Royal Observer Underground Monitoring Post And Ww II Observation Post

ROYAL OBSERVER UNDERGROUND MONITORING POST AND SECOND WORLD WAR OBSERVATION POST, SOUTH CREAKE

This site comprises an underground concrete monitoring post dating to the 1950s and an adjacent brick aircraft observation post from the Second World War, situated below open land near the road.

The underground post is accessed from ground level through a 1 metre by 1 metre square access point, 0.7 metres high, fitted with a lockable metal lid. A vertical access shaft 4.5 metres deep with an iron ladder fixed to the wall descends to the main underground chamber, a reinforced-concrete box measuring 5.8 metres by 2.6 metres by 2.3 metres. At the foot of the shaft are two doorways: one opens to a store cupboard containing a chemical toilet, whilst the other leads to the larger monitoring room to the east. The monitoring room is equipped with a folding table, shelf and cupboard, with walls covered in polystyrene tiles. Two ventilation shafts with louvered vents provide air circulation, one alongside the entrance shaft and a second at the east end of the room. Surface features include the entrance hatch, two ventilation shaft cowls with louvers, a mushroom-shaped mounting plate for the ground zero indicator positioned next to the entry hatch, a bomb power indicator consisting of a baffle plate mounted on a steel pipe, and a mounting plate for the fixed survey meter.

The adjacent brick aircraft observation post from the Second World War features a blast-proof entrance leading to a first room with instrument mounting. Two steps descend to a second room.

Underground monitoring posts were the most numerous structures built in the United Kingdom during the Cold War. Approximately 1,518 were constructed in total, of which 1,026 were in England. The number of active posts was nearly halved in 1968 due to diminished risk of attack and to reduce defence expenditure, with the Corps strength reduced from a nominal 25,000 to 12,500 personnel. The South Creake site was acquired for the Secretary of State for Air in 1953, with further land acquired in 1962. Norfolk retained only 24 posts out of 55 that were operational prior to October 1968. A third reorganisation occurred in the 1980s, linking South Creake to posts at Gressenhall and Melton Constable for communication purposes. Regular training continued through the 1980s, but in 1991 the Royal Observer Corps ceased active training and the remaining underground monitoring posts closed. South Creake subsequently served as a seismic station until decommissioning and sealing in 2004.

This post is of special interest as an intact example of a relatively common Cold War structure, retaining original fixtures and fittings. Its proximity to the adjacent Second World War observation post reflects the changing face of warfare during the 20th century.