Merstham AAOR Bunker - Surrey - March 2018

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Gromr

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
407
Reaction score
1,895
Location
Surrey
I've been trying to getting into here for almost 4 years now, and finally the chance came up and I jumped on it.


History

AAOR's or Anti-Aircraft Operations Rooms were used to coordinate early warning radar information by filtering the RAW data from the radar to make the data as useful as possible. They also coordinated with ROC stations.

They all had the same layout:

AAOR-Lower-floor.gif
AAOR-Upper-floor.gif



Merstham AAOR Bunker, or sometimes known as Pendell Camp was constructed as an Anti Aircraft Command Operation room in 1951 when it was used until 1960. It formed part of the Pendell Army Camp that was demolished when the M23 was built in 1974.

In the early 1960s the bunker was taken over by the Home Office and used by the Metropolitan Police as its Southern War Headquarters. It remained in use until 1991 when it was stripped out. The site was sold in 2001 and slowly fell into dereliction.
At some point It was used to grow cannabis and was raided and cleared out. Evidence of planters and fertilizer still remain.

RSG: Features: Anti-Aircraft Operations Rooms (AAORs): 1950's
Subterranea Britannica: Research Study Group: Sites: Merstham


The Explore

I've been wanting to get inside here since 2014 when I found out about it, but had no luck. It's been used as a dumping ground for what I can only assume is stolen and dodgy goods by the owners, and things have moved around lots between visits over the years.
I once made it into the first internal room but was quickly thwarted by the massive blast door entrance and haven't had any further luck until now.

Within a few hours of finding out It was doable, I was there. What I hadn't realised was that the lower floor was flooded in about a foot of water, so we returned the next evening with waders so we could get down for a look.

I knew that the chance are that it was going to be pretty grim inside, and I wasn't wrong. It's smelly and damp, not helped by the whiff of diesel and oil that must have leaked from the Generator into the water. Some of the floorboards are....soft...to say the least, so tread carefully.

That said, it's a pretty cool place, and a rare beast. Don't see many AAOR's come up to often. Despite the abundance of grot, I liked it.


Photos

Externals

This photo is from 2014 when I first visited.

15781837608_6309bfd18b_b.jpg


This is from 2017 where not much had changed.

39831149205_8d81f72f2d_b.jpg


40683289862_0556b4868c_b.jpg



Internals

40724380241_ec6edd1798_b.jpg


39829451275_b67489fb84_b.jpg


40724388111_4628b67c2b_b.jpg


39829457835_89c257e185_b.jpg


26853075648_9bd32f2017_b.jpg


39829463125_a077974506_b.jpg


26853087568_a342595d55_b.jpg


25853225627_dc93da1bb5_b.jpg


40681608672_e3dc150535_b.jpg


25853213627_0164d3df7a_b.jpg


40014358684_20bce4a92b_b.jpg


26853098298_ae8cc4f1e4_b.jpg


25853228937_3bb135ca72_b.jpg


26853085298_b785a45c6a_b.jpg


40681602602_795fbed907_b.jpg


26853082528_35674b4943_b.jpg


39829443885_1d74906658_b.jpg


25853184997_da6082d14e_b.jpg


25854013327_f6c0f5a88d_b.jpg


40682502922_0a67d79da4_b.jpg


39830262405_eaaf574a93_b.jpg
 
Nice work mate! Your shots are fantastic! Yeah it did bloody stink. The smell was with me the whole next day as my tripod is still covered in diesel from being in the water. Was a great couple of visits though, a lot more to it than I had expected so cheers for the heads up.
 
Nice one!
Ive wanted to see inside here for years. Went for a look once but was put off by our 'travelling friends'
 
Nice one mate, persistence pays off (sometimes !!) As per usual some crackingly well lit shots in a very difficult location !! I've only been inside two of these before - one was completely burnt out and the other was completely - and I mean completely - stacked with cardboard boxes. !!
 
Great job at getting it done! headed over recently but despite being armed with some pretty high wellies the thought of getting a mixture of stagnant water and oil in my boots put me off venturing much further than the bottom of the stairs.

Some very weird stuff lying around the place, a container converted into a growroom and packages of in date injectable anti-coagulant...
 
Brilliant Grom!!! I remember seeing ur recce shots a few years ago...congrats for persevering its definitely paid off!!

Excellent shots and good research and history:applause: Bet you feel relieved for finally seeing inside!!! :highly_amused:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top