from 1980:
• Panorama - If The Bomb...
‘QED- A Guide to Armageddon’- a 1982 documentary which examines the potential impact of a single nuclear warhead on London:
• Q.E.D. - A Guide To Ar...
The full set of 'Protect and Survive' public information films:
• Protect & Survive - 19...
‘Walled In’- a short film about the Berlin Wall:
• Walled in: The inner G...
The Kelvedon Hatch Bunker:
secretnuclearbunker.com/
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My personal links:
‘The Knowledge: Train Your Brain Like a Cabbie’:
www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles...
‘Waterloo: A History of London’s Biggest Terminus’
www.crowood.com/products/wate...
My Etsy Store (robsonlinedesign):
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/robsonli...
My website:
robslondon.com/
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Music used in this video:
Ominous (Kevin MacLeod)
3am (CO.AG):
• CO.AG 3am
Dark Fog by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Local Forecast (Kevin MacLeod)
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***
(Please note, the Pear Tree House Bunker is off limits to the public and is also potentially hazardous due to asbestos. If you wish to view the bunker from outside, please be courteous to the residents who live in the flats above).

[@iqqmut79]

Here in Finland we have close to 51000 nuclear bunkers/air raid shelters to accomodate almost 5 million people, almost the entire population ❤️

[@Robslondon]

Wow! You guys know what you're doing ;-)

[@DanKeeley]

That sounds like content for a great video!

[@anonymous2513456]

we have virtually none now, we don't even have air raid sirens anymore. We are now totally unprepared

[@Robslondon]

@@anonymous2513456 Totally agree.

[@iqqmut79]

We also have ”air raid” sirens which are regularly tested.

[@darriendastar3941]

Back in the '80s I worked for a south London borough and our offices were built over a bunker/emergency control centre. It would have been useless in the event of nuclear war, though. The blast doors never closed properly and it leaked like a sieve when it rained. Although there would be simulated emergency drills down there about once a year, the most use its 'heavily fortified reception area' saw was for parties and as an emergency meeting room if we were pushed for space. Our boss stressed, though, that we could never discuss anything confidential down there because it was probably bugged to hell by Whitehall.

[@Robslondon]

That’s fascinating Darrien, thanks so much for sharing! Apparently the blast doors at the Pear Tree House bunker aren’t that good either 😉

[@juliaseabrook3712]

I also worked for a London Borough which had a bunker/emergency control centre. It was still in use in the 1990's, although I don't think the blast doors were every actually fitted! It was used as an emergency control centre to co-ordinate the response to an aircraft crashing in, or near the area and there were annual simulated tests.

[@petemulhearn7787]

Many moons ago I fitted some "equipment" in several military nuclear bunkers around the UK and some years later visited a couple of, by then defunct, local authority bunkers. As a comparison the military ones were deep underground or inside granite outcrops etc. The doors on the local authority bunkers appeared to be made from steel no thicker than 1/4 inch or so whereas the "real" bunkers had doors that were around 10 inches thick and looked like big bank vault doors. My conclusion was that the idea of the local authority bunkers was to entice local councilors and officials into them so they would be eliminated by the bombs and prevented from interfering with central government in the aftermath of a nuclear war 😂 I remember asking one of the servicemen why there were 3 consecutive doors at one installation. His reply was, " In the case of a near miss with a nuke, the 1st door will vapourise, the 2nd will melt and hopefully the 3rd will hold"

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I used to live very near to what was Brockley Police station and recall their air raid siren, which when I was around 6 or 7, (& maybe older...I'm 70 now and _some_ memories* linger longer than others!!) the Police there would wind it up and sound it out every month (or so, maybe more frequently*!) just to check it was still working... Eventually - I assume - it was deemed no longer necessary so they stopped sounding it. I never (except on films) heard the actual air _raid_ _warning_ as only the "All Clear" siren was sounded, in case anyone thought we were really going to be b*mbed!! I never knew about the one in Lewisham though. Nor about the 'other' Alert... Scary times of course because if _it_ was ever put into use, that button ever pushed, "we the people" - to borrow a well-known phrase - wouldn't stand a chance, or much chance to survive it. Btw, no I never knew about the 'Pear Tree House' bunker... As always, your work to educate, entertain and enhance our lives with so much information, is 'spot on' and much appreciated. Thank-you Rob. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😏🇬🇧🙂🖖

[@darriendastar3941]

@@brigidsingleton1596 That's a great memory 😀

[@nicolek4076]

I understand that this shelter is no longer accessible due to amount of loose asbestos inside. As for my memories (I'm now 65), I have very few. We just carried on with our lives with a certain fatalism. What might happen, might happen and it probably wasn't worth surviving it. We certainly didn't share the US paranoia evidenced in their school drills in the event of nuclear attack, nor the idiocy of their "duck and cover" tactic. Some of these might have worked at the time with A-bombs, but H-bombs made the whole business a bit academic to average person.

[@Robslondon]

Thanks for sharing your memories Nicole. And yes, I’ve heard it’s riddled with asbestos too…. Thanks again and stay well.

[@scientchahming5]

As if "duck and cover" would have worked during a nuclear holocaust!

[@armorer94]

Don't confuse the government propaganda with the sentiments of average Americans. We were well aware of the fact that should the bombs fall we were totally screwed.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

I'm 75 and I lived through the whole thing in the US. Whilst the government may indeed have been paranoid, the average person just carried on with their lives with a certain fatalism as you say the British did. Even as a schoolboy, I knew that 'duck and cover' was bollocks.

[@Johnketes54]

Your right,We had a film in high school which would be banned today because all the snowflakes would have PTSD, There is no escape,Avoid looking at the flash and preserve your eyesight not much beyond that, 27 missiles aimed at Britain on the "first strike" 3 were adequate nowhere safe, The bunkers were close to useless a nuclear submarine was your best bet recycled air and water but die of starvation unless fish were safe to eat and the air to breathe

[@cherylchapman6163]

Oh Rob, the Sword of Damocles indeed! It feels like nothing has been learned by history. I Remember being a teenager in the 80’s and living under the threat of a potential nuclear war. Here we may be again. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Another gem of a film. Thanks 💕

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much Cheryl, and excellent points; yes, it is very scary at the moment isn't it. Thanks again and stay well.

[@itsjohndell]

I lived thru the Cuban Missile crises. Nuclear war is unwinnable and everyone knows it. Toss in that the Us, Uk and France have an overwhelming edge over the Russians Russian Generals are not going to commit suicide for Russia because of Putin.

[@monk3yboy69]

Living under the threat of nuclear war… Well , just another form of control used to scare the living daylights out of the masses. I remember it well. Looking back, you have to laugh. And the Elites have got better and better at frightening the sheep. And the sheep will fall for the BS time and time again. Great film anyway.

[@mickey4125]

I think I might've said it before, but the depth of your research really is commendable, Rob. I'm not much a fan of visiting the Big Smoke myself (prefer the hills of Yorkshire), but I absolutely love your videos. You have a way of sounding really friendly whilst also being incredibly informative, and your editing is top-notch. You really bring the history of London to life. With love, once again, from Yorkshire :)

[@Robslondon]

I can’t truly express how much your kind words mean to me Mickey; thank you so much. As I’ve said before, it’s support like yours that keeps me going. Really appreciate it; stay well.

[@CorvoFG]

I lived in Bristol back in the early 80’s and I remember my parents sitting the three of us kids down to talk about that leaflet. I remember I didn’t want to because Dr Who was on! It still amazes me sometimes how close we came back then. I remember that it never scared me though. That was until they also made us watch that terrifying film, “Threads”. Then, it was all I could think about as a 13 year old. Had nightmares about that film for weeks. Nice vid tho. Cheers Rob.

[@Robslondon]

Great comment and incredible memories Jason; many thanks. Threads is petrifying 😬 Thanks again and stay well.

[@NunontheRun]

Did you ever see the animated movie "Where the Wind Blows"? that one gave me nighmares - more than all the real ones - like Dr. Helen Caldecot's If you Love This Planet.. It's about a rural, older couple following the government pamphlets Rob talks about...

[@Robslondon]

@@NunontheRun I’m a huge fan (if you can call it that!) of When the Wind Blows; I love Raymond Briggs!

[@NunontheRun]

@@Robslondon Raymond Briggs is amazing - but i'm a huge Bowie fan .... When the wind blows was absolutely brilliant though - in a dark, disturbing, haunting, heartbreaking way.

[@Robslondon]

@@NunontheRun Love Bowie too 😉 Am I correct in thinking that he was hoping to write the entire score for When the Wind Blows, but of course only ended up doing the main theme?

[@vspencer9764]

When I was a kid back in the 70’s, we had a fantastic Cold War shelter in Chislehurst, which we played in, known locally as the White House, they did try knocking it down, but the walls were so thick it couldn’t be done, so it was converted into a very nice large house.

[@Robslondon]

Wow ;-)

[@AndrewDaley-lr9qg]

​@@Robslondon I've just googled it.. It's beautiful.

[@AndrewDaley-lr9qg]

Just Googled it and it's beautiful. Thanks for letting me know about it.

[@Britoverseas]

Great video Rob. I was a police officer stationed at Wealdstone in the early 80's. Edgware nick was not operational but had to be manned 24/7 because it was equipped with the early warning phones. There were often tests of the system which was kind of scary (particularly as they usually happened on night duty when you were there on your own). It involved the phones ringing and code words being repeated over the phones. The nick was often used by cabbies to drop off their found lost property for the compensation/reward they got. Do they still get that? Cheers again. Lance

[@Robslondon]

Such a fascinating comment, thank you. I know Wealdstone very well as I grew up in Harrow (and the very first place I lived as a baby was on Byron Road). When I was researching this I did read the tests were often carried out at around 2am- which would be very unsettling I imagine! And yes, cabbies do still get paid if they hand in lost property at a police station (I think the idea is to compensate for lost time) Thanks again; really enjoyed your comment.

[@johncochrane2707]

I grew up in that part Sarf London and I had never heard about the Pear Tree House bunker until now. Great video as always.

[@Robslondon]

Much appreciated, cheers John 😉

[@user-mt6hr4qf9n]

Another fascinating video Rob! Thanks for the upload - always brightens my day when I get a ping that there's a new video from you

[@Robslondon]

Such a lovely comment, thank you 😊

[@mattheweagles5123]

I remember seeing, and hearing, a beeping nuclear alarm at a fire station sometime in the 1980's. The idea was that when the alarm went off the fire crews would hop in their appliances and head into the countryside. When the explosions had stopped they were supposed to return and put out the fires. With the water mains probably gone it would just be the water in the appliance, so not much firefighting could be done.

[@Robslondon]

Incredible comment Matthew, thanks for sharing. It reminds me of an old firefighter I knew many years ago (who started his career in the 1950s). He once told me exactly what you said- pretty much word for word- that yes, they would be expected to head out of the city and then return, fighting the fires inward. But as you say, not sure where the water would come from! Cheers and stay well.

[@garyfallows1123]

Great video, there is a Bunker near me, (Nantwich), which is open to the public, I find empty and disused buildings such as this or train tunnels fascinating and could spend hours looking round them

[@Robslondon]

Thanks Gary. Yes, I’ve visited the one in Nantwich, it’s a fascinating place and well preserved. Cheers and stay well.

[@louisegalczynski1543]

Wow I had no idea this was there! I lived not far from there until 1981 when I was 5 then we lived near Greenham Common in Newbury which was very scary for a kid in those times. Really great video - love the high standard of your videos and that I always learn new things about the city I’ve lived in for 20 years. Great stuff!

[@Robslondon]

That means a lot to me Louise; thank you so much. Crazy that you happened to live so close to two Cold War sites! Thanks again and stay well ☺️

[@FerdoFulgosi]

My army and war experience tells me that those aerials mean something still lurks in that bunker. Any army I know wouldn't leave that kind of equipment lying around. If nothing else for safety reasons.

[@Robslondon]

Yes, it is odd that they're still up there ;-)

[@MarcUK]

@@Robslondon It costs money to remove them, and they became useless once the equipment in the rooms were removed. :-)

[@dorothygreen6066]

Fantastic info, glad I found your channel 😀

[@Robslondon]

Thank you Dorothy! Lovely to have you here 😉

[@itsjohndell]

When I saw the thumbnail I thought it might be you having us on for April Fools. I know a bit about Nuclear Weapons as it was once my job to deliver them on the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. By the time these shelters were built and the home defense was promoted it was all obsolete. None of our Governments explained to the people the difference between Fission and Thermonuclear Weapons. People thought in terms of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those were firecrackers compared to "Hydrogen bombs". By 1964 London would simply have ceased to exist as it would have received several missiles. Giving people in the Country four minutes warning was a joke. Four minutes to go where? Birmingham, Liverpool, ports and industry would be obliterated. Those in the rural areas would have a chance, weapons wouldn't be wasted on sheep. But what would be left for them? Nuclear War is unwinnable and that has kept it from happening. Putins Generals are not suicidal. If he were to attempt to use Nukes they would kill him unless there was an actual existential threat to Russia. Sleep well, Dearies!

[@Robslondon]

Cheers John! And I did hesitate before publishing the video on April 1st as it does sound a bit crazy 😉

[@Mooocheropordis]

It's crazy but the knowledge a sleek dark angel of death Trident SLBM is sneaking about, make me feel safer.

[@brianartillery]

Each large town in the UK was to have at least ten megatons dropped on it. Nobody wins. The computer scenarios at the end of the movie 'War Games', are terrifying. Because they are based on real ones. Watching on DVD, they can be paused, and you can run through them, and wave goodbye to where you live. Dark, but true.

[@leeleelee0054]

Let’s move to the country side

[@crazyleyland5106]

The rural areas would stay structurally intact, but would be drenched by fallout.

[@Minitwill]

I have two things to mention Firstly - very interesting video as always Secondly - Thank you for listing your music in the description because after four years, I FINALLY know the name of the song you used at the end of your video that I keep hearing in KZbin!

[@Robslondon]

Thank you! And glad I'm able to help in some way ;-)

[@mikereilly5005]

Hi Rob Yet another brilliant post , I didn't comment on your teaser trailer as I didn't have a clue where you where going , and up to now never had a clue or had even heard of pear tree house. Amazing find, the only other war time secret bunker I know of were the cabinet war rooms had a duplicate built and for some strange reason they picked Neasden. Great video All the best Mike

[@Robslondon]

Thanks so much Mike; really appreciate your kind words. I have been to the Neasden bunker on an open day, it's very damp and very eerie! Cheers and stay well.

[@sharonleong7120]

Great and interesting video as always. Thank you Rob.👍👍👍😍😍😍

[@Robslondon]

Thank you Sharon 😊

[@andicheese1763]

I have visited the Kelvedon Hatch bunker a couple of times which is a really eerie place to visit. I also knew a friend who worked for BT and had to sign the official secrets act when he was asked to work on a phone board there near this single cottage. There were apparently loads of connections and wires which did not make sense to him. He did not know it was a bunker until years later when it was open to the public. I never knew of the ones in London and it is so amazing and yet scary to contemplate their use if it all kicked off. I remember being petrified of nuclear war and had many, many nightmares about it as a young kid. Thanks for another great video.

[@Robslondon]

Excellent and fascinating comment Andi, and thanks so much for the kind words. Stay well.

[@ged3680]

Hello, I joined the Metropolitan Police in 1986, my first station was Willesden Green (QL) we had the warning system in the front office and the siren on the roof. Ged. Excellent video.

[@Robslondon]

Thanks Ged- I’m always fascinated to hear people who’ve had a direct connection with this sort of infrastructure.

[@dougknight1720]

As usual. Interesting and well researched topic. Hadn’t heard of these Bunkers but have seen some in Dockyards and water treatment facilities like Guildford. Keep up the good work mate

[@Robslondon]

Much appreciated Doug; cheers and stay well.

[@johnbacon1854]

Another well researched video, always a good watch. I had heard of this place from another KZbinr. They also visted and filmed the Kelvendon Hatch Bunker..... very apt timing for a video like this.... quite scarey really when you think that one crazy man could bring on so much destruction. I wasnt very old during the last few months of the cold war, but remember seeing all the people in Germany both sides of the wall in the build up to the agreement for the wall to come down.... and then the chaos after as East and West Germany met again after all those years and they had currency issues for a while, until they settled on the same money across the whole Country. Almost feels like a lifetime ago, but crazy to think how fast things have changed in the past 40 years. Stay well Rob, until next time all the best.

[@Robslondon]

Thanks so much John; interesting thoughts. It is incredible what’s happened recently; like many people I never imagined we’d be facing a similar threat to the one from all those years ago; very sobering. Stay well and thanks again.

[@garethbarnes3680]

Excellent video

[@Robslondon]

Thank you Gareth; much appreciated.

[@thewrecker3140]

Brilliant work young man.

[@Robslondon]

😉

[@andyeveritt9003]

thanks rob another good vid i bet going in your cab was like a history tour all the best

[@Robslondon]

Thanks so much Andy, really appreciate your kind words. I do have a cab-tour guiding qualification 😉

[@TheRetroStuffGuy]

I've been to the Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker as I don't live too far from there. Well worth a visit! Just look out for the "Secret Nuclear Bunker This Way" signs when you're in the area. Always amuses people. 😀

[@Robslondon]

I know it well! The mannequins in there creep me out!! :-D

[@SLane249]

Another interesting video. When I was young and lived in London a local factory used a siren to let workers know they were late :)

[@Robslondon]

Thanks Stephen…. crazy they used a siren for that 😳

[@mccstuff]

Great video and nice to see you picking up subscribers. There is a bunker near me in Dollis Hill, it's a WWII bunker that is open to the public a couple of times a year.

[@Robslondon]

Thank you mccstuff ☺️ Yes, I know the Dollis Hill bunker; went there a few years back on an open day, it’s very creepy down there!

[@Nosregni]

I remember going to a public open day in that bunker sometime in the early eighties. We were given copies of the Protect & Survive leaflet.

[@Robslondon]

What an incredible memory to have Paul, thanks for sharing. Wish I could've seen inside it! Thanks again and stay well.

[@tracyfryer8153]

I visited the kelvedon hatch bunker which is a cottage in the middle of woods. It's telling that the residents of pear tree house were not included to shelter in the event of a nuclear attack. Says everything really. Very well hidden in plain sight isn't it. ☺️

[@Robslondon]

Great comment Tracy, well said. Thanks and stay well.

[@firefly43uk]

Hi Rob, I used to live nearby Pear tree house as a teenager a played with friends on the estate. I seem to recall a parking area under the road you’re taking the pictures from that no one living on the estate could access. We were told by the estate caretaker this was for use in an emergency by the people who would populate the bunker. I seem also to remember during the protests about the bunker someone tried to weld the blast doors shut to stop anyone getting in at all?!

[@Robslondon]

Hi firefly43, thanks for sharing those memories- really fascinating! It's funny you say that because I had a feeling there could be something else down there- the buildings opposite, complete with what looks like an incinerator, looked like they might be connected. But maybe my imagination is running away! I haven't heard about the welding incident, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if that happened. Cheers and stay well.

[@hardtailharry6812]

Hi I also grew up on the estate! As I got older I started to look at think what a strange estate, I rememeber there being a playground in the middle with a sealed concrete tunnel sticking out of a grass hill. I mean the whole estate looks like a bunker really lol I reckon that pear tree house was just the tip. Maybe my imagination is running wild ahah There was a huge tower with a large building at the bottom of plane tree walk near the car park, always wondered what that was.

[@Robslondon]

@@hardtailharry6812 You describe the estate perfectly! Those tunnels are odd ;-)

[@hardtailharry6812]

@@Robslondon as you already know Crystal Palace has something about it. It's on top of a big hill, strategic, even the world fairs and the crystal place itself have something magical lingering in the air.

[@-DC-]

The Politicians of the West seem to have forgotten some very important lessons, Great Video Rob .

[@Robslondon]

Thanks D C, and yes; much agreed. Stay well.

[@md-ps2hx]

Great clip! Worth a sub on this subject alone!

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much! Good to have you here ;-)

[@johnnypsycho9628]

Another great Vid Rob . that building always reminds me of the one at Green Lane and London Road just before Norbury . Same weird stand out vibe.. But the important part did you find that chip shop nearby quite nice ,Not as good as the cabbies fav in Barnes but must have been a good time . Keep up the good work

[@Robslondon]

Cheers Johnny… I didn’t try the chippie as it was still quiet early! Wish I had now though! 😉 Stay well

[@General_Confusion]

I wouldn't want a 4 min warning. It's not enough time to go to the loo and make a last cup of tea, so what's the point?

[@Robslondon]

😬

[@1258-Eckhart]

I used to attend the CND marches in the early eighties mainly because I thought Britain did not need nuclear weapons for any reason. I think that there is now a much greater nuclear threat than there then ever was.

[@Robslondon]

I fear you’re right…. very unsettling times

[@bobuk5722]

MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction kept the peace, sort of. Just. Some of the most chilling words I ever heard were Kennedy's "It shall be the policy of this nation .... ". You don't get to play poker unless you can put something in the pot - which is partly why we have a deterrent. We'd be nuked (try a rhyming word) with them or without them - the global fall out and nuclear winter would get us at any rate and frankly I'd prefer to be in the game at the risk of a quicker death. Dying slowly of radiation poisoning or hunger or thirst is not my idea of a good ending. The bomb drops, I'm going outside to watch it.

[@cyberwomble7524]

The "fallout shelters" people were advised to build in those booklets were in reality their own graves - the easiest way to deal with the millions of dead would be to have them all conveniently bury themselves! It's a bit like the reason air passengers are asked to put their heads between their knees in the event of a crash; it does nothing to help you survive, but does help keep your skull more or less intact for identification purposes. Keep it cheerful!

[@Robslondon]

Good point 😉

[@samuelfellows6923]

😱⚰️

[@Mooocheropordis]

Lol 🤣

[@ohenekojo2561]

Myth

[@stevebarlow3154]

@cyberwomble7524 You are talking paranoid nonsense. It all depends how far away you are from the centre of a nuclear blast. There were survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki quite close to the centre of the blast, who were in strongly built buildings, such as banks. In the UK in WWII many people's lives were saved because they were sheltering under the stairs, the strongest part of a house, when a Nazi bomb hit. Many plane crashes are potentially survivable. If you sit back in your seat with your legs braced, you will break your legs and be unable to get out of the plane. The modern brace position will lessen the chance of broken legs and give you the best chance of survival. They identify the deceased passengers in a plane crash either by their possessions on their bodies or if they are badly burnt by DNA.

[@eattherich9215]

@2:46, I used to live around the corner from that siren and never noticed it. Next time I am in Lewisham town centre, I will look to see if it's still there. The idea that a nuclear strike is survivable simply by hiding under the stairs, is ludicrous.

[@Robslondon]

Great comment, thank you. Enjoy finding the old relic 😉

[@eattherich9215]

@@Robslondon: I'll let you know if it's still there.

[@IMTHEBIGGESTCUNT]

I have that “Attack Warning Red” as my ringtone!

[@Robslondon]

😬

[@paulmerryman]

Another great video Rob. Rather odd it was built under the flats I think, but someone thought it a great idea. I'm sure whilst we were just in London I spotted an air raid siren somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't think where. I did visit the bermondsey beer arches, so maybe it was on the walk to there.

[@Robslondon]

Cheers Paul. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one 😉 Stay well.

[@alexday5892]

Great video Rob ! I used to live not too far from Kelvedon Hatch and went there one day out of curiosity. It’s fascinating and I was engrossed. I actually got to spend a night sleeping over at the bunker when we took our local Venture Scout unit for an organised sleepover. Incredible to see the lengths our government were going to, to ensure the country could manage a nuclear attack situation. Makes you wonder where the current bunkers are. They gotta be somewhere but we won’t know

[@Robslondon]

Great comment Alex, thank you. Kelvedon Hatch is fascinating… but very creepy! 🤣

[@camerastooge]

Great video! Really enjoyed it. And yeah... maybe it's time for the MoD to clean out the asbestos and give it a shine; might come in handy sooner rather than later.

[@Robslondon]

Thank you Lucas :-) And yes, the way things are going I imagine the government will have to start looking into options... Stay well.

[@TheUluxian]

Another fascinating vid. Would be neat to see what the inside looks like today.

[@Robslondon]

Thank you! And yes, would love to have a look in there myself…. 😉

[@k9killer221]

RAF Fylingdales is very close to where I was born. Nothing says cold war more than those gigantic golf balls sticking out of the Yorkshire Moors.

[@Robslondon]

Great comment; and yes I very much agree

[@dottieland7061]

My dad was based there with nato, but he never said anything about it. But then he never said anything about his work. It was all very cloak and dagger.

[@k9killer221]

@@dottieland7061 The types of radar they contained and the capability of that installation remain a mystery to this day. Your Dad and his colleagues definitely kept their mouths shut. The rumour was that it could see all the way into Northern Russia itself.

[@Kimmy-pw8tm]

It’s amazing, and seeing two of the original sirens kept for rememberence. My mother in law was a little girl in London and remembers that blackout’s on windows, and the type of food rashens they ended up eating

[@Robslondon]

Wow, what memories she must have...

[@kateteixeira3000]

I lived on central hill estate opposite pear tree house & as a teen I went to the open day of the bunker....they said there was a tunnel from the local police station so all the important people could go there if a nuclear bomb was dropped ...it really got my back up weird knowing it was there & afterwards I participated in CND marches & meetings on a regular basis.....thanks for doing a video on it very interesting.

[@Robslondon]

It's a pleasure Kate, thanks for your wonderful comment- really enjoyed reading your memories. Cheers and stay well ;-)

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Had a few schoolfriends who lived on the Central hill estate aka 'Lego land' in the early '80's when I lived on Kingswood estate. Never knew about the Nuclear bunker thing though. I guess that tunnel went to Gypsy hill Police station, (now closed). There's lots of tunnels and stuff under Crystal Palace. Did some work with my dad when he was a landscape gardener at the time, on a large house on Fountain drive. They had a huge bunker with a long tunnel to enter with lots of rooms, under the house just carved into the side of the hill it was sitting on the side of.

[@nicholaswalker2494]

Hi mate super video as always here in Austria we have a civil warning siren which is heard all over the country on Saturday at 12 o'clock midday for 15 second's for testing just sounds like the Wll air raid sirens.keep well ,Nick 👍👍

[@Robslondon]

That’s fascinating Nicholas, I didn’t know that- I hope to visit Austria at some point (it looks incredible) so it’s good to know that in advance, otherwise it would be quite a shock!! Cheers and stay well 😉

[@autumnmatthews3179]

I remember them testing an old air raid siren near where I lived back in the 80s. Another great video, though very interesting how I've come from the Glasgow Subway to a secret nuclear bunker!

[@Robslondon]

😀Thanks Autumn

[@bryan3550]

Nice work, Rob. Always interesting seeing such stories here Downunder... It reminds me of seeing the hideously realistic "The War Game" as a teenager. That film literally made me vomit as it went graphically through the "What If" Pear Tree House was built for... 🤢

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much Bryan. The War Game is terrifying isn’t it, and very ahead of it’s time in terms of film making. Stay well.

[@michaelpotter4425]

It's funny my wife works down the road I drive by never had a clue great vid again 🍻

[@Robslondon]

Cheers Michael 😉

[@brianartillery]

Excellent video. Thank you. I well remember that 'Protect And Survive' booklet. I recall my late father laughing at it, before giving it to me to read. It's utter futility made me laugh as well. Where I live, in Suffolk, was, at the time of the cold war, a hot spot. I lived within 25 miles of: three USAF airbases; a large garrison town; two RAF missile bases; one of the main RAF ROTOR Radar station hubs; one of Britain's busiest ports; and to cap it all, on the edge of my town was a NATO 'Autovon' secure telephone station. Ipswich council did not have a bunker under their (now demolished) 1960's office block, as if the cold war had got hot, there would have been nothing but radioactive ash to govern. Throughout my childhood, the air raid sirens were tested - there was one less than a mile from my house - it's now in the local transport museum - and when I asked my parents what the siren was for, they always told me that it was to alert the fire brigade to a fire somewhere just outside town. I prefer that than be told it was being tested for the end of the world, frankly. Some younger people have been surprised when I tell them that some pop records like 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, or 'This World Over', by XTC, or 'Let's All Make A Bomb', by Heaven 17 give me goosebumps of yes, fear, but that's how it got in the 1980's. I recently read 'The Secret State', by Peter Hennessy, and it's fascinating, but ultimately terrifying.

[@Robslondon]

Fantastic comment Brian, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and memories. I know the area you mean; my Mum was in fact born on Mildenhall air base! You’ve got great taste in music too 😉 I’ve been listening to XTC’s ‘Black Sea’ album a lot recently, got a lot of Cold War references on it as I’m sure you know. Thanks again for your kind words, really enjoyed reading your comment. Stay well 😉

[@thewomble1509]

Indeed, the Secret State is a superb, eye opening book. Try War Plan UK for a more detailed analysis of British Civil Defence doctrine and likely effectiveness.

[@psycheinc-theSLC]

Wonderful content 🌹

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much 😊 Stay well.

[@barnabynorman157]

I never heard of that one before so that is very interesting. I do have a plan to visit Kelvendon Hatch though. Thanks for sharing.

[@Robslondon]

Cheers Barnaby- definitely make a visit, it’s worth it

[@thetragicyouth]

Another fascinating video - thanks, Rob! Just out of interest, did you notice any of the bunkers or air raid sirens when you were working as a cabbie or is this just a subject you stumbled upon during research for other topics?

[@Robslondon]

I noticed them whilst driving around, yes 😉 I’ve known about Pear Tree House for quite a few years; saw the odd looking structure and looked into it!

[@Jagermonsta]

the intro reminds me of the sooty and sweep show

[@Robslondon]

😄

[@clivefelgate9802]

What a timely video! We haven’t got very far forward have we. I remember the Cuban missile crisis very well. My father, who had been through the 2nd world war told us all… if the ballon goes up make sure you kiss your mother goodbye!!!

[@Robslondon]

Thanks for sharing that Clive… terrifying. Stay well sir.

[@Johnketes54]

I knew of this bunker from a TV program who also pointed out the one at Dollis hill named PADDOCK for Churchill in world war two, He used once "too damp" occasionally it's opened to the public and requires Wellington boot's, Built a housing estate on top of it

[@Robslondon]

Yes, I’ve been in the PADDOCK bunker- it is indeed very damp, like a cave!

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

I believe there is another shelter about a mile from pear tree. It sits below an old folks home built in the late 60s, maybe early 70s ? (possibly it's still a home) it's in anerley road almost opposite Maple road .

[@Robslondon]

That's fascinating David, I had no idea about that. Will have to look into it. Thanks.

[@TUMBLINJEST]

Over 20 years ago we visited KELVEDON bunker and found it amazing

[@Robslondon]

It is… very eerie though

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

Blimey! Us 'normals' in Ealing get to go and sit in a local park and hope to be gone quickly if and when.

[@Robslondon]

😂

[@SteveAttwood]

Had no idea!! being a local resident I'll pop past for a gander!!

[@Robslondon]

You didn’t hear it from me Steve, ok! 😉

[@SquareoftheyearFM]

My grandfather worked for GLC (we think in planning) and was a card carrying party member. It was probably quite common back then.

[@johnnicholls9023]

I was young 8 years old back in 1987 I lived in the central hill estate I found it usual around there I got goose bumps soon as I herd the name pear tree house opposite pear tree there was another building that looked weird always wondered what it was for I must admit it was a weird estate the way the flats round there was built I always thought there was another bunker just off Westow hill will have to have a look I live by the coast now but any loved you video

[@Robslondon]

Great comment John, thank you

[@SlurpyDave254]

Looking a that say very average block of flats you'd never guess there a nuclear bunker down there. I went to the imperial War museum few years ago, that was unbelievable, thanks Rob, sluuurp 😊🍺👍

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha! Cheers Dave 😉

[@tonycox5625]

That was interesting Rob, had no idea that was there! I do vaguely remember this period, but I think we were just too busy living our lives to bother about it too much. 😂

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha! Cheers Tony 😉

[@wallydug2256]

The warning boxes, I worked in the railway in Scotland and sometimes covered at Craigendoran Station, it had one of these warning boxes I'm the booking office, why it was in the station the only thing I can think is the station was near Faslane with its nuclear subs.

[@Robslondon]

Interesting Wally, thank you.

[@butchknapman3939]

Another great and interesting video. Would you believe SE 19 was my post code as a child but I l,eft in 1962 prior to the building being put in place I remember vividly all the broadcasts of what to do and how to make yourself safe, so the powers to be had bomb proof shelters and the public were told to use scraps from around the house old doors and dirt etc. The Cuba crisis etc seemed to over shadow my childhood . Keep them coming Rob greetings again from Thailand

[@SeventhSwell]

Another fun and interesting video. Thanks! One thing though, your voice is much quieter than the other sounds in the video.

[@Robslondon]

Thanks SeventhSwell, yes the sounds isn’t so good on this one, should have it fixed in the next video 😉 Cheers

[@colinberryman6699]

Thanks!

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much Colin! Really appreciate it.

[@limeyosu2000]

Great video rob. Is this bunker open to the public?

[@Robslondon]

Thank you! Unfortunately it’s not, I believe there’s asbestos in there so even private viewings aren’t possible. A real shame as I’d love to have a look around too!

[@fraserconnell21]

Great video 👍🏼. When I first saw your channels name "Robslondon" I thought Gino d'Campo had a KZbin channel 😆😳...

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha! Thanks Fraser 😉

[@stevev3664]

When I was a child in the 50s there was a siren on a pole at Whitechapel near the hospital. They sounded it every day at 4pm to test it.

[@Robslondon]

Every day? Blimey...

[@asheland_numismatics]

Very cool video!

[@Robslondon]

Thanks asheland :-)

[@asheland_numismatics]

@@Robslondon 😄

[@stonecoldsbottlebin]

A very poignant piece this week. Thank you as always, Rob.

[@Robslondon]

Thank you so much Paul, stay well sir.

[@McCavity2]

8:17 „much derided“… The Dubliners made a hilarious song about it.

[@Robslondon]

They did indeed! ;-)

[@ChrisSmith-ls7mb]

Hello Rob Very interesting video. I remember the cold war let's hope we do not have a new one. Take Care Chris and Sandra of Canada.

[@Robslondon]

Thank you, and yes much agreed. Stay well.

[@stuartvaughan8599]

Hi Rob. Good video. I was one of the people who visited on a not very publicised open day to both Pear Tree House and the other one in Cheam near Sutton. I took loads of photos while no one was looking!

[@mikepurdy1738]

Can't believe I lived in Central Hill from 91 to 93 and didn't know this was on my doorstep, proves you don't really know your neighbours!

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha! They kept it well hidden Mike ;-)

[@woden20]

A good film to watch "Threads"

[@Robslondon]

An excellent film, yes…. If you can bear it 😬

[@EDee20NINE]

Pigeon!!!!! Thanks Mr London 👍❤️

[@Robslondon]

😊

[@huwprice881]

As a 58 yo I had the dubious honour of living through these scary times - I was so convinced that we'd not see the new millennium that I gave up on my schooling and lived life one day at a time. There was a big bunker under the Technical College near us and I was always both fascinated and scared by it. Protect and Survive was a joke, I always said I'd want to be at ground zero in a strike and not suffering an agonising and slow death on the periphery. It's sobering that we are now entering a new Cold War era, with more nuclear states and a huge new arsenal of nuclear weapons being developed by the superpowers, including India, Pakistan and China. I hope sense will prevail and this is stopped in its infancy, but I doubt it.

[@Robslondon]

Excellent comment Huw, thank you.

[@marksullivan2230]

Here in Australia we didn’t have any bunkers. The Govt. calculated that if WWIII was so bad it reached Australia, then there was not much hope for the human race anyway.

[@Robslondon]

😬

[@johnsharp8632]

Quite chilling to think back to the Cuban missile crisis and the stand-off between Krushchev and Kennedy. I did not know about this particular bunker, but knew there were a number scattered around the country. I have seen direction signs in Kelvedon, Essex to 'the secret nuclear bunker' which I always think sounds bizarre, like something from Monty Python.

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha ;-)

[@Mooocheropordis]

There was an air raid siren on the top of the primary school at the bottom of my garden, which was tested regularly. Scared me to death, in the early eighties I was convinced Armageddon was coming anyday. Thank god the nearest target, Rolls Royce in Derby was only a mile or two away, I wouldn't have wanted to see the afternath.

[@Robslondon]

Excellent comment Andrew, thank you.

[@dexadrinepancake]

Have you heard of any anecdotes from Pear Tree House residents while it was still top secret? These things have a habit of slipping out like bus conductors advising 'spies [to] alight here for MI6' when they were on Marylebone road. I was also aware of a blast door at my college which the staff knew about.

[@Robslondon]

I’m sure the residents had some stories 😉

[@drscopeify]

It's amazing how the apartment building is real and people do live in there today! I assume it was to throw off Soviets, really incredible. Here in Washington state the government built their state management bunker under a new freeway that was being built at the time in the 60s and it was hidden as a drainage system for the road. The area here would have been a target because of Boeing factories and Navy bases so the area was well defended with surface to air NIKE missile launch sites all over the area, but not much if left today except for some radio towers.

[@Robslondon]

Really interesting comment thanks; and a good point too 😉

[@GothGuy885]

4:33 theme to East Enders playing in my head. I wouldn't mind living in one of those flats in pear tree house. would be nice to have a nuclear bunker just below , if any danger were to arise.

[@Robslondon]

🤣

[@matthewhopson964]

Wow, just behind whhere I used to live onSalters Hill!

[@Robslondon]

😉

[@blacksmoke9419]

When I was a boy I was told the sirens were flood alarms

[@CitiesForTheFuture2030]

Here in Africa the "nuclear threat" isn't much part of our collective memory. It's difficult to imagine living under such conditions worrying about the possibility of a nuclear attack - although the war in Ukraine does once again raise the threat. As far as I am aware if your area is hit by a nuclear weapon, remaining protected for several years is required. I don't know how much fun that would be given the bunker's sparseness and lack of access to medical facilities & recreational facilities. I'm also curious - given the ratio of men vs women in the civil service at that time, how many women would have been included among the "specially selected" few? A factor of 1'000 men per 1 woman? Not much fun being a women under those circumstances...

[@Robslondon]

An excellent and thought provoking comment, thank you.

[@jatzbethstappen9814]

No, I hadn't. Yes, I would.

[@f.remplakowski]

I'm reminded of the cheerily animated film When the Wind Blows and live action film Threads.

[@Robslondon]

Yes, both excellent

[@ballyhigh11]

@@Robslondon I think the 'best' one is The War Game. It's less well known as senior people at the BBC were so shocked by how horrifying it was that they refused to broadcast it.

[@Robslondon]

@@ballyhigh11 The War Game is an incredible piece of film making.

[@dottieland7061]

I remember my dad going to nuclear bunkers and giving advice to my mum. I think I was only 4/5 at the time. He told her to go into the cellar. It’s very odd. So strange.

[@Robslondon]

Wow… was he in the Royal Observer Corps or something?

[@dottieland7061]

@@Robslondon nato

[@dottieland7061]

@@Robslondon he hated the Cold War , it wasn’t a good time for anyone, he’s 78 now and still observes the doomsday clock. And has a bunker. He even gets copies of Jane’s if you know what that is. He retired out of military. He never wanted to leave. It’s sad because he was born in Hiroshima, married my English mother changed his nationality and joined NATO that way. Yes he’s Japanese but all he wants is peace. We live in Tokyo now as I see over countries and I feel so sad.

[@Robslondon]

@@dottieland7061 Fascinating comment Dottie, thank you so much for sharing that. It is my ambition to visit Japan one day, including Hiroshima. Where I live in England, there is a Buddhist 'Peace Pagoda' and we now go to the memorial ceremony there every 6th August. Please send my best wishes to your father and thank you again. Stay well.

[@dottieland7061]

@@Robslondon yes we are going with the family then.

[@Paul_Davies]

I dread to think how this current Governments version of Protect and Survive would say if they had to do one, but very interesting video I wonder how many and where newer bunkers are within London

[@Robslondon]

Thanks Paul, I’ve been thinking the same recently…. stay well.

[@lesleysmith2166]

Very interesting if not scary. I think they should let the tenants into the shelter. If only it was that simple to save your life as everyone can provide sand and soil in 4 minutes.

[@Robslondon]

Thanks Lesley

[@charliegould5865]

I always found it amusing about the areas that decided they were nuclear free zones, in the event of a nuclear attack did they think someone had passed their message of being a nuclear free area on to the attackers? On a more serious note when I started my apprenticeship in 1969 at the Hawker Siddeley aircraft factory in Kingston-upon-Thames we were told in our first week that as a weapons manufacturing site, we were a strategic target. So for my entire working life I’ve always known that I was working in locations (aircraft factories and later airports) that would be on the receiving end of a missile in the event of an attack.

[@Robslondon]

Ha ha, yes my Dad used to say that too Charlie! And sounds like interesting work you did. Thanks and stay well.

[@brianartillery]

I have a book about cold war bunkers in the UK. It contains possibly the most sobering, and terrifying list ever compiled, taken from Soviet sources. it catalogues, every large town and city in the UK - and what missiles they would receive. It's not a comfortable read.

[@Robslondon]

@@brianartillery Cheers Brian... I believe I may have the same book you're talking about- and yes, that list is very sobering indeed as you say.

[@DavidShepheard]

Given the housing crisis in London, I wonder if that bunker could be converted into a couple of flats.

[@pacificostudios]

The real reason "Civil Defense" was frightening to the population was that it created an impression that national leaders would consider waging a nuclear war to be a reasonable option for national policy. One U.S. advisor made himself a target of general ridicule when he was quoted as saying that the most critical factor in determining how many people survived the Bomb was if shovels were plentiful enough. "With Enough Shovels," he said, and "It's the dirt that does it!"

[@Robslondon]

Good comment, and yes you’re quite correct.

[@pacificostudios]

@@Robslondon - Thank you. Of course, I was in my 20s when the Euromissile controversy happened.

[@jaywalker3087]

Dacorums (Hemel Hempstead) Town Hall had 4 ft of water in it's Bunker.

[@Robslondon]

Interesting... quite a few bunkers flooded from what I understand?