Today, they are a fascinating tourist attraction located a half an hour’s train journey out of London.

History of Chislehurst Caves

It is unclear exactly when the caves were first created. Early 20th century archaeologist William Nichols, then the Vice President of the British Archaeological Association, suggested that they had been made by the Druids, Romans and Saxons. This theory later led to different sections of the caves being named, and today tour guides point out supposed Druid altars and Roman features. However, this is heavily disputed and very unlikely.

The earliest mention of the mines and lime-burning kilns dates from a 9th century charter, and then once again in 1232 AD. The earliest documented evidence of a chalk cave dates to 1737, and it’s likely that the caves were most active and developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. They are last believed to have been worked on as late as the 1860s for producing lime.

When air-raids began during World War Two, the caves were used for shelter. Inhabitants from London and Kent paid 1p per night to sleep in the biggest bomb shelter in London. The tunnels accommodated up to an incredible 15,000 people at a time and were fitted with electric lighting, toilets, washing facilities, a chapel and hospital.

So many people were packed into the caves as bomb shelters that temperatures reportedly often reached up to 70°F (21 degrees Celsius).

In the 1930s, the caves were used for mushroom cultivation. From the 1950s they were used for music gigs, with bands performing right up until 2001.

Chislehurst Caves today

Today, the caves are open to the public via tour only. A 45-minute tour will take you along a mere mile of the tunnels, but it is well worth it to explore the relics of hundreds of years of human activity.

Along with being a hugely popular tourist attraction, the caves have been the site of a number of cultural spectacles, such as two performances by Jimi Hendrix, four performances by David Bowie, a performance by Pink Floyd, an episode of Doctor Who (some of the stage set glitter is still visible on some of the walls) and a Led Zeppelin launch party. They are still available for private hire for a range of events.

Getting to Chislehurst Caves

The caves are a 30 minute train ride from London Bridge or Charing Cross, and are a short walk from Chislehurst Railway Station. By road, take the A222 between the A20 and A21. At the railway bridge by Chislehurst Station, turn into Station Approach, turn right at the end then right again into Caveside Close.

By bus, the 269 runs between Bromley and Bexleyheath and the 162 runs between Beckenham and Eltham. The entrance can be found in Caveside Close near the “Bickley Arms” public house.

Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker history

In 1952, the spectre of the Cold War loomed ever-more menacingly over Britain. With Europe already firmly divided into two hostile and ideologically opposed camps, and with the Korean War raging in East Asia, the nuclear arms race became increasingly frenetic. In October 1952, Britain became the third country to test successfully an independently developed nuclear bomb after strategically and ideologically aligning itself with the United States.

It was against this terrifying backdrop that construction work began on the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker. The subterranean space, just 25 miles northeast of London, was first used as an RAF ROTOR station. ROTOR, a project initiated by the British Government in the early 1950s, was a complex air defence radar system which sought to repel potential attacks from Soviet bombers. The bunker then briefly became a Regional Seat of Government (RSG), before finally being turned into Essex’s Regional Government Headquarters (RGHQ).

The Kelvedon Hatch bunker was designed to house up to 600 civilian and military personnel, including the Prime Minister and other high-ranking cabinet officials. In the event of a nuclear attack, the centre’s tasks would have consisted of supplying protection to nearby Ministry of Defence workers, coordinating the survival of the local population, and continuing the operations of the government.

In 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the geostrategic realignment of Europe, Kelvedon Hatch nuclear bunker was decommissioned. The local Parish family, whose land had been requisitioned by the state in the 1950s in order to construct the site, bought the fields back from the Government.

Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker today

Today the Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker has been converted into a fascinating, privately owned museum, with three-stories measuring 27,000 square feet and extending 100 metres below ground level and walls made of ten-foot-thick concrete reinforced by tungsten rods.

The structure contains roughly 80 tons of genuine Cold War-period equipment, including original plotting boards, telecommunications apparatus, and 1980s-era computer equipment. It is also replete with its own BBC studio, office space, living quarters, kitchen and medical room, as well as a canteen, where refreshments are served to modern-day visitors.

It is an ideal site for those looking to explore Britain’s fascinating Cold War history, and offers visitors a glimpse into one of the globe’s most volatile periods.

Getting to Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker

Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker is located in Brentwood, Essex and can be reached via the M11 and M25. From the M11 take the A414 to Ongar, then take the A128 to Brentwood, and from the M25 interchange with the A12, Junction 28, take the A1023 to Brentwood then take the A128 to Ongar.

The nearest train stations are Brentwood and Shenfield and the nearest Underground stations are Debden, Theydon Bois, and Epping, which are all around a 7 mile taxi journey to the site.

Mila 18 Memorial history

A grass mound and monument now marks the spot from where the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 was lead by the Jewish Combat Organisation (ŻOB – Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa), and where many of its fighters, including commander-in-chief Mordechai Anielewicz, are buried.

The bunker was constructed by a group of underworld smugglers in the same year, however three weeks after the start of the uprising, the bunker was discovered by the Nazis on 8 May and tear gas was used to try and force the fighting command out. Some did escape, however, the majority chose to commit suicide by ingesting poison rather than surrender. Their bodies were never exhumed after 1945 and the site became a war memorial.

In 1946, the monument known as “Anielewicz Mound”, made of the rubble of Miła houses, was erected. A commemorative stone with the inscription in Polish and Yiddish was placed on top of the mound. 60 years lates, a new obelisk designed by Hanna Szmalenberg and Marek Moderau was added to the memorial.

The inscription in Polish, English and Yiddish reads: “Grave of the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising built from the rubble of Miła Street, one of the liveliest streets of pre-war Jewish Warsaw… It is the place of rest of over one hundred fighters, only some of whom are known by name. Here they rest, buried as they fell, to remind us that the whole earth is their grave.”

Mila 18 Memorial today

Mila 18 is a significant memorial consisting of a small Obelisk with the names of 51 Jewish fighters enscribed on it and a commemorative stone at the top of a stairway. The site is considered to be a quiet and hidden gem, often with no crowds. It is a small, mostly fenced-in lot in a quiet residential neighborhood. At first impression it looks like a perfect place to build a house, but this is no normal building lot – this is a memorial to heroes.

There is a cobblestone path leading to some cobblestone steps leading to the top of a mound surrounded by trees. Surrounding the memorial are some high rise apartments and a concrete monument with many names on it. There are often candles and a Star of David wreath along with other items at the base of the monument that were left here by others who will not let the memory of these heroes fade.

Getting to Mila 18 Memorial

Tucked off on a side street, the former bunker site not far from the POLIN museum of the History of Polish Jews. The address of the site is Miła 2, 00-001 Warszawa, Poland. The site is open for 24 hours every day and is roughly a 5 minute walk away from Warsaw New Town. The nearest train station is Warsaw Central.

Minuteman Missile Silo history

During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert; hundreds remain today. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal. It holds the power to destroy civilization, but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war.

The Minuteman Missile Silo site was one of many such sites which operated for over 30 years during the Cold War. Eventually, these sites were decommissioned after the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 1991.

The original missile site was vast and today the main attractions are spread out over a wide area.

Minuteman Missile Silo today

Visitors can tour both the control center and missile site, and can see the original living quarters and underground control facilities that would have been used by the original personnel. The tours then move on to the missile silo itself where visitors can view a Minuteman II missile through a glass roof.

Visitors should start their journey from the contact station where guided tours are available (note: it is advisable to book in advance as space is limited). It is also possible to view the missile site independently, visitors can call a number from their phones to access a recorded tour.

Getting to Minuteman Missile Silo

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is located at three sites along a fifteen mile stretch of Interstate 90 in western South Dakota. The Visitor Center is located immediately north of I-90, exit 131. The two historic sites which make up the park are four miles (Launch Control Facility Delta-01) and 15 miles (Launch Facility Delta-09) from the Visitor Center. No public transportation systems serve the park.

History of Museum Of The Liberation Of Paris

The museum was originally inaugurated at a different site in 1994 above Montparnasse train station. The museum examined French World War Two history via the figures of General Leclerc and Jean Moulin, with a particular focus on resistance in June 1940 and Liberation in 1944. It was made up of 36 permanent exhibitions.

In 2015, a decision was made to increase the visibility and focus on the Liberation of Paris of the museum, and it was thus opened on 25 August 2019 on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the capital’s liberation. Its location is yet more pertinent, with the Liberation of Paris former command headquarters being hidden underground beneath the West Pavilion.

Museum Of The Liberation Of Paris Today

Today, the voices of Jean Moulin and General Leclerc guide visitors along a path along which over 300 items, original documents, photos, archive videos, and personal accounts which relate to moments of resistance, repression, secret missions, and newfound freedom are displayed.

The museum is free for all to visit. Tickets also allow access into the command post in the air raid shelter, however, only a limited number of people are allowed into the post at any one time.

Getting to Museum Of The Liberation Of Paris

The museum is located in Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. From Gare du Nord, the museum is a 10 minute train ride, stopping at Denfert-Rochereau. Equally, it’s a 12 minute drive via Bd Saint-Michel.