Oldham: Inside hidden nuclear bunker under Civic Centre

Built in the 1970s, the builders of the Oldham Civic Centre would have been acutely aware of the risk that their handiwork could be destroyed in an instant.

It was the height of the Cold War, and the British public was being told to prepare for a nuclear attack – with the British government even publishing a pamphlet, Protect and Survive, which purported to tell readers ‘how to make your home and your family as safe as possible under nuclear attack’.

Given the worry that nuclear war could strike at any moment, it’s perhaps not a complete surprise that those who worked in the civic centre wanted something a little more sturdy than a table for shelter in the event of an attack.

It’s for this reason that a nuclear bunker was built, to protect those in the building from an impending detonation. The bunker earned the Civic Centre the accolade of being one of the ‘best places in the UK to survive a nuclear war’ in a 2016 Mirror article.

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Now The Oldham Times has seen inside the space where terrified council bosses and other residents would have sheltered in the event of an attack.

Much of the former shelter space has been turned into file storage – with boxes labelled with different departments of the council.

Archive Rooms are accessed from the underground car park (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

However, signs of the bunker’s original purpose are still visible.

Porter Darren Pemberton gave us a special tour around the facility.

Working for the council for more than 30 years and at the Civic Centre since 2012, Mr Pemberton said: “It’s a personal interest, I like the Civic, I like working here. I’m the gaffer, I’m older than this building.”

He explained that decades ago, much of what is now being used to store boxes and files would have been used to stockpile food in case of an attack.

Porter Darren Pemberton showed us around (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

Speaking in a room full of boxes, Mr Pemberton said: “These are where the bunks would have been. You’ve seen bunks in the World War Two movies, like four bunks on top of each other – that’s what it would have looked like.

“I’ve had to find out all this information on my own through talking to other councillors and Oldhamers.

"My dad used to have a scrap yard, he used to donate a couple of thousand to the Mayor’s Fund, that’s how I got to know all these little things.”

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While the bunker’s red telephone has sadly gone missing in the last few years, other original features remain.

A sign next to a hole in the wall shows how to release Halon Gas from the bunker in the event of the fire extinguisher system being activated. The room is now occupied by IT and telecoms equipment.

You don't want to need this lever (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

Mr Pemberton continued: “These rooms would have been used for storage, for food, clothing, water, and things like that.”

A large telephone exchange, which originally would have been used to help keep in contact with the outside world during an attack, is still present and still in use.

An old sink, a ripped-out toilet, and a shower cubicle (now also being used for storage) also give a clue as to the bunker’s original purpose.

Other items now being stored down below include the original Parliamentary-style benches from the council chamber.

The old Parliamentary-style benches have made their home here (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

Now, an Oldham councillor is calling for the bunker to be preserved, as the civic centre stands to be redeveloped for housing.

Cllr Louie Hamblett said: “Let people come and visit it, there’s some history there and people wil learn, they’ll learn the secrets.”

Mr Pemberton added: “History’s important, we need to keep our history, especially Oldham’s history because it’s going.

“Look at all the historical buildings that have gone. We used to have at least 40-odd chimneys, how many have we got now? We’ve got one left at Fitton Hill.”