Historic Buildings

Command & Control: Revealing Portsmouth’s Hidden Cold War Bunker

Our long-term vision is to save Fort Widley’s Cold War bunker. Enabling more people to have the opportunity to learn about and engage with this unique heritage asset - a historically significant part of our national civil defence network with a largely intact 1950s Operations Room. This project is an essential step in achieving this ambition. The Feasibility Study will provide the us with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges of opening up the bunker including the barriers to access, options for interpretation and learning, condition of the areas of Fort housing the bunker, condition of the collection, and the financial and organisational impact on our organisation. The Feasibility Study will provide us with an important legacy, providing the information and evidence we need to inform the planning for the implementation of our long-term vision. The findings will feed into and inform the phasing of our development plans.