Forgotten Places...

In the corner of this field lies a secret...

You could walk past it without noticing, and that's the idea.

Look on the other side of this grassy knoll and all is revealed. A 'blast wall' only recently toppled, partly obscures the entrance.

Clamber through the brambles, under the leaning edge of the wall and a dark corridor awaits you.

At the end of the passage, turn right, into a small windowless room. The only light pours through the escape hatch above.

The metal rungs of the ladder have long since gone.

In the corner is a plinth where once a stove sat.

This was the hide of the Elite Auxiliary Unit in world war two. These units were a subversive underground force formed to operate behind enemy lines if we were invaded. Trained in guerrilla tactics and armed with rifles, grenades, incendiary bombs, plastic high explosives, time delay fuses and other devices, these men were expected to target tanks, convoys, enemy camps, and ammunition dumps. Sworn to secrecy and forced to sign the Official Secrets Act, they operated outside of the Geneva Convention and if caught could be shot as spies.

The adjoining room was pitch black. Torchlight revealed a ceiling inhabited by hibernating butterflies and moths exercising an uneasy truce with the large spiders.

This room was slightly smaller, the floor dominated by two large concrete slabs. Inset to these were the remnants of metal mounting points. This was probably the location of the battery generators which would have been used to power a radio transceiver.

Three wide ventilation pipes bridged the walls. Two at floor level and one 5ft up the wall so ensuring a natural flow of air through convection. Two smaller metal pipes were probably exhaust outlets for the engines of the generators.

The hatch from the escape route was missing. This bunker doesn't appear on any civilian maps, and this is the only feature to be seen on any ariel photographs.

These bunkers were built all over the country, many were entirely underground with only a manhole cover to give away their existence. This bunker is only a couple of miles from where I live. There's probably one near you too. You could have walked over it without noticing. Is that a normal manhole cover beneath your feet, or something else?...

An Aqueduct too Far...

I was suffering badly from idle-itus, an untreatable condition that was causing my kayak paddles to go slower than normal. Luckily there was no rush, and soon enough I was at Fazeley Junction. Decisions, decisions, do I go north to Whittington, or south towards Coventry? The 10 miles to Whittington and back suddenly seemed a long way, so I instead opted to go the short distance to where the canal passes over the River Tame on a high aqueduct.

A Second World War 'pillbox' stands guard over the water here. These war relics fascinate me. This one is particularly interesting. It's a FW3 Type 26. There were less than 200 of this type built. The more common hexagonal Type 22's are dotted in their thousands across the country. This Type 26 is unusual in that it only has embrasures/ loopholes on one side rather than all four. The angle of the loophole slots would have allowed full gun coverage of both the canal and the river below all the way towards Tamworth. There are horizontal slots along the sides, with remnants of wood still in them. Many of these structures where either 'merged', or disguised, and I wonder if these wooden batons were left from some sort of cladding in an attempt to make it look more civilian in nature. For many miles this stretch of the River Tame was used as a natural 'stop line' during the war. There are pillboxes dotted all along its length as well as brick lined cutouts in the bank where patrol boats lurked ever ready under tree cover. The waterway here is only a narrowboats width, which is... narrow. The railings on the towpath side are always a worry to pedestrians with dogs or small children as there is a sheer drop down to the river.

The river looked inviting, but the thought of carrying a 20 kilo kayak laden with another 10 kilo of luggage left me feeling exhausted. It would have to wait for another day, maybe in summer when those trees are in leaf and I can tie a hammock up over the water from an overhanging branch.

Over the other side of the aqueduct was an intriguing doorway that begged to be investigated. Leaving my kayak under the protection of the pillbox, I scrambled through the undergrowth until I reached the sandstone steps.

It was a little disappointing. It was just a small storage room, fire blackened and litter strewn by local scallywags.

Back at my kayak I drank my obligatory flask of Camp coffee while contemplating the paddle home.

The Drayton footbridge was a welcome sight, although the din of the traffic wasn't. My rumbling tummy helped drown out the noise as a bacon sandwich beckoned me homeward...

Don't lie to me...

Number '263'. This had been showing up on my GPS for ages. It was a 'waypoint' I had entered in my old crude 'Etrex' back in 2001. I had obviously neglected to give it a name, and now every time I drove towards Lichfield it would pop up on my screen. I'd forgotten what it was. I couldn't get to it by road, I could only circle it, never getting less than 1/4 of a mile from it. I got out of the car at a high point and scoped the horizon with the aid of the zoom on my camcorder. A familiar outline. I'd seen this before. It was a nuclear 'observer' bunker. That bench was fooling no one!
Nearly a decade ago I lived for a short while part time on a protest camp, campaigning against the new toll motorway or the 'BNRR' as it was known. I feel I must point out that I am not anti-road and most definitely not anti-car, but I am totally opposed to tolls (it was a grand day that the 'turnpike trust' was abolished!). This road was just a money spinner by 'fat cats', it duplicated another motorway route and in the process cut through woods, unreplaceable countryside, greenbelt land, split up farms making them unviable and destroyed peoples homes bought up by compulsory purchase orders! Anyway, I digress...The reason I mention this is at that time protesters would occupy any woods or buildings along the proposed route. This bunker fell on this route and was broken into and inhabited for a short while.
This is what annoys me....It was reported in the local paper, national papers and on TV that this bunker would be destroyed during the construction of the M6 Toll. The official impact report issued by the department for the environment confirmed this as fact. Later reports declared this bunker as demolished. I've checked the maps, they didn't change the plans, this wasn't a mistake...they lied!...Don't lie to me!.....

You can see from this hastily sketched plan that the surface details match. Well, apart from the stonking big orange mushroom of flame!
These observer bunkers are a cold war legacy. Designed for two men, (I don't know what that third man is doing in there, they're not going to repopulated a nuclear devastated earth like that!) the observer corps would monitor the position and effect of any nuclear attack. It wasn't a long term survival bunker, it would only facilitate a fortnight underground, (they obviously got paid by the week!)

Not so 'secret' bunkers!....

Years ago I used to drive regularly to Admaston Hall where one of my clients lived. On the way I would pass through Fisherwick. It was a difficult lane to drive along, not particularly wide, people would drive a little too fast (not me of course), and on the one side was a foreboding brick wall scarred and holed by numerous accidents.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see these huge mounds, grassed over and with really tall telegraph pole style lightning conductors on top. What the hell were they? Curiosity got the better of me!

This was 4 years ago. A ten year old map showed nothing but fields, strange. On a much later map it suddenly appeared, 'storage depot'.

With the arrival of Google Earth this anomaly could no longer hide!

Secret bunkers have lost their 'mystic' since the freedom of information act!


I decided to have a drive round one evening and see what I could see. Approaching via a long dark lane on the Fisherwick hall side, I came across a track. The spotlights illuminated a sign. I didn't know what 'E.A NIGHT PATROLS' meant but I was pretty sure it was time to go home!

Next day I decided to have a look in daylight. There was a footpath marked on the map nearby and this seemed my best bet.

Of course I checked for any warning signs beforehand. Didn't want to be shot for being on MOD land or anything!!

No, everything seems fine, after all it's a camcorder not a camera.

I was a little nervous about filming here. I don't like confrontation and didn't want an angry exchange with a disgruntled land/bunker owner.

Tentatively I ventured into 'Morlock' territory.

'Accidentally' straying from the footpath I could see the access roads and regularly mown mounds.

Closer up, the lift entrances were clearly visible.

What was stored here? The only vehicles I've seen going in or out are lorries marked 'Skipper Produce' with a picture of a big dog face on the side! I cannot find any trace of this company!

Okay, with a bit more digging about and the help of the freedom of information act I finally, after many years got to the bottom of this.

It is an explosive store, built in 1954, supplying local mines and quarries.

The 'dog' lorries I can't explain other than it's probably not wise from a security point of view to have 'Explosives R Us' printed on the side!






Sometimes it's no fun finding out the truth. It was so much more exciting wondering about the 'bunkers in the fields'!

While I was finding the old video footage for this post, I came across some other film.

In the woods near Kinver, I came across this very overgrown strange road/ track. It led downhill, into a rocky gorge.

There up ahead, was a doorway!

A closer look left me even more intrigued.

I later found out that this is one of many 'back doors' to a huge ww2 underground factory!

Fully equipped with a pub, living accommodation, shop, hospital, this factory was kept in reserve in order to take over aircraft engine manufacturer should the more 'public' factories be bombed.

The door was securely welded shut.

I so wanted to look inside....

...but this dark foreboding, apparently bottomless hole seemed to be the only option! No way am I going in there!!!

I'll just have to keep looking for another 'front door at the back'!

Glorious day....

The kayak was strapped to the car and ready to go. A flask of 'camp' coffee (you know, the one with chicory that comes in a bottle) and a flask of soup with crusty bread, plus my trusty rucksack of paraphernalia were impatiently thrown into the car. The weather was glorious and I needed to be out...

As I drove through the lanes to get to Drayton village, the sun began to 'burn' through the early mist. After passing the vineyards on Shirral lane, I came to the pastures where the horses are put to graze. Full of the vigour's of spring, they ran along side the car to the limit of their field. It was going to be a magical day.

The canals were empty. Not a soul to be seen, just how I like it. Flat like a mirror, the only ripples were mine!

A quick paddle from Drayton swing bridge (the one that looks like a white double turreted castle but stupidly neglected to photograph) up to Kingsbury water nature reserve. Here I took a soup break and exchanged a few words with the homeless guy who occupies this stretch of water (if you're going to be homeless, be homeless somewhere nice!).

Paddling towards Fazeley, I turned left at the basin and headed for Hopwas woods via Tamworth. The canal people were beginning to wake up and it was getting busy, but they are all such friendly folk.

It's only mid April but it's getting really warm (25c), I've left the sun cream in the car and I'm beginning to regret it as my shoulders are sunburning. (What is up with the British weather? No winters to speak of and getting hotter year after year! CRAZY!)

Running the gauntlet of the two pub gardens either side of the canal at Hopwas village, "What sort of boat is that?", a tipsy but friendly bloke asks. "Paddle steamer!" I reply. (He seems happy enough with the description and returns to his beer).

The tranquility of Hopwas wood beckons...

The canal is high up here, the river Trent to the right , some 100 feet below and beyond that lies Tamworth. A world war two 'pill box' stands guard. They are everywhere, the canals and rivers were considered to be a real weakness from invasion and were well fortified.

I've always been intrigued by these relics of war. Around here seems to be a hot spot from every era. To the west from here is a nuclear bunker (Admaston) mothballed but still intact, and at Fisherwick there is a complex of 7 bunkers marked on the map only as 'storage'. What would you need to store underground, served by lift shafts, protected by 20ft high earth blast banks, 40ft lightning conductors? The only vehicles in and out are lorries marked "Skipper produce", with a picture of a dog, (this company doesn't seem to exist!). A subject for another post!! If you don't hear from me, I've stepped on the wrong toes!

The woods here at Hopwas are lovely. At this time of year they are full of anemones. I love to put my hammock up here and I never get disturbed by dog walkers. Perhaps this sign explains why!

On the return trip, (11 miles today, achy arms tomorrow!) I managed at last to film one of the many grass snakes I see swim across the canal. I know the regular places that they hang out, but their appearances are so fleeting I rarely get to film them.

This little chap was waiting to cross as I approached. After a mad scramble to get the camcorder out of the rear boat hatch, I began filming.

They are canny creatures and will take the time to watch you, to judge your intentions.

When you see them swimming up ahead, it often appears as if they are are an insect, trapped by the water, zipping about on the surface causing little 'V' waves.

They are so at home on the water, dinky tongue testing the air as they go.

Once up on the bank, curiosity gets the better of him. He hung around for a good 30 secs, checking me out. I can't express how chuffed I am when I get to see these guys.

See you chap, I'm off home. Tired arms, but as relaxed as one could ever be....Today, life is good...