(Created page with "{{Contribute notice}} {{Mobile map fix}} {{Building |short description=The '''Leeds CEGB Grid Control Centre''' was a blast-proof concrete bunker that housed emergency controls for the north-eastern region's electricity grid. It was built in 1953 by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) as one of eight such emergency controls in similarly remote areas to provide alternative controls for the electrical grid in case of attack on the main control centres. |long de...") |
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{{Building |
{{Building |
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|short description=The ''' |
|short description=The '''North-East Region Emergency Grid Control Centre''' was a concrete bunker that housed emergency controls for the North-East region's electricity grid. It was built in 1953, presumably by the British Electricity Authority (BEA), as one of eight such emergency controls in similarly remote areas to provide alternative controls for the electrical grid in case of attack or disruption to the main control centres. |
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|long description=The bunker was situated next to other emergency |
|long description=The bunker was situated next to other emergency utility buildings, including the PR2 Repeater Station, for telecommunications, and 'RAF Rothwell Haigh', which were offices next to the repeater station. The peacetime controls for the North-East region's electricity grid were at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becca%20Hall Becca Hall] in Aberford. |
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|image=10630726366 6f65abcac9 o.jpg |
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|image=Leeds CEGB Grid Control Centre.png |
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|alt=An image of a concrete |
|alt=An image of a concrete single story building with red doors with shrubbery crowding the picture. |
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| ⚫ | |||
|attribution=By kind permission of [https://www.flickr.com/people/98587546@N00/ Andy Hebden]. |
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|attribution=[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7435675,-1.5102137,3a,75y,49.97h,80.39t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_0XEGixzVyAh-IacJKF2Bw!2e0!5s20080801T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu Image] © [https://www.google.com/ Google]. |
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|status=Closed |
|status=Closed |
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|building type=Bunker |
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|years built=20th century |
|years built=20th century |
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|open=1953 |
|open=1953 |
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|client= |
|client=British Electricity Authority (BEA) |
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|location=53.74377, -1.50982 |
|location=53.74377, -1.50982 |
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|street=Sharp Lane |
|street=Sharp Lane |
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|village=Robin Hood |
|village=Robin Hood |
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|postcode=WF3 3AW |
|postcode=WF3 3AW |
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|map icon=20th Icon.svg |
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}} |
}} |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The bunker was constructed in 1953, presumably by the BEA.<ref>(Campbell, 1983, p.266) gives the date 1953 and says it was constructed for the BEA, while (Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.8) gives the range of dates 1950-55 and presumes it was constructed for the BEA (1947-1955) or Central Electricity Authority (CEA; 1955-1957).</ref> The bunker was one of eight constructed across England and Scotland,<ref>(Catford, 2001) and (McCamley, 2007, pp.242-243) suggest there were eight, while (Campbell, 1983, p.266) suggests there were six.</ref> with the North-East control centre being one of the earliest built and one of the more substantial ones.<ref name="McCamley, pp.242-243">(McCamley, 2007, pp.242-243)</ref> It was built next to another emergency bunker: one of the country's two PR2 repeater stations, which sat atop telephone wires that had been dug deep underground to ensure cities would have telephone connections in the event of an attack.<ref name="McCamley, pp.242-243" /> Next to this bunker were unprotected offices, known as 'RAF Rothwell Haigh'.<ref name="Campbell, p.266" /> |
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The bunker's purpose is unclear. The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB; a successor to the BEA) supposedly told those who inquired about it that the bunker had been built as an emergency control for the electricity grid in World War II and that it merely stored telecommunications equipment after that. On Ordnance Survey maps, it was simply listed as a warehouse.<ref name="Campbell, p.266">(Campbell, 1983, p.266)</ref> Several writers assert that it served as alternative emergency controls in the event that the peacetime controls, located in Becca Hall, were to come under attack or were disrupted by an attack on the UK.<ref name="Campbell, p.266" /><ref name="McCamley, pp.242-243">(McCamley, 2007, pp.242-243)</ref> However, the CEGB only purchased Becca Hall in 1958, which suggests either the bunker was not built in 1953 or that it was not intended as an 'alternative' to Becca Hall. Yet, physical similarities (''see [[NE Region Emergency Grid Control Centre#Design|Design]]'') between the bunker and parts of the CEGB's additions to Becca Hall suggests there was a connection between the two.<ref name="Dennison, p.8">(Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.8)</ref> |
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It is unclear when the bunker was decommissioned, however a planning application lists the land as vacant in 2006 and its previous use as unknown.<ref>(Application No.: 06/03301/RM, 2006)</ref> There were other residential planning applications for the site from as early as 1993,<ref>(Application No.: 22/188/93/OT, 1993)</ref> and Becca Hall was decomissioned in 1997/1998.<ref>(Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.11)</ref> The bunker still exists on the site but is now in the garden of a private home.<ref name="WYHER">(WYHER/10548, n.d.). This is record from the West Yorkshire Archive Service's catalogue, not the item the record refers to.</ref> |
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==Design== |
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The bunker is 30m (100ft) long and 8m (25ft) wide.<ref name="Campbell, p.266" /> It has been described as "a concrete blockhouse"<ref name="Campbell, p.266" /> and "like a pair of typical Civil Defence control bunkers of the period joined end to end".<ref name="McCamley, pp.242-243" /> |
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The bunker shares some physical characteristics with what was thought to be the original centre of the CEGB's operations at Becca Hall. The two have protected openings on their external walls that are very similar.<ref name="Dennison, p.26">(Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.26); see the [https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-888-1/dissemination/pdf/eddennis1-151696_1.pdf#page=75 covered openings on Becca Hall] [Plate 36] and the [https://media.subbrit.org.uk/10295/1552678440-rothwell1.jpg?fm=jpg&auto=compress covered openings on the bunker].</ref> |
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==External Links== |
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*''For information on the different electricity bodies'': [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Electricity_Authority BEA], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Electricity_Authority CEA], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central%20Electricity%20Generating%20Board CEGB]. |
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==References== |
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<references /> |
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* ''Application No.: 22/188/93/OT'' (1993) Leeds: Leeds City Council. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/caseDetails.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=ZZZTL6JBXE156. |
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* ''Application No.: 06/03301/RM'' (2006). Leeds: Leeds City Council. [Planning Application Form] [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=J04QF1JBZF000 |
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* Campbell, D. (1983) ''War Plan U.K''. London: Harper Collins. |
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* Catford, N. (2001) ''Rothwell Haigh Grid Control Centre''. Subterranea Britannica. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/rothwell-haigh-grid-control-centre/. |
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* Dennison, E. and Richardson, S. (2012) ''Former CEGB Control Centre, Becca Hall, Aberford, West Yorkshire: Building Recording''. Beverely: Ed Dennison Archaeological Services Ltd. |
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*McCamley, N. (2007) ''Cold War Secret Nuclear Bunkers: The Passive Defence of the Western World During the Cold War''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword. |
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* ''WYHER/10548'' (n.d.) West Yorkshire Archive Service. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://www.catalogue.wyjs.org.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=HER%2f44%2f45&pos=1. |
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{{Place nav}}{{PageInfo|seo keywords=NE Region Emergency Grid Control Centre, North East Region Emergency Grid Control Centre, North East Grid Control Centre, Rothwell Haigh Emergency Grid Control Centre, Rothwell Haigh Grid Control Centre, Leeds Emergency Grid Control Centre, Leeds Grid Control Centre, Rothwell nuclear war, Rothwell nuclear bunker, Robin Hood nuclear war, Robin Hood nuclear bunker, Leeds nuclear war, Leeds nuclear bunker, Rothwell Repeater Station, Rothwell PR2 Repeater Station, Robin Hood Repeater Station, Robin Hood PR2 Repeater Station|seo description=The Emergency Grid Control Centre was a bunker in Robin Hood from which the electricity grid could be controlled in the event of war.|seo image=10630726366 6f65abcac9 o.jpg}}{{#related:Main Page}}{{#related:Rothwell Wiki:Places}}{{#related:Rothwell Wiki:People}} |
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Latest revision as of 18:41, 12 June 2024
The North-East Region Emergency Grid Control Centre was a concrete bunker that housed emergency controls for the North-East region's electricity grid. It was built in 1953, presumably by the British Electricity Authority (BEA), as one of eight such emergency controls in similarly remote areas to provide alternative controls for the electrical grid in case of attack or disruption to the main control centres.
The bunker was situated next to other emergency utility buildings, including the PR2 Repeater Station, for telecommunications, and 'RAF Rothwell Haigh', which were offices next to the repeater station. The peacetime controls for the North-East region's electricity grid were at Becca Hall in Aberford.
History
The bunker was constructed in 1953, presumably by the BEA.[1] The bunker was one of eight constructed across England and Scotland,[2] with the North-East control centre being one of the earliest built and one of the more substantial ones.[3] It was built next to another emergency bunker: one of the country's two PR2 repeater stations, which sat atop telephone wires that had been dug deep underground to ensure cities would have telephone connections in the event of an attack.[3] Next to this bunker were unprotected offices, known as 'RAF Rothwell Haigh'.[4]
The bunker's purpose is unclear. The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB; a successor to the BEA) supposedly told those who inquired about it that the bunker had been built as an emergency control for the electricity grid in World War II and that it merely stored telecommunications equipment after that. On Ordnance Survey maps, it was simply listed as a warehouse.[4] Several writers assert that it served as alternative emergency controls in the event that the peacetime controls, located in Becca Hall, were to come under attack or were disrupted by an attack on the UK.[4][3] However, the CEGB only purchased Becca Hall in 1958, which suggests either the bunker was not built in 1953 or that it was not intended as an 'alternative' to Becca Hall. Yet, physical similarities (see Design) between the bunker and parts of the CEGB's additions to Becca Hall suggests there was a connection between the two.[5]
It is unclear when the bunker was decommissioned, however a planning application lists the land as vacant in 2006 and its previous use as unknown.[6] There were other residential planning applications for the site from as early as 1993,[7] and Becca Hall was decomissioned in 1997/1998.[8] The bunker still exists on the site but is now in the garden of a private home.[9]
Design
The bunker is 30m (100ft) long and 8m (25ft) wide.[4] It has been described as "a concrete blockhouse"[4] and "like a pair of typical Civil Defence control bunkers of the period joined end to end".[3]
The bunker shares some physical characteristics with what was thought to be the original centre of the CEGB's operations at Becca Hall. The two have protected openings on their external walls that are very similar.[10]
External Links
References
- ↑ (Campbell, 1983, p.266) gives the date 1953 and says it was constructed for the BEA, while (Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.8) gives the range of dates 1950-55 and presumes it was constructed for the BEA (1947-1955) or Central Electricity Authority (CEA; 1955-1957).
- ↑ (Catford, 2001) and (McCamley, 2007, pp.242-243) suggest there were eight, while (Campbell, 1983, p.266) suggests there were six.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 (McCamley, 2007, pp.242-243)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 (Campbell, 1983, p.266)
- ↑ (Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.8)
- ↑ (Application No.: 06/03301/RM, 2006)
- ↑ (Application No.: 22/188/93/OT, 1993)
- ↑ (Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.11)
- ↑ (WYHER/10548, n.d.). This is record from the West Yorkshire Archive Service's catalogue, not the item the record refers to.
- ↑ (Dennison and Richardson, 2012, p.26); see the covered openings on Becca Hall [Plate 36] and the covered openings on the bunker.
- Application No.: 22/188/93/OT (1993) Leeds: Leeds City Council. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/caseDetails.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=ZZZTL6JBXE156.
- Application No.: 06/03301/RM (2006). Leeds: Leeds City Council. [Planning Application Form] [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=J04QF1JBZF000
- Campbell, D. (1983) War Plan U.K. London: Harper Collins.
- Catford, N. (2001) Rothwell Haigh Grid Control Centre. Subterranea Britannica. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/rothwell-haigh-grid-control-centre/.
- Dennison, E. and Richardson, S. (2012) Former CEGB Control Centre, Becca Hall, Aberford, West Yorkshire: Building Recording. Beverely: Ed Dennison Archaeological Services Ltd.
- McCamley, N. (2007) Cold War Secret Nuclear Bunkers: The Passive Defence of the Western World During the Cold War. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword.
- WYHER/10548 (n.d.) West Yorkshire Archive Service. [Online] [Accessed on 29th March 2024] Available at: https://www.catalogue.wyjs.org.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=HER%2f44%2f45&pos=1.