Inside ‘ghost town’ nuclear bunker for prime ministers - as owner issues warning

17 February 2024 , 12:17

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The eerie structure came form an era when the UK was on the brink of a nuclear war with Russia during the Cold War (Image: Mike Parrish)

The owner of an abandoned nuclear bunker made exclusively for Britain's prime ministers has issued his own chilling World War 3 warning.

First constructed in the 1950s, the eerie structure came from an era when the UK was on the brink of a nuclear war with Russia during the Cold War. Mike Parrish, 76, bought the former Government "secret nuclear bunker" - located under a field in Kelvedon Hatch, near Brentwood, Essex - in 1994 and runs it as a museum.

The eerie hideaway features several bathrooms, a hospital bay, bunk beds and a large canteen capable of serving 600 people. The bunker is just 29 miles away from Downing Street and was built to provide a safe space for leaders and cabinet ministers in the event of a nuclear strike.

The hideaway features a large canteen and kitchen capable of serving 600 people (Caters News Agency)

Mike said: "Central government would have been irrelevant until radiation levels dropped enough for politicians to grab back their power. The UK instead was going to be split into regions with a different Commissioner in each, as the country rebuilt after a nuclear attack. They would govern the area as a whole as if they were God. The Commissioner would allocate resources to any survivors and shoot potential looters or rioters."

Mike said that he would use the bunker in the eventuality of a nuclear strike, but that his wife is reluctant to join him. He explained: "For me, if a nuclear attack happened I would certainly come down into my bunker. My wife wouldn’t, interestingly. A lot of people say “I’d rather stand outside and be evaporated”.

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The Cold War-era bunker features several bathrooms and a hospital bay (Caters News Agency)

"But dying instantly would depend on how close you were to the potential nuclear blast. It’s more likely you’ll get hit with a heavy dose of radioactivity and spend several months dying slowly of leukaemia. In the meantime, you’d be fighting off marauding gangs who would be raping and pillaging for everything you’ve got. I think the best thing to do would be to come down somewhere like this and choose when you want to die."

The museum owner also revealed that after the war in Ukraine broke out, some people had tried to buy spaces inside the bunker. Speaking to the Express he said: "So now we have the Ukraine… and we had 15 people [asking for a space] this time.

Mike said that he would use the bunker in the eventuality of a nuclear strike, but that his wife is reluctant to join him (Caters News Agency)

"But of course, I've learned that I say 'well, if you've got £500,000 in liquid assets, we will talk to you. On 9/11, I had over 200 people… part of the deal was that in those days, we said for £30,000, we will guarantee your space, down in the bunker here for 10 years.”

However, things aren't as rosy as they may appear. Mike warned that a post-nuclear strike stint would probably mean over a decade underground - and resources would eventually dry up. "You are going to be down here for 10-15 years, you're going to want lots of food," he added.

Joseph Gamp