Hidden between autumnal trees in an isolated location lies derelict buildings in what was one of Britain’s most secret – and deadly – places.
Stunning aerial photos reveal a former nuclear weapons storage site once home to dozens of atomic bombs kept during the Cold War.
RAF Barnham is hidden away in a quiet corner of west Suffolk, where half of the country’s nuclear arsenal was kept in the 1950s.
Nestled among foliage and at the end of a branch of footpaths are the entrances to the former storage facilities, known as hutches, for the fissile core of the nuclear weapons.
Now decaying with rust, the bomb hutches were once built for the maintenance of Blue Danube, Britain’s first free falling nuclear atomic bomb, to be stockpiled in a ‘second-strike’ scenario.
At the peak of its use as many as 57 nuclear warheads were housed there, ready to be mounted on 24foot long Blue Danube or later Red Beard bombs.
Some 200 personnel, ranging from scientists to military guards, were based at the isolated spot. Security was tight with six watchtowers manned 24-hours a day.
Some of the former military buildings are now being used as industrial units, with the rest of the base being restored by owner Keith Eldred.
The site was once clear of foliage providing good security vantages from the watchtowers and the outer fence was equipped with barbed wire.
In present day, the disused watchtowers stand derelict and decrepit, overlooking over what was once one of Britain’s most deadly places.
The depot had a relatively short lifespan and ceased having capability to hold nuclear weapons in the summer of 1963.
Stunning aerial photos reveal a former nuclear weapons storage site in Barnham, Suffolk, once home to dozens of atomic bombs kept during the Cold War
In present day, the disused watchtowers stand derelict and decrepit, overlooking over what was once one of Britain’s most deadly places
Nestled among foliage and at the end of a branch of footpaths are the entrances to the former storage facilities, known as hutches, for the fissile core of the nuclear weapons in the 1950s
Autumnal foliage engulf a disused watch tower. Some 200 personnel, ranging from scientists to military guards, were based at the isolated spot. Security was tight with six watchtowers manned 24-hours a day
The early stages of the storage site (left) compared to present day (right). The site was once clear of foliage providing good security vantages from the watchtowers and the outer fence was equipped with barbed wire
Now decaying with rust, the bomb stores were built for the maintenance of Blue Danube, Britain’s first free falling nuclear atomic bomb, to be stockpiled in a ‘second-strike’ scenario
A watchtower stands tall in the hidden location. At the peak of its use, as many as 57 nuclear warheads were housed there, ready to be mounted on 24foot long Blue Danube or later Red Beard bombs