Lost bunker uncovered at Scarborough Castle

English Heritage uncovers lost Cold War bunker at Scarborough Castle

Experts at English Heritage have pieced together clues to pinpoint the lost lookout post in the castle grounds
The post would have been used by the Royal Observer Corps and was designed to protect occupants from nuclear warfare
A lost Cold War lookout post has been rediscovered at Scarborough Castle. An archaeological dig uncovered the forgotten post, which would have been used by the Royal Observer Corps to plot nuclear bombs falling across Britain. Experts have opened the entrance and have lowered cameras into the chamber below to assess its condition.

The newly uncovered post has been located on the headland within the grounds of Scarborough Castle. One of over 1500 posts across the UK during the Cold War, it was constructed in 1963/4 to detect nuclear explosions during a time when the threat of nuclear warfare loomed large. Sealed and buried in 1968, its location and condition have remained unknown ever since.

Designed to withstand attack, the posts were built to a near identical spec, including communications facilities and bunk beds for the occupiers.  They were manned by The Royal Observer Corps, a civil defence organisation with over 20,000 volunteers.

Following careful analysis of existing data and a newly commissioned ground survey, experts at English Heritage, with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, were able to identify its location.  An archaeological dig began in March. The entrance to the post was discovered that first weekend and the sealed entrance has now been opened to assess the bunker’s condition.

The discovery is part of a project led by English Heritage to mark the ROC’s 100th year in 2025 with a search for past members and an event at the York Cold War Bunker. It will help to tell the story of this unsung organisation, largely made up of volunteers.

Wherever you lived in Britain you were probably no more than a few miles from an ROC post, yet few people knew they existed.  It seems strange to have a Cold War bunker built inside Scarborough Castle, but in many ways, it is a perfect location. The headland has been an observation post for thousands of years, from a Bronze Age settlement to a Roman signal station, medieval castle, WWI gun battery and, here, a 1960s concrete bunker watching for Armageddon.

Photograph: English Heritage