page_title: Battle of Britain Bunker
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Britain Bunker / History / Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: Allied Defence Plot
context_page_description: The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day. Today it is run by Hillingdon Council as a heritage attraction with attached museum. A new visitor centre above ground opened in March 2018.
  The Bunker is located at RAF Uxbridge, not far from Uxbridge town centre and Uxbridge Underground station.
context_section_description: Following excavations in 1938, the Bunker was constructed between February and August 1939 with the express intention of housing the No. 11 Group (Fighter Command) Operations Room, in essence a number of rooms with various roles and functions. Their previous Operations Room had been in an above ground building at RAF Uxbridge, but following the Munich Crisis of September 1938 and with the spectre of war on the horizon, the RAF began work on a protected underground alternative. The Bunker was built by Sir Robert McAlpine, a civilian company, but its construction was to remain top secret to avoid the plans falling into enemy hands.
  The floor of the Bunker is 60 ft underground and is accessed by a staircase of 76 steps. All utilities into and out of the building - electricity, water, telephone lines, sewage - are carried along pipes down this staircase. The walls, floor and ceiling are approximately 1 metre thick and are made of concrete with waterproof lining. The solid concrete walls and the approximately 30 ft of earth above the Bunker's ceiling meant that no bomb of the period could penetrate it. A ventilation and air filtration system, which still functions well, was installed to provide an air supply to the Operations Room staff.
caption: Plots on the table
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