# 'Hopscotch' ARP Shelter, Plymouth - 2011



## Badoosh (May 13, 2011)

Been a long time since I posted any reports, not for lack of explores though. This one was fun from start to finish!

After a first attempt failed, myself & Lamb Phall finally had a brief moment of luck to finally answer our question on whether this was actually a shelter or not.......obviously, it was.

Even though it's not the best shelter I have seen, it was nice to document another on the list & totally unexpected. Exact location will not be revealed but let's just say it was quite surprising considering recent developments. 

Built to hold around 200 people, this was one of the precast concrete type, with four passageways, around 40' in length basically forming a square. Steel girders were a later addition as the original construction was not though to withstand the shockwave of bombs. Accessed via 2 stairwells, it had four pairs of toilets, one set in each corner & 2 escape hatches with ladders still in place. Little sign of benches, apart from the concrete pillars that the wooden slats once rested upon.

Grafitti was unfortunately scarce in this one, but a few artefacts remained including food tins, milk bottle, shoes, the original square toliets with rotten seats, & anti-gas ointment tin.

Around 3' under the surface, this was a fairly unique shelter in that it had a sump that has had a pump attachment at some point. It was a good 10" of water in some parts when we visited. On with the pics....


The passageways























To give you an idea of how cramped condtions would have been down here. Think of it with 200 plus!







Original stairwell blocked







Toilets

















Escape hatch







Rusty girder







Artefacts

















Grafitti






















Final one from me. V for Victory!


----------



## night crawler (May 13, 2011)

Looks like some research went in to that one. Nice find.


----------



## Snips86x (May 13, 2011)

Nice images! The darkness and shadows give it a nice spooky feel. Thanks


----------



## alex76 (May 14, 2011)

Nice find mate looks well dark in there nice to see some old bits abd bobs are still around cheers


----------



## Timmy (May 14, 2011)

...access into this one was ... lets say alittle amusing  im still shocked that i arrived 30 minutes before you went down... and i put it off as "just a dugged hole in the ground!" think of the moment of awkwardness of you coming down whiles i was snapping away... haha!


mind you the flooded bit was bypassed with "make shift waders" tescos bags are brilliant!

Badoosh... do you know what will be happening with this one? filled in or propped up?... same with the one you lost your glove in?... (think this one mite now be capped...)

also have a shelter you havnt been down yet... can sort a visit out asap if you liked... you know the score... ring me  ... down side to this one is when you attempt to get out you can fall off the wall as i found... ankles are still sore :/ 


on the whole great pictures and good effort...


----------



## Badoosh (May 14, 2011)

We almost dismissed it too, thinking it would be drainage. I see no reason for it to be filled in but let's face it, it's in Plymouth & you know how they love their heritage destruction. It seems structurally, pretty sound to me & the flooding can easily be resolved with a pump.

One of the best hope for preservation was 80% destroyed (Devonport Park), but no, the council decided against it thinking that nobody would want to see it opened to public.


----------



## fluffy5518 (May 17, 2011)

AIR RAID SHELTER GOODLINESS !! Great report mate, theres nothing better than being underground !! I always find air raid shelters a fascinating slice of social history. Well done for finding it and some great phots !!


----------



## Badoosh (May 17, 2011)

fluffy5518 said:


> AIR RAID SHELTER GOODLINESS !! Great report mate, theres nothing better than being underground !! I always find air raid shelters a fascinating slice of social history. Well done for finding it and some great phots !!



Thanks dude. Quite agree, you can't beat the underground. Did this when I got back from doing Chenies & Grove. Very tiring day. Oh & I got stopped before I even managed to get in Grove, still managed it though but got some strange looks from an Arnold Palmer lookalike when I emerged from the shrubbery


----------



## crickleymal (May 17, 2011)

Ok why Hopscotch?


----------



## Badoosh (May 17, 2011)

Good question 

Well if drains can have names surely a shelter can? Another recently done I named Dog Leg simply because of the shape of it's construction. One before was named Sketchy because of the amount of WW2 grafitti & also the structure feeling like it was going to collapse any moment.

This one is named as such due to it's location 

Next one may be called Lost the Plot which I clearly seem to think I have sometimes. Or it could be that it's in an allotment 



crickleymal said:


> Ok why Hopscotch?


----------



## Lamb Phall (May 26, 2011)

Access to Hopscotch has now been filled in


----------



## highcannons (May 26, 2011)

Nice one, good stuff mate.


----------



## tommo (May 26, 2011)

great find shame access has gone now


----------



## Lamb Phall (May 26, 2011)

A few more images.


----------



## sYnc_below (May 27, 2011)

Thanks for the extra shots....can see why its filled in now!!


----------

