Royal Observer Underground Monitoring Post and WW II Observation Post

Reasons for Designation

This underground monitoring post dates from the 1950s. It is made of concrete and was designed to operate in post-holocaust Britain. This example meets the criteria for listing as a well preserved and intact example of a relatively common Cold War structure retaining original fixtures and fittings. It has added interest through its association with a similar post at Melton Constable which formed part of the same post cluster, and through its group value with the adjacent Second Word War observation post, their close proximity a reflection of the changing face of warfare in the C20.

Details

SOUTH CREAKE

533/0/10009 Royal Observer Underground monitoring
13-AUG-07 Post and WW II Observation Post

II
Underground concrete monitoring post, dating to the 1950s, located below a parcel of open land which also includes a brick aircraft observation post, dating from the Second World War.

EXTERNAL: Access to the underground post is from ground level via a 1m x 1m square access point 0.7m high with a lockable metal lid.

INTERNAL: A vertical access shaft 4.5m deep with an iron ladder fixed to the wall leads down to the underground chamber, a reinforced-concrete box (5.8m x 2.6m x 2.3m). At the foot of the shaft are two doorways, one giving access to a store cupboard with a chemical toilet. The larger monitoring room to the east is equipped with a folding table, shelf and cupboard. The walls are covered in polystyrene tiles. A ventilation shaft with two louvered vents is located alongside the entrance shaft, with a second air shaft at the east end of the room. Surface features comprise the entrance hatch and the two ventilation shaft cowls with louvers, a mushroom-shaped mounting plate for the ground zero indicator next to the entry hatch, the bomb power indicator, consisting of a baffle plate mounted on a steel pipe and the mounting plate for the fixed survey meter.

A brick aircraft observation post, dating from the Second World War stands adjacent to the post, close to the road. A blast proof entrance leads to the first room where there is an instrument mounting. Two steps lead down to a second room.

HISTORY: Underground monitoring posts were the most numerous structures built in the United Kingdom during the Cold War. In total around 1518 were built (1026 in England). However, the number of active posts was nearly halved in 1968 due to the diminished risk of attack and to reduce defence expenditure. The strength of the Corps was reduced from a nominal 25,000 to 12,500 personnel at this date.

The site at South Creake was acquired for the Secretary of State for Air in 1953 and a further area of land was acquired in 1962. Norfolk only retained 24 posts out of 55 that were operational prior to October 1968. A third and final re-clustering took place in the 1980s for communication purposes, linking South Creake to posts at Gressenhall and Melton Constable. Regular training continued throughout the 1980s but by 1991 it was decided that the Royal Observer Corps would cease active training and the remaining underground monitoring posts were closed. South Creake continued to be used as a seismic station until it was finally decommissioned and sealed in 2004.

Summary of Importance:
This underground monitoring post dates from the 1950s. It is made of concrete and was designed to operate in post-holocaust Britain. The South Creake example possesses special interest from being an intact example of a relatively common Cold War structure retaining original fixtures and fittings. It has added interest through its association with a similar post at Melton Constable which formed part of the same post cluster, and through its group value with the adjacent Second Word War observation post, their close proximity a reflection of the changing face of warfare in the C20.

SOURCES:
Catford, N, 1999 'The Royal Observer Corps Underground in Norfolk', Journal of the Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society, Vol.6, No.44, pp.51-70
Cocroft, W D, 2001, Cold War Monuments: an assessment by the Monuments Protection Programme, English Heritage
Cocroft, W D & Thomas, R J C, Cold War. Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989, English Heritage

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

495601

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.