The Cold War secret nuclear bunker hidden under Essex house

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Hidden underneath a nondescript bungalow in Brentwood lies a secret nuclear bunker - the "biggest and deepest" of its kind in the south east of England.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker is a Cold War bunker, tucked away under farmland just outside of Kelvedon Hatch, in Brentwood.

Stretching across three floors - and sitting at around 38 metres below ground - the complex is the "biggest and deepest" Cold War bunker open to the public in the south east of the country, according to Visit Essex.

The 'ops room' at the bunker (Image: Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker)

It was built in the early 1950s as an RAF radar station, however from the early 1960s onwards served as one of Britain's potential regional government headquarters as Cold War tensions ramped up.

This meant that there was room for up to 600 military and civilian personnel, including the prime minister, should they need to be stationed there in the time of a nuclear attack.

Hundreds of spare bunk beds lined the entry tunnel, to accommodate these people, while a small surgery, washrooms, dormitories and a canteen were all situated on the top level to support the day-to-day existence of the bunker inhabitants.

The blast doors weigh just under one and a half tonnes each (Image: Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker)

On the ground floor - around 80ft below the Essex countryside - the main communication, military, and plant equipment was situated.

Visitors brave enough to tour the bunker will still see some of this kit today, with plotting boards, 1980s computers, and telecoms gear preserved on the site.

To get there though, you have to walk through a 120 metre-long tunnel - with its entrance hidden just inside a simple bungalow on the site.

The entrance tunnel to the bunker (Image: Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker)

Since the bunker was decommissioned in 1992, and subsequently turned into a museum, it has become a notorious paranormal activity hotspot, even appearing on TV show Most Haunted in 2009.

According to Essex Ghost Hunters an "unusually tall elderly lady" has been seen roaming the complex, while an RAF officer is said to have been spotted on several occasions.

Several visitors say they have even been told to leave the building by a woman in uniform or instructed to "go back" by a disembodied voice.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker is open every day for those bold enough to visit.

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