In the 1980's Southern Water built 3 Emergency Control Centres. One at Brede in Sussex,one at Twyford in Hampshire,and another one near Farthing Corner,Gillingham,to serve the Chatham area. It was built for Southern Water usage in case of a nuclear attack. The Bunker was constructed inside a disused covered reservoir that was fitted out with thick walls and blast doors.

Inside the main entrance,down some steps is a Decontamination room with a Shower in. Using the shower would of helped to reduce radioactive material on the body after fallout from a nuclear explosion.

Through one door was a diesel generator and behind that is a shaft for air intake and filters. Another door from the Decontamination area leads into an air lock,then into a small corridor. Opposite the air lock was a ventilation plant room and then another shaft for the exhaust and filters. Carrying on down the corridor was a store room and Dormitory on the left and Toilets and Kitchen area on the right.

Air Filters

 

Corridor

 

Kitchen area

 

At the end of the corridor is a Control room that would have housed a "Faraday Cage".

A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure formed by conducting material, or by a mesh of such material. Such an enclosure blocks out external static electrical fields. Faraday cages are named after physicist Michael Faraday, who built one in 1836.

An external static electrical field will cause the electrical charges within the conducting material to redistribute themselves so as to cancel the field's effects in the cage's interior. This effect is used, for example, to protect electronic equipment from lightning strikes and other electrostatic discharges. To a large degree, Faraday cages also shield the interior from external electromagnetic radiation.

At the far end leading off the Control room is another blast door,through which is an escape exit,where there is a ladder leading to an escape hatch.

 

Looking into part of the control room

 

Emergency exit

 

Today the Bunker is abandoned but sealed,and on private property.