The Explore:
We first heard of this location when we saw pictures start appearing on social media. It got our interest as the lower level was completely flooded, making for some eerie and impressive pictures. Unfortunately no recent images showed inside the flooded lower rooms. We decided we wanted to have a thorough look around and have some fun at the same time, so we bought some chest height waders and paid the location a visit.
We got there and changed into our waders before making the careful first steps down into the cold and dirty water. Going was slow and tough as there was a lot of debris on the floor. We didn’t fancy falling in and having to take a trip to the hospital for whatever injections may have been needed. My favourite part of the flooded section was the room with the old diesel generator inside. Unfortunately us opening the door to the room let out all of the diesel that had leaked, which promptly spread throughout the bunker. This made the water even more disgusting to wade though. I’ve never quite got the smell of diesel out of my waders. All in all this was a fun location to explore, one that I certainly won’t forget.
The History:
Merstham AAOR (Anti-Aircraft Operations Room) Bunker was a Cold War era bunker constructed in 1951 and in action until 1960. It formed part of the Pendell army camp in Surrey. It was used to coordinate early warning radar information while communicating with nearby ROC posts. The AAOR bunker was taken over by the Home Office in the early 1960s and was then used by the Metropolitan Police as its Southern War Headquarters until 1991 when it finally closed. During this time the Pendell camp itself had closed and much of it was demolished to make way for the M23, which started construction in 1972. The site then lay empty for 10 years before being sold to a private owner in 2001. Since then It's continued to fall into ruin and was used for the location of a cannabis grow. It's suffered extensive vandalism and fire damage over the years. It was the extinguishing of the fire that in part led to the entire lower level being flooded by a few feet of water.
The Pictures:
We first heard of this location when we saw pictures start appearing on social media. It got our interest as the lower level was completely flooded, making for some eerie and impressive pictures. Unfortunately no recent images showed inside the flooded lower rooms. We decided we wanted to have a thorough look around and have some fun at the same time, so we bought some chest height waders and paid the location a visit.
We got there and changed into our waders before making the careful first steps down into the cold and dirty water. Going was slow and tough as there was a lot of debris on the floor. We didn’t fancy falling in and having to take a trip to the hospital for whatever injections may have been needed. My favourite part of the flooded section was the room with the old diesel generator inside. Unfortunately us opening the door to the room let out all of the diesel that had leaked, which promptly spread throughout the bunker. This made the water even more disgusting to wade though. I’ve never quite got the smell of diesel out of my waders. All in all this was a fun location to explore, one that I certainly won’t forget.
The History:
Merstham AAOR (Anti-Aircraft Operations Room) Bunker was a Cold War era bunker constructed in 1951 and in action until 1960. It formed part of the Pendell army camp in Surrey. It was used to coordinate early warning radar information while communicating with nearby ROC posts. The AAOR bunker was taken over by the Home Office in the early 1960s and was then used by the Metropolitan Police as its Southern War Headquarters until 1991 when it finally closed. During this time the Pendell camp itself had closed and much of it was demolished to make way for the M23, which started construction in 1972. The site then lay empty for 10 years before being sold to a private owner in 2001. Since then It's continued to fall into ruin and was used for the location of a cannabis grow. It's suffered extensive vandalism and fire damage over the years. It was the extinguishing of the fire that in part led to the entire lower level being flooded by a few feet of water.
The Pictures:
