Could you imagine London divided into groups during the Cold War? Each group reported to Kelvedon Hatch. Each group was further divided into boroughs, each having its own control center. Today we are standing before what was once Southwark Control, designated 51C5.
Southwark Control, 51C5, was located beneath a health center. The junction of Peckham Road and Vestry Road was its home. It stood almost opposite Southwark Town Hall. This bunker was part of London’s Cold War defense network.
After its closure, the health center above Southwark Control was demolished in the late 1990s. Local children kept breaking into it according to the Southwark EPO. The bunker below, however, remains intact.
The plot of land where we stand is now derelict. It awaits redevelopment. One side of the stairway into the bunker has been filled with concrete. This leaves a six-foot drop onto the steps. A hinged grille, securely locked, covers the remaining part of the well.
Let’s imagine descending those stairs into Southwark Control. At the bottom, a heavy wooden door gives access to a T-shaped corridor’s middle. A second wooden door lies on the floor. Its origin is unclear. Perhaps it was from the top of the stairs.
Turning left, the corridor opens into a lobby area. To the left, a door bears a plastic sign that says Generator Room. Inside, a 16 HP two-cylinder three-phase Lister Generator sits to the left. Ventilation and filtration plant and electrical switchgear are on the right. Melvin Gerin made the control cabinets. Intriguingly, the lights on the control cabinets are still on.
There is a locked door directly into the canteen. Next to the generator room is Room No 1 Support Sections. A central supporting pillar stands in the middle of the room. Wall maps, now decayed, are visible. A large plastic message handling flow chart lies on the floor.
A door leads directly into Room No. 2 Control Room. This room can also be accessed from the corridor. It contains decaying large-scale wall maps. One map is labelled incident resources. Another is labelled Incident Map. This also shows rest centers. A large chart is labelled Board Plot. It is divided into five columns. The headings are Time, Location, Action, Resources, DEPL, and ETR.
Two windows look into the adjacent room. This is labelled Incoming messages and outgoing messages. The door to this room reads Room No. 3 Comcen – Communications staff only. Inside are five acoustic booths along one wall. Signs above them read SE Group flood net, Borough net, Raynet, Tele. Op. 2, and Tele Op. 1. Another message handling flow chart is present. A board labelled Communications state is divided into nine columns. The headings include UHF Emergency Borough net, UHF standby, Housing net, Raynet, VHF, FAX, and various phone and teleprinter lines. A supporting pillar in the room’s center has a sign that says Filing & Progress Chaser.
Room 5 Switchboard and Teleprinters is next along the T corridor. It also has a door directly from the Communications Centre. It has an office desk and three acoustic booths. BT junction boxes are on the wall. A computer monitor, keyboard, and printer lie on the floor. An Avtex Telex Manager sits on the desk.
Across the corridor from the entrance stairs is Room No. 4 Canteen. A serving counter and wooden cupboards are present. All kitchen appliances have been removed except for the water heater. There is a locked door into the generator room.
Along the short arm of the T corridor, Room No. 6 is at one end. There is no clear indication of this room’s original use. It may well have been a dormitory. The room now contains filing cabinets with files and papers. Several chairs and a low table are also present. Behind a curtain is the emergency escape shaft. It has a fifteen-foot vertical ladder to an ROC style hatch. A framed family tree chart hangs on the wall. It is titled Organisation – London Borough Wartime Headquarters.
Next to this room are the male and female toilets. All their fittings are intact. Sinks have been removed. The toilets still flush. The hot air hand dryers still work.
The final room at the opposite end of the short arm of the T is the Store. It is fitted with Dexion shelving. It contains stores including a large battery and charger, paint tins, and an IBM 72 Golfball typewriter.
Throughout the bunker, rubbish is strewn. Surprisingly, it has not been trashed and vandalized much. A pungent and unpleasant smell hangs in the air. The atmosphere is muggy and close. Several inches of water cover the floor throughout the bunker. Rain likely comes through the open surface grille. Throughout the bunker, the wood is painted blue.
Southwark Control, 51C5, stands as a silent witness to a tense period in history. Its intact structure offers a glimpse into the preparations made for a potential war. While derelict, it remains a significant historical site.