stateless68
Active member
Two visits to a hugely interesting site owned by the National Trust - fair to say that it is not their usual type of property - it's a haven for rare flora and fauna, but that isn't my particular interest. The site is a very short boat trip across from the village of Orford, and there all resemblance to rural Suffolk ends. At one end of the peninsula lays the old Cold War listening post, at the other strange underground bunkers called the Pagodas, laboratories and testing stations for post WWII research into hydrogen and atomic weaponry mechanisms. The site was, up until the mid 80's, the most secret MoD location in the UK, or one of them. It is now accessible throughout spring and summer, however access to the underground bunkers and the laboratories is restricted to specific tours. I have visited the place on several occasions. It's a fantastic day out, excellent walking on some difficult terrain (shingle and stone) but mostly the paths are well trodden - amidst a wasteland of wire and steel, and unexploded ordinance that commonly, relatively commonly, wash up on the beaches.
Here's some photos...
DSC_499300307 by stateless68, on Flickr
having made the Ness, walked past the WWI airfield gas pumps, across the bridge, and onto the shingle, this is the view from the Observation Deck
DSC_501300327a by stateless68, on Flickr
another view, showing the detritus over the area of the Ness
_DSC9033 by stateless68, on Flickr
the gas pump...
_DSC8545A_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
Orford Ness, resembling the Great Plains..
_DSC8678 by stateless68, on Flickr
bunker... and..
_DSC8669_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside the bunker..
_DSC8724_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
i think this was a laboratory...
_DSC8559A_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
laboratory
_DSC8731_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
as far as i could get... nice reflection...
_DSC8714_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
a mess of reinforced concrete and a Pagoda.. built to withstand massive forces, and, should there be an accident, the short pillars would collapse and the concrete roof would smother the blast.. that was the theory
_DSC8593_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
everyone likes a rusty bike..
_DSC8712A_edited-2 by stateless68, on Flickr
Pagoda No.1, so named by me as it was the first i came across.. it shall likely have a more scientific name.
_DSC8613 by stateless68, on Flickr
View to the north from a lab window
_DSC8863_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
outside a Pagoda...
_DSC8972_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
outside a Pagoda, again.. showing a little of the observation tunnels running in between them and the laboratory, and the reinforced concrete underground viewing posts..
_DSC8907_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
a rare look inside Pagoda No.2, so named as it was further away from No.1...
_DSC8934 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside Pagoda 2. from the other entrance
_DSC8877 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside Pagoda 2, looking up......
_DSC9024 by stateless68, on Flickr
a pipe. I love pipes.
DSC_506300377 (2) by stateless68, on Flickr
taken on a sunnier day... big blocks of stone..
_DSC8848 by stateless68, on Flickr
last one.. Suffolk, amazingly enough.
Here's some photos...
DSC_499300307 by stateless68, on Flickr
having made the Ness, walked past the WWI airfield gas pumps, across the bridge, and onto the shingle, this is the view from the Observation Deck
DSC_501300327a by stateless68, on Flickr
another view, showing the detritus over the area of the Ness
_DSC9033 by stateless68, on Flickr
the gas pump...
_DSC8545A_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
Orford Ness, resembling the Great Plains..
_DSC8678 by stateless68, on Flickr
bunker... and..
_DSC8669_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside the bunker..
_DSC8724_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
i think this was a laboratory...
_DSC8559A_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
laboratory
_DSC8731_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
as far as i could get... nice reflection...
_DSC8714_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
a mess of reinforced concrete and a Pagoda.. built to withstand massive forces, and, should there be an accident, the short pillars would collapse and the concrete roof would smother the blast.. that was the theory
_DSC8593_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
everyone likes a rusty bike..
_DSC8712A_edited-2 by stateless68, on Flickr
Pagoda No.1, so named by me as it was the first i came across.. it shall likely have a more scientific name.
_DSC8613 by stateless68, on Flickr
View to the north from a lab window
_DSC8863_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
outside a Pagoda...
_DSC8972_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
outside a Pagoda, again.. showing a little of the observation tunnels running in between them and the laboratory, and the reinforced concrete underground viewing posts..
_DSC8907_edited-1 by stateless68, on Flickr
a rare look inside Pagoda No.2, so named as it was further away from No.1...
_DSC8934 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside Pagoda 2. from the other entrance
_DSC8877 by stateless68, on Flickr
inside Pagoda 2, looking up......
_DSC9024 by stateless68, on Flickr
a pipe. I love pipes.
DSC_506300377 (2) by stateless68, on Flickr
taken on a sunnier day... big blocks of stone..
_DSC8848 by stateless68, on Flickr
last one.. Suffolk, amazingly enough.
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