Westminster

On Monday, Sneezie and I acted like tourists and explored Westminster Palace (the Houses of Parliament). We locals usually kind of just pass it by without giving it a thought but the tour is proper interesting.

The Elizabeth Tower (what we often refer to as Big Ben) is currently being renovated, so is covered in scaffolding. There are armed police in abundance. Even at this time, with all of the MPs on holiday, security is clearly a high priority. We started our tour in Westminster Hall, which is vast, 1,000 years old and has a massive gothic ‘hammerhead’ roof. The hall is used for state occasions and can accommodate up to 3,000 people.

The chambers of the Lords and the Commons were both empty of MPs so we were free to have a wander. The audio tour handset thingies are very informative. A tour well worth taking.

Off site, a highlight of the day was the 3 metre diameter air vent in the photo below.

This is just outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Broad Sanctuary (top end of Victoria Street). Hidden in plain sight, Londoners pass this by every day or maybe sit on it to eat a packed lunch. It has become an unrecognised bit of street furniture. This structure is in fact the pinnacle of the ventilation system for the secret tunnel network which links Westminster to Mile End and Paddington, as explored by Duncan Campbell in 1980.

It may also have something to do with Pindar, I’ll have to find out.

We rounded off our visit with a late lunch in the Sherlock Holmes pub, located opposite The Grand, which will be Jack’s new place of work from September onwards.

Duncan Campbell

Duncan Campbell, a journalist with the New Statesman magazine wrote an article in 1980 entitled ‘A Christmas Party for the Moles’. This told the true story of his epic cycle ride from Bethnal Green Road to Whitehall. Click ‘moles’ for the whole story.

moles

He rode his bike for the entire journey through secret underground tunnels designed to keep our government safe in the event of a conflict. He accessed the tunnel network via a manhole cover in Sclater Street, E1 and he was not challenged by Security at any point.

These tunnels still exist and link directly with the Deep Shelter in Chancery Lane. I have visited the Furnival Street entrance of the Chancery Lane Deep Shelter and I can confirm it is definitely still in use.

I have yet to find out what kind of use the shelter and tunnels are being put to, but I’m intrigued and I’ll be looking more closely.

This was very much the era of the Cold War and CND etc. Duncan Campbell went on to publish ‘War Plan UK’ in 1982, a bringing together of much diverse research into government policies in the event of a nuclear conflict. It seems that government had a selection of plans to protect ministers and their staff but that the general public could expect 90% fatalities and no practical help.

These particular tunnels would have been effective against the Atom bomb but are too shallow to survive an attack using a Hydrogen bomb. In 1992, at a cost of £126 million, the government shelter ‘Pindar’ was completed, in Westminster, to provide key personnel with greater security.

Although War Plan UK is 36 years old, the situation for the general public has not changed. In the event of a nuclear conflict, government will go underground and everyone else will be left to survive or die.