Scotland's Secret Bunker, located by St. Andrews, may have been a secret for 42 years but now it is one of Fife's most popular visitor attractions.
The bunker, hidden 100 feet beneath an innocent looking farmhouse, would have housed top military personnel, senior ministers and key civil servants in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War.
With 42 different areas to the bunker over two levels, the 24,000 square feet site is a remarkable insight into life during this period.
The bunker has been fully restored and still contains much of its original equipment and machinery including the original telephone switchboard, which would have been manually operated by ten people 24 hours a day, and the war telephones, which would have given the final three-minute warning in the event of an attack
Other features include the 'hot beds' where staff would sleep for six hours and then work for 18 hours every day, a chapel and a BBC radio station through which the bunker would have broadcast the horrific news of a nuclear bomb being dropped.
There is also a very atmospheric audio visual presentation in the Central Government and Nuclear Command Centre and audio visual handsets, which give visitors a full explanation of all the areas and the history of the bunker, guide people around the vast site.
The bunker was bought from the government after it came off the Official Secrets List in 1993 and celebrated its 10th anniversary as a tourist attraction last month.
During this time the bunker has also been used as a unique location for conferences and corporate meetings, a perfect location for raves and discos, as no sound can be heard above ground, and the bunker's consecrated chapel has even been used for weddings.
But the bunker has a more serious past. Originally constructed in the early 1950s, the bunker acted as a front line RAF radar station until the early 60s.
Then it was taken over by the then Civil Defence Corps, who provided all the support services to the bunker as a Regional Seat of Government.
Civil defence was disbanded in the late 60s and the bunker then took a more sinister role, as the Actual Central Government Headquarters in the event of thermonuclear war.
Local
Eat and Drink
- Annandale Guest House - St Andrews (5.8 miles) - Our charming Victorian guesthouse nestles in the heart of St. Andrews. A modern contemporary style c...
- Playfair's Restaurant and Steakhouse - St Andrews (5.8 miles) - At Playfair’s we are passionate about three things when it comes to food; flavour, origin and seas...
- Tailend - st andrews (5.9 miles) - Scottish Fish & Chips | Cooked fresh to order | Sit in or Take-away The Tailend is a family run busin...
- The Peat Inn Restaurant with Rooms - Peat Inn (6.6 miles) - The Peat Inn, by St Andrews dates from 1700s and is, today, a luxury 5 Star Restaurant with Rooms in...
- The Peat Inn Restaurant with Rooms - Cupar (6.6 miles) - A warm welcome awaits you at The Peat Inn, in Peat Inn village, By St Andrew’s. The Peat Inn has e...
See and Do
- Scotland's Secret Bunker St Andrews (0.0 miles) - Scotland's Secret Bunker, located by St. Andrews, may have been a secret for 42 years but now it...
- Kingsbarns Golf Links St Andrews (2.6 miles) - Our passion is to host you for a memorable round of traditional Scottish links golf. Kingsbarns Golf...
- Kingsbarns Golf Links St Andrews (2.6 miles) - Welcome to Kingsbarns Our passion is to host you for a memorable round of traditional Scottish links ...
- Kingarrock Hickory Golf Course Cupar (11.2 miles) - Experience the History of Golf in the Home of Golf. At Kingarrock Hickory Golf Course, you’ll enjoy...
- Barry Mill - The National Trust for Scotland Carnoustie (15.8 miles) - Enjoy the splash of the waterwheel and the sound and smell of grinding corn in this picturesque 19th...
Shopping
- Barry Mill - The National Trust for Scotland - Carnoustie (15.8 miles) - Enjoy the splash of the waterwheel and the sound and smell of grinding corn in this picturesque 19th...
- Swankie Jo's - Dundee (16.2 miles) - Swankie Jo’s is a concept store based in Dundee City Centre. We specialise in our own branded prod...
- Old Bakehouse Tearoom - Aberlady (19.1 miles) - The Old Bakehouse Tearoom has a very welcoming and characterful family atmosphere for seating up to ...
