# Brackla X8's Oct 08



## baal (Oct 11, 2008)

Went for a trip to the x8's in brackla. Quite a big site with structures hidden in the undergrowth. We started at the pilbox that is on the hill over looking the site. 






After a slip and slide down the bank you get to the first of the x8's. The rooms at one end are 
completely smashed up. You can get into the rooms but they don't go anywhere.









Inside they are pretty impressive. Up through a hole and you are on top of the main room. A bit of a crawl and you get into the tunnels at the back. Didn't go much further than this as its hard to see where you are going with just a flash gun and a head torch.













There are more of these tunnels about in the woods if you have a good look. 









Dotted here and there in the woods and along the roads are a few buildings which are pretty much ruined now.

















After looking around the ruined sections we went to have a look at the bunkers. Down the first road and there was a jeep parked there. So we had a quick look at the entrances but it was all locked up, so we thought someone might be storing it there. 





On to the next one and there was a car down this one. So we went a bit further to have alook at some grafitti on the wall running along the road and we could hear noises. 

















When I got near to the door I noticed that it was open and light was coming from inside. 





I gave a shout in through the door and a guy came out giving us strange looks. Naturally we asked if we could take some photos, but were told no way pretty quickly. So we had to make do with a guided tour instead. :notworthy:
What can I say but amazing . Everything is still in working order, air conditioning, electrics, etc. and looks like it was built last year. It is massive inside with tunnels going off in all directions. The railway staion is still there in excellent condition, the rails are even still there, the kitchen, toilet blocks, electrics room etc. To give you an idea of the size of it, the guys in there were going around on scooters because the tunnels are so long. 
As you go in through the main door there is a tunnel on your right. This leads into the other bunker down a narrow curved roof passage way, which you can see from outside, it is the long concrete wall running alongside the road. 
In the ruined tunnels at the start of the site there are small square hatches in the wall and we were wondering what they were for as the space behind them is to narrow for you to get down. Apparently they are for the drainage system that keeps the tunnels dry along with drain holes in the floor everywhere. Its like they built a tunnel inside a tunnel with a gap all around. Also the electric cabling and water pipes run in the crawl space above, which the holes in the ceilings of the tunnels lead to. The one in here still had the hatch door in place.
One thing I noticed different was the tunnels had doors at the end of them not brick walls like the ruined tunnnels, which lead into other tunnels and the roofs are flat not sloping. Also along the floors of the tunnels there are steel plates running along the centre, with maintenance tunnels underneath. All along the walls are still the old fashioned lights which you can see in the ruined tunnels, all still working. Its also quite warm in there, I was expecting it to be cold for some reason. Quite lucky really that we got in as it was our first visit and they were only there to do maintenance work.
Well after the tour everything else we saw didn't even compare so we went home stunned, thinking how jammy are we.


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## Engineer (Oct 11, 2008)

*Brackla.*

Lucky people, first explored them in the mid sixties, they were all in mint condition, I can also remember the work going on to convert two of them to nuclear bunkers.


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## Geordie_Jon (Oct 11, 2008)

Some history here: http://www.bracklaordnance.co.uk/

Looks like an interesting place to visit.


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## baal (Oct 11, 2008)

Looking at the maps and aerial photos on the website you can see how massive a site this was before it was changed into an industrial estate. There are loads of the original buildings left on the estate if you look around


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## Foxylady (Oct 12, 2008)

Great tour and photos, baal. This isn't a site I've come across before. Excellent stuff. 



Geordie_Jon said:


> Some history here: http://www.bracklaordnance.co.uk/...



That's a brilliant link...loads of interesting info and pics.


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## fezzyben (Oct 12, 2008)

wow that place looks awesome. thanks FB


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## borntobemild (Oct 14, 2008)

My out-laws lived on Brackla Estate almost directly above the tunnels. They moved there in the late eighties when i believe the site was still in use. Neither of them knew anything about the tunnels. 
The mother out-law used to have trouble sleeping at night as she reckones that she could hear a low humming noise. No-one else could here it so we just concluded that she was nuts.

Still wonder whether it was the fans ventilating the tunnels or some sort of generator.

The old railway that serviced the ordnance factory ran near the house in a deep cutting. All infilled now though.


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## smileysal (Oct 15, 2008)

Excellent pics mate, and it sounds like you struck it lucky with the maintenance guy being there and giving you a tour of the underground parts as well.

I didn't know about this one either  Cheers for the link, a good read.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## baal (Oct 16, 2008)

I am amazed at the amount of people who didn't know this was here, even local people don't seem to know.


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## Engineer (Oct 16, 2008)

*8X's*



baal said:


> I am amazed at the amount of people who didn't know this was here, even local people don't seem to know.



Lol, always the same with locals. I was in Worcester 2 years ago looking at the old underground fuel store.
I asked a local about the main entrance to the site, answer," no fuel store here mate"! It was behind his house!


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