ProspectSG
New member
Hi there!
We're Prospect SG - a group dedicated to exploring & documenting derelict and abandoned places.
Earlier this week we travelled to Brent Pelham to visit the Underground R.O.C Post & Orlit.
History
The Observer Corps was formed in 1925 but its origins can at least in part be traced to the Metropolitan Observation Service of the First World War.
In 1929 it was transferred from the War Office to the Air Ministry, a move which served to tie it to the RAF for the remainder of its active service.
The Corps served honourably throughout the Second World War, and following the end of the Battle of Britain King George VI awarded it the Royal prefix in 1941.
Later in 1941 the Royal Observer Corps excelled itself by tracking the flight and performing the identification of Rudolph Hess.
On the brink of the Cuban Missile Crisis, many of these ROC posts were built incase of Nuclear Warfare occurring over the United Kingdom. These were to be used by a few people per town, in order to measure blast radius' and radioactive fallout in the surrounding area.
Most ROC's were built with a toilet, a monitoring/COMs room & another living area.
Obviously, Nuclear Warfare didn't happen due to the Russia's smart choice of backing out of Cuba (and in turn saving our whole world from nuclear destruction).
After the cold war had completely died down, these posts no longer had a use and were either destroyed, filled with cement or left for nature to reclaim and for people like us to explore!
Our Views
After driving through the quiet and dainty small town of Brent Pelham, we eventually found the walkway to the ROC post.
You have to drive through the town and up some country lanes that are big enough for 1 car only - eventually you will find an entrance to a field with a large opening big enough for two cars to park on.
It is extremely hard to spot this year, as weeds and trees have made it almost too overgrown to recognise.
To spot it, you must keep an eye out for the “orlit”/watch tower. It is poking out on the right side of the walk way and is only just noticeable from the road side.
The orlit seems fairly sturdy, however the roof has fallen off and there’s very little to see inside.
Walk past the orlit and see a very large bushy area full of vines and spiky plants.
If you look through the trodden down pieces of shrubbery, you will just about be able to see the entrance to the ROC post.
The entrance to the ROC post is like a manhole and is quite a distance underground - so be careful if visiting.
The hatch to the post stays open by itself, however someone has attached some string to the lever mechanism on the inside so you can open it from the inside if it somehow closes shut.
Photos
(Sorry about the quality of the photographs {taken on phones in poor quality lighting)
Here's the view from where we parked
Here is the view from the footpath where its located
Entrance to the orlit
Overgrown
View From bottom
Tiny room as soon as you get down
The room inside (Bad quality lighting)
Thank you for reading our report.
We do understand that the pictures are not of a great quality, however next time we do aim to improve this.
As this is our first post any constructive criticism and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Please keep an eye on us, as we plan to begin releasing top quality content on a regular basis.
Many thanks for reading,
Prospect SG
(Derelict Prospectors)
We're Prospect SG - a group dedicated to exploring & documenting derelict and abandoned places.
Earlier this week we travelled to Brent Pelham to visit the Underground R.O.C Post & Orlit.
History
The Observer Corps was formed in 1925 but its origins can at least in part be traced to the Metropolitan Observation Service of the First World War.
In 1929 it was transferred from the War Office to the Air Ministry, a move which served to tie it to the RAF for the remainder of its active service.
The Corps served honourably throughout the Second World War, and following the end of the Battle of Britain King George VI awarded it the Royal prefix in 1941.
Later in 1941 the Royal Observer Corps excelled itself by tracking the flight and performing the identification of Rudolph Hess.
On the brink of the Cuban Missile Crisis, many of these ROC posts were built incase of Nuclear Warfare occurring over the United Kingdom. These were to be used by a few people per town, in order to measure blast radius' and radioactive fallout in the surrounding area.
Most ROC's were built with a toilet, a monitoring/COMs room & another living area.
Obviously, Nuclear Warfare didn't happen due to the Russia's smart choice of backing out of Cuba (and in turn saving our whole world from nuclear destruction).
After the cold war had completely died down, these posts no longer had a use and were either destroyed, filled with cement or left for nature to reclaim and for people like us to explore!
Our Views
After driving through the quiet and dainty small town of Brent Pelham, we eventually found the walkway to the ROC post.
You have to drive through the town and up some country lanes that are big enough for 1 car only - eventually you will find an entrance to a field with a large opening big enough for two cars to park on.
It is extremely hard to spot this year, as weeds and trees have made it almost too overgrown to recognise.
To spot it, you must keep an eye out for the “orlit”/watch tower. It is poking out on the right side of the walk way and is only just noticeable from the road side.
The orlit seems fairly sturdy, however the roof has fallen off and there’s very little to see inside.
Walk past the orlit and see a very large bushy area full of vines and spiky plants.
If you look through the trodden down pieces of shrubbery, you will just about be able to see the entrance to the ROC post.
The entrance to the ROC post is like a manhole and is quite a distance underground - so be careful if visiting.
The hatch to the post stays open by itself, however someone has attached some string to the lever mechanism on the inside so you can open it from the inside if it somehow closes shut.
Photos
(Sorry about the quality of the photographs {taken on phones in poor quality lighting)
Here's the view from where we parked
Here is the view from the footpath where its located
Entrance to the orlit
Overgrown
View From bottom
Tiny room as soon as you get down
The room inside (Bad quality lighting)
Thank you for reading our report.
We do understand that the pictures are not of a great quality, however next time we do aim to improve this.
As this is our first post any constructive criticism and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Please keep an eye on us, as we plan to begin releasing top quality content on a regular basis.
Many thanks for reading,
Prospect SG
(Derelict Prospectors)
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