St. Basil the Great Church, Basildon
The church of St. Basil the Great is a largely under-appreciated building. It is a fine yet understated example of mid-century modernist architecture and is …
Southend Queensway
Queensway is a dual carriageway running around the north and east of Southend town centre. It was originally designed as a ring road, with initial …
Our Lady of Fatima Church, Harlow
In August 2025, we were lucky enough to be shown inside the stunning Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Harlow and allowed to …
Lisnevin Training School
The first iteration of Lisnevin school opened in October 1973, at a premises known as Kiltonga House near Newtownards. It could accommodate up to 40 …
Excalibur Estate
Following intense bombing during the Second World War, Londoners were in need of new homes – and fast. The solution adopted by the Government was …
Southminster ROC Post
This Royal Observer Corps observation bunker was constructed in 1959 and closed with the first wave of posts in 1968 (unlike those remaining in operation …
Roydon Cold War HAA Battery
Nearly 1,000 anti-aircraft sites were built during the Second World War and 192 were retained for use with nuclear weapons in what would be known …
Castle Point Council Civil Defence Bunker
We have been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to document a nuclear bunker built in the basement of Castle Point Borough Council’s offices. …
East Sheppey Military Defences
This Isle of Sheppey, which name comes from Old English for ‘Sheep Island’, was once two isles, Harty to the south east and the Isle of Elmley to …
Wells Firework Factory
Now an overgrown brownfield site, this was once the factory for one of the leading fireworks companies in the whole of the UK. Joseph Wells …
Kelvedon Hatch R4 ROTOR Bunker & RGHQ
Above the surface it looks like a normal country cottage, but beneath the building lies something completely different – a nuclear bunker. The only clue …
Chipping Ongar ROC Post
This Royal Observer Corps observation post bunker was constructed in 1959 and closed at the end of the Cold War in 1991. Its relatively good …
Maidstone Library Tower
In April 1959 proposals were revealed for a new County Library premises, which had been approved by the council but needed funding of £144,000 plus …
Southern Water Emergency Control Centre
Built during the Cold War, in the late 1980’s, this was one of three bomb-proof control centres constructed by Southern Water, although the only one …
Woodham Ferrers ROC Post
The post in 2013 pre-demolition of the access structure Woodham Ferrers is a small village in south Essex, north of the largely later and more …
Tendring ROC Post
Situated close to Tendring Primary School are the remains are two observations posts which would have been used during the Cold War, should it have …
Pegwell Bay Hoverport
Pegwell Bay dates back to as far as Roman times and is thought to be the site of where Julius Caesar invaded Britain. In 2017 …
Millennium Mills, Silvertown
Many comprehensive histories of the mills have been written online, so here is just a very brief overview of their past, present, and future. The …
Canning Town Regeneration Demolition
Taken in 2017, we captured the start of demolition of dozens of houses as part of a multi-billion pound regeneration scheme of Canning Town and …
Coryton Oil Refinery
The refinery c.2014 (BTP) and 2016 (Slayaaaa) prior to the demolition of its many towers The refinery was built over Coryton village (Kynochtown) and Kynoch’s …
Cliffe ROC Post
Over 1,500 Royal Observer Corps posts were built across the UK in the late 1950s and early 1960s to allow volunteers of the ROC to …
Merstham AAOR Bunker
The Anti-Aircraft Command Operations Room in Merstham was built in 1951 as part of Pendell Army Camp, which was demolished to make way for the …
Canvey’s Last Civil Defence Siren
Canvey Island’s civil defence sirens – used to warn residents of air raids in WWII, potential nuclear bombs in the Cold War, and flood emergencies …
HMP Bullwood Hall
H.M.P. Bullwood Hall was a former women’s prison in Hockley, built in the 1960’s initially as a women’s borstal. The site was opened to house …