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Located within a quiet housing estate sits this historic sub-
Llandaff Cold War Bunker…
Visit Date: May 2018
The Llandaff Cold War Bunker is located in Vaughan Avenue, Llandaff. The building is a single story surface brick blockhouse, although it is now mostly hidden by trees, bushes and ivy.
The bunker was operational until the disbanding of the Civil Defence Corps in 1968. It remained in use manned by the Cardiff Corporation’s voluntary Civil Defence Organisation until 1984.
It was used as the Corporation’s County Standby Control until 1991 but it is believed it was never used with the exception of equipment storage.
Since its closure, it has remained unused.
As we approached the location, we were shocked to discover this historic building hiding in plain sight. We knew that most of the local residents wouldn’t even know what the building was once for or probably that it was even there!
Greeted by an unlocked large rusty metal gate and a wide open wooden door, we didn’t
have very high hopes as we walked into the former Llandaff Sub-
It wasn’t long until we realised how very wrong we were!
It is however very upsetting to know that given the lack of care and security at this site, it may only be a matter of time until the youths of the area realise the ease of entry to a very historic location.
Credit: www.subbrit.org.uk
Once we entered, we were greeted by a long, dark and narrow hallway. It didn’t stay that way for long though and with a flick of the light switch, the bunkers lights powered up and we were off to explore this forgotten cold war bunker.
The Llandaff Cold War Bunker had a very distinct smell, one of years worth of abandonment. Although some rooms were almost fully stripped out, others were stacked to the ceiling of paperwork and historic artefacts such as helmets and gas masks.
We were really surprised to see that paperwork dating back to the late 1940’s was still present and readable. Sadness hit us though as we thought that much of the items left behind at this location should have been preserved within the areas local museums.
Complete with 10 rooms including a store room, kitchen, toilets, office and signals room, this bunker would have had representatives from several agencies including the military, emergency services, politicians and the Royal Mail.
It is believed that Cardiff County Council currently own the site and if that is the case, given their poor financial state, it may only be a matter of time until this site is sold to a private buyer.
Whatever the future holds for the Llandaff Bunker, we hope that the items inside are preserved and that one day, the general public will be able to see them on display.
You can see all of our images from this location within the gallery below. All of our images are available to purchase in both printed and digital format, for more information, please contact us.
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