Top Secret War Rooms on Reading Campus grounds FULL EXPLORE 4k

Reading War Room, completed in 1953, was the regional base for Home Defence Region 6 during the early Cold War, and was designed to protect the functions of regional government from the atomic bomb and to co-ordinate defence. It is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * A remarkably intact early 1950s war room which has experienced very little in the way of alteration since built; * A building which expresses through its monumental and robust form the threat posed by the atomic bomb; * A plan which illustrates the needs and functions of regional government in that decade; * One of only thirteen war rooms nationally of the early 1950s; * One of only four surviving in England built to the two-storey semi-sunken design.
Details
Reading War Room ('The Citadel'), Univ ersity of Reading
II Reading War Room, completed 1953. A War room for Home Defence Region 6 (one of ten such regions in England) to protect regional government and co-ordinate defence in the event of an atomic attack.
HISTORY: By 1951 the construction of buildings to protect the functions of government against the atomic bomb had been agreed. One war room was to be built in each of the ten Home Defence Regions into which England was divided. The exception to this was the London Region which was provided with four war rooms making a total in England of thirteen. All except one (in Newcastle-upon-Tyne) were purpose-built structures. The defence regions had their origins in the Second World War when plans were made for the eventuality that central government was disrupted or destroyed. Each had a regional commissioner who would govern and organise his region and its defence until such time as things returned to normal. The new war rooms were located in the same cities as their wartime predecessors but were usually built on government estates so that they could sit alongside the offices of other ministries. The war room designs were in progress by October 1951 and the last one to be completed was Birmingham in 1956. Each had a reinforced concrete structure with extremely thick external walls (1.45m) and roof (1.5m) and further reinforced concrete internal partition walls as well as its own generators, air filtration system and water supply. The function of the war rooms was to gather information in the event of an attack and to co-ordinate rescue and welfare facilities in support of the regional government.
There were three different designs: single storey surface buildings; two-storey surface buildings; and two-storey semi-sunken buildings as at Reading but in plan they followed a broadly similar pattern. Essentially, as well as the aforementioned plant rooms and water storage facilities, each had a central map room with control rooms, offices and communications rooms surrounding it, as well as ablutions, dormitories and a canteen. The buildings provided protection for the staff within (approximately 50 people including the commissioner, police and military liaison officers, telephonists, telex operators and secretaries, hospital and fire service liaison staff and a science officer), as well as the collection and analysis of data and the dissemination of decisions for the organisation of the particular defence region. The importance of the map room can be seen by its central position at the heart of the building and, in relation to the two-storey design, it occupied the full height of the building with overlooking control cabins on both the lower and upper floors.
Reading War Room was completed in 1953. It was located on the wartime government estate at Whiteknights and some of the pre-fabricated buildings from this use still survive in its vicinity. It was the war room for Home Defence Region 6 which broadly covered Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Reading and other regional war rooms were replaced in the early 1960s by Regional Seats of Government which were better equipped to cope with the hydrogen bomb (the detonation of the Soviet H-bomb in August 1963 was the catalyst for this change in strategy). Reading War Room thus became the communications centre for the Warren Row Regional Seat of Government near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. More recently it has been used by the University of Reading for document storage and by Plant Sciences.
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Also present on this explore were
SamandJess Explores - / @samandjessexplore
Callum Cromwell - / channel
Exploring with Matty - / @exploringwithmatty

[@leedavies9309]

great video matt ,,like the blurring on THE KNOB HEAD

[@BlytheWorld1972]

This video is why why why i love this channel this guy actually shows you stuff loads of information and you really enjoy seeing it all a lot of the explorers are all about them this guy is the real deal .

[@paulford234]

I have a real good urbex for you the old air base in cornwall ,called portreath air base,they used to make chemical weapons ,mustard gas etc for the first and second world war,completely abandoned for many years

[@billdeacon458]

Being a Union Electrician here in the states, I love it when you show the “electrics”..I’m always curious how other countries do it

[@JohnCompton1]

That was really awesome. Fascinating stuff. And your commentary is always humorous and on point. Thanks so much for sharing that little caveat with us.

[@keithbr9530]

At 27; 30 a closeup of electric generator would have been intersting (makers name) (year of manufacture) (output KW)

[@louiswilson7669]

Hi Matthew Williams I hope would talk to you about your exploring secret war rooms and the London underground with Dan from exploring with fighters you both are bringing us fantastic content

[@james.darwent]

Great explore Matt

[@LandscapesDronescapes]

Literally. At the back of my old yard. I grew up a stones throw from there. Never knew it existed.

[@Reebus_]

very interesting :) Great drone footage as usual!

[@andrewj4241]

Any explore with Matty, diggers and yourself is a proper mission top bloody ledgends you make a great team

[@Stylingsid]

Banging mate 👍🏼

[@jamesblood6799]

Love the outro, there's the reading war room, nobhead ❤️👍

[@MelJ44]

FAB FOOTAGE MATT THANKS 😊

[@margaretparker8781]

Liked the vlog matt interesting place from Margaret Parker

[@Sparky-MCMLXXIV]

An amazing explore.

[@JG-mp5nb]

Bring the ladder up so you are not trapped on the roof! Probably the LAST place for a chemistry lab is with irreplaceable glass photo plates and archives! The scales are for accuracy in weighing.

[@BlytheWorld1972]

my fav explorer

[@BlytheWorld1972]

watching today again ...

[@BlytheWorld1972]

Epic footage

[@MrWelki]

Not cannabis... the uni use the bunker for storage. Its an agricultural college. They did lots of GM testing etc

[@benbaker2965]

Interesting- war room turned lab turned storeroom. Noticed the huge greenhouse right next to the building. Would like to know what they were growing. 🤔

[@skipperbentdk]

What kind of gimble are you using for your a7. Thanks for some great videos

[@weedfreer]

if you do any explores around the peak District and you find any maps with pins, I'd love to know how many are associated with local reservoirs

[@philipsimisker9742]

Thanks people well groovy

[@emlynjones1]

I like watching your video amazing what hidden place there are just dawn road from me we’re you to next

[@samhoneywell]

Very surprised to see "Knobhead" out and about @TheSecretVault

[@wooley6914]

Where abouts in Birmingham is the war room located Matthew? Is it the Anchor?

[@BlytheWorld1972]

How long has this place been closed ?

[@markurbex6579]

Matt you got a dent in your car the same place as mine and my car is silver lol

[@paulford234]

Who did you call a knob head at the end??

[@TheSecretVault]

A nob head. We dont name him.

[@billdeacon458]

Just a silly bit...the levers on the vents are called “Dampers”, they control the air flow

[@jblakeblake5115]

I F YOU WATCH THE 84 MOVIE THREADS IT SHOWS YOU HOW THIS ROOM WOULD OF BEEN USED. ALTHOUGH THE FILM IS SET IN SHEFFIELD ITS TERRIFYING.AND IT SHOWS WHAT THE ELITE BASKETS COULD DO TO US ALL.

[@Andolf10001]

Why is one blurred out and the sound keeps going?

[@benbaker2965]

That would be because the chap asked not to be on camera.

[@and7barton]

It wasn't "THAT CERTAIN BLOKE", was it ?

[@Andolf10001]

@@and7barton I keep hearing about he who should not be named, but I haven’t a clue who he was?

[@and7barton]

@@Andolf10001 I think Matthew should be the one to inform you about that. I don't want to speak out if it's not with his wishes.

[@TheSecretVault]

@@and7barton yeah it was

[@BlytheWorld1972]

i am not saying this unloader will but some of them hunting teams must take stuff away i mean so of it is wow and its not wanted so .. i dont see anything wrong with it ...

[@robdedrick2052]

Matt you should have a rigging to drop your Cam down . Before you do a Full Exploratory .

[@infinitephoenixrising428]

Is this the place the dude set on fire ?..sweet bid matt

[@TheSecretVault]

no luckily not this place.

[@cposky4394]

Hmm Good evening

[@urbanexploration7112]

Give it a good kick. ........edit ..maybe not 😂

[@robertstephens767]

Matt, you mite be bragging that you have a BIG one but it looks like you will be needing a BIGGER one.

[@wagwanbennydj6003]

Good times need to do some exploring with you soon just miss placed your email

[@danielchivatodelasnews4638]

I Love Jess.

[@richardvickers148]

Is seems to off stopped playing

[@wibblefoof]

Glacial Acetic acid isnt that potent and certainly wont burn through to the bone !! ... Its only Glacial, because it has low water content, and is a solid ! Vinegar is around 4% Acetic acid ... and water. Some of the glass plates are from a Microfiche. I assume that the DEFRA room with the BioHazard was research being conducted at the University on behalf of them. "Temperature Mercury stuff" .. That would be a Thermometer !!

[@amberdavidson2769]

Fungi in the basement

[@markemarkpsv1]

AM = Apple Macintosh 🍎???

[@MrEddieG420]

Those planters are too small for anything other then starting pot plants in. Ya need atleast a 5 gallon bucket to grow a weed plant in but I prefer even bigger then that...

[@BlytheWorld1972]

a shame all the books are rotting away you think people wold preserve them

[@ZOMBIEHEADSHOTKILLER]

booooo to the censorship...... If people dont want to be in the video, they should stay home.

[@TheSecretVault]

No its not that. I censored them because they are a criminal little shit.

[@TheSecretVault]

@@SuperOMARKO They had stuff stacked up by the door ready to steal, yeah.