Ghosts of Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker

Kelvedon Hatch Ghost Hunts have featured on both Most Haunted and although never used for its intended purpose, this location has many ghost stories associated with it. During construction of the site, concrete was poured day and night for weeks and one morning the foreman's hard-hat was found floating on the wet concrete but he was nowhere to be found, the assumption being that he had been accidentally buried alive within the very walls of the building. An ancient burial ground was disturbed during the building of the nuclear bunker and there is also believed to have been a suicide in the main stairwell.

There have been numerous ghostly sightings and experiences at Kelvedon Hatch including poltergeist activity and even apparitions. Growls and heavy thumping sounds have been heard, stones have been thrown and on one investigation, the generator which is permanently turned off, suddenly burst into life terrifying everyone in the room. There is a malevolent presence within the service tunnels and the sick-bay dormitory seems to be a particular hot-spot for activity.

History of Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker

Built in 1952, Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker was designed to house up to 600 military and civilian personnel who would organise the survival of the population and continue Government operations in the event of a nuclear attack. Nestled deep in the Essex woodland, it was hidden from the world and only revealed to the public in 1992 when it was decommissioned.

The bunker is built 125 feet (38m) below ground and entered via an ordinary looking bungalow set amongst the trees. The bungalow leads to a service tunnel measuring 91m, above which there are 2 further levels containing generator rooms, command centre posts, dormitories and a hospital wing. The building was fully manned until its closure in 1992.

Kelvedon Hatch is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Brentwood in South Essex, England. It is situated just north of Pilgrims Hatch, approximately 4 miles to the north of Brentwood and is surrounded by Metropolitan Green Belt. The village today is no longer a rural backwater with a large proportion of its population commuting to work elsewhere. It has a population of around 2,563.

It is home to the Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker, the largest and deepest cold war bunker open to the public in South East England. Hidden in a wood off the A128 Ongar Brentwood Road, is a small bungalow (guardhouse) which hides a three-level bunker complex 125 feet underground; a long corridor leads down to a place in which up to 600 people would have been confined behind blast-proof doors in the event of a nuclear war.

The bunker was originally built in 1952/1953 by the construction firm Peter Lind & Company Ltd, as part of ROTOR, an urgent government building programme to improve Britain's air defence network and became the Sector Operations Command for the RAF Fighter Command with responsibility for the London Sector. It subsequently became adopted as a potential 'regional government bunker' as the threat of nuclear war grew in the 1960s.

The bunker was sold in the 1990s and is now a tourist attraction and film location. The bunker is currently owned and operated by the family who originally owned the land before the military moved in. It has a many historical items remaining intact including a BBC studio. A souvenir shop in the original canteen sells items, including government literature produced for the public in the early 1980s.

The name is recorded variously as Kelenduna, Kalenduna and Kelvenduna in the Domesday Book with the latter meaning Speckled Hill. From its early days in the Mediaeval period until the mid-20th century the main activity in Kelvedon Hatch was agriculture. Records from 1871 show 82 households of which showed only 3 'white collar' households and 4 landowners or of independent means, with the majority of the rest engaged in a local agricultural economy. During the Victorian years, however, many younger people gravitated towards the main towns, encouraged by railway links at Ongar and Brentwood

Your Event Includes

• Use of ghost hunting equipment including EMF Meters, K2 Meters etc.
• Experiments including glass divination, table tipping and Ouija Boards.
• Workshop and separate vigils for returning guests.
• Ghost hunting vigils and séances in small groups.
• Includes teas and coffees
• Free time to investigate alone

Address, Maps & Hotels

Address & Hotel Information

Kelvedon Hatch Kelvedon Hall Lane Brentwood Essex CM14 5TL

For Hotels near to Kelvedon Hatch , please click here. opens in a new window

Parking

• Free Onsite Parking

Information

Accessibility

• This location is not suitable for wheelchair users
• This location is not suitable for people with mobility issues or walking difficulties

Important

• All attendees must be 18 years or older
• All attendees must bring a torch
• Wear sensible shoes and warm layered clothing as the location may get cold at night