Fobney Thames Water Emergency Nuclear Bunker, Reading

The bunker is situated on Fobney Water Treatment Works over in Whitley, Reading.
Similar to the Blunsdon Thames Water Bunker in Swindon what has now demolished.

There was three divisions of the Thames - West, Central, East, each division would have protected communication centres however the western division was done first but the cold war ended before the other areas were completed.

Therefore there was no Central HQ Bunker, all the bunkers would have been autonomous this includes Reading, Blunsdon (Swindon) which is now demolished and Latton in Wiltshire also site of peacetime control centre.

These bunkers were just comms centres to manage engineers and recovery, not telemetric control centres for water, All these type of bunkers were built between 1990-1991.

Aerial of the bunker

No access into the Bunker, something I was not expecting.
Water filled up to the top, my guess is this could have been either TW staff who did this to stop people going in or it could be the fact its built on a flood plain right next to a river.
You can just about make out the main blast door into the bunker.

When i was a train driver at Didcot i had to work a train home from Saltley depot in Birmingham at 0230hrs. As i had a few hours to spare i thought i would go and photograph the old boiler room for the abandoned messrooms that was situated under the main complex. I got through the door and to the top of the steps leading down into the abyss - i thought i would switch my torch on half way down to avoid attracting any nosey sods. All didnt go to plan however and i waded completely into a flooded stairwell ..... by the time my brain had told my legs to stop i was drenched all the way up to my arse ...... stinking of diesel, oil and stagnant water. Funniest thing was driving the train back fro Brum in my Y-fronts with all the heaters on full ....... Happy days eh .... !!

callumcrom00 said:

The bunker is situated on Fobney Water Treatment Works over in Whitley, Reading.
Similar to the Blunsdon Thames Water Bunker in Swindon what has now demolished.

There was three divisions of the Thames - West, Central, East, each division would have protected communication centres however the western division was done first but the cold war ended before the other areas were completed.

Therefore there was no Central HQ Bunker, all the bunkers would have been autonomous this includes Reading, Blunsdon (Swindon) which is now demolished and Latton in Wiltshire also site of peacetime control centre.

These bunkers were just comms centres to manage engineers and recovery, not telemetric control centres for water, All these type of bunkers were built between 1990-1991.
View attachment 517144
Aerial of the bunker
View attachment 517145
No access into the Bunker, something I was not expecting.
Water filled up to the top, my guess is this could have been either TW staff who did this to stop people going in or it could be the fact its built on a flood plain right next to a river.
You can just about make out the main blast door into the bunker.

Click to expand...

Awesome photos!

edwhalley said:

Awesome photos!

Click to expand...

Cheers man