Kenton Bunker At Former Raf Blakelaw

Kenton Bunker, located at the former RAF Blakelaw, is an underground operations room or bunker built in 1939 as the headquarters for No. 13 Group for the North. Constructed from reinforced concrete and brick, the above-ground structure features a small entrance building with a flat concrete roof supported by square brick columns. The entrance doors are located to the right and are flanked by single narrow casement windows, with an overhanging canopy above. To the left, there are two additional bays; the first bay has a central 2-light casement window flanked by single narrow casements, while the left bay contains a single narrow casement window. The bunker itself is underground and covered with grass.

Access to the interior is via a long flight of concrete steps. The west entrance door is equipped with rubber gas seals. Most of the original fittings remain intact in the Plant Room, including Porton anti-gas filters, electrical pipes and fuse boxes, the main power input console, original air pressure gauges, and metal ventilation ducting. The Auxiliary Battery Room still contains acid-filled glass batteries, and the Operations Room retains its original light fittings. This bunker served as the headquarters for No. 13 Group, coordinating the northern response during the Battle of Britain and overseeing air defense for the remainder of the Second World War.