Bristol War Room

Bristol War Room

A Regional War Room built in 1953, designed by the Ministry of Works to coordinate civil defence in the event of an atomic attack and to protect regional government.

The building is constructed of reinforced concrete using the continuous pour technique, whereby the floor slab, walls and roof function as a single unified structure. The walls are rendered above plain concrete footings and deliberately planted with Virginia creeper.

The structure is a rectangular-plan, semi-sunken building of two storeys, with the lower floor positioned below ground level. Two opposing entrances in the north-east and south-west elevations each lead to a pair of stairs and continuous circulatory corridors providing access to all rooms on both floors. The plan is organised around a central map and operations room with control cabins positioned on its south-eastern and south-western sides.

The exterior presents plain concrete elevations beneath an oversailing parapet. The only openings are two door entrances, each fronted by a semi-circular concrete hardstanding. The first entrance is located at the eastern end of the south-west elevation, while the second entrance is at the eastern end of the north-east elevation. Three concrete-shrouded ventilator towers project from the east end of the flat roof above the plant rooms. A small drain lid with brick edging is set in the grass to the north-east of the building.

The interior is utilitarian in character, lacking decorative features and retaining 1950s fittings and fixtures throughout. Both entrances lead into a dog-leg plan blast-baffle with a heavy steel blast door positioned at right angles to the entrance. The first entrance serves as the main access to the upper floor and is flanked by a security room equipped with a Lamson message delivery system linked to the lower floor, comprising a rope pulley system and timber cabinet. Pairs of concrete staircases positioned on either side of the building close to the entrances descend to the lower floor. The stairs have concrete steps with linoleum inset treads, solid concrete central balustrades and painted steel handrails. A painted black metal water tank rests on a concrete shelf above the landing of each staircase.

The upper circulatory corridor provides access to a range of rooms including offices, a kitchen and canteen, dormitories and washrooms with toilets and showers, with the canteen and washrooms retaining their original fittings. The stand-by generator room is situated within the plant room and houses a diesel engine-powered dynamo of 1953. The plant room contains an air conditioning unit, electrical equipment, timber battery shelves, fuse boxes and switch panels with armoured cabling. To the rear of the plant room is a floor access panel to a service gulley. On the inner side of the south-eastern arm of the corridor are two rooms with curved anti-reflection glass windows overlooking the map room below. The smaller room was allocated to the Civil Defence Officer, and the larger to the County Controller, though signage on one door reads Fire Control Room.

The lower floor circulatory corridor provides access to the well of the two-storey high map room. A large wall map of the Bristol area dating from the 1980s and a resources blackboard are mounted on the north-west wall. The south-east wall contains six curved anti-reflection glass windows, three to each floor, while the south-west wall has one window at the lower floor level. A hinged glazed message transfer box is fitted into the corner frame of each lower floor window.

The lower corridor serves further offices, a GPO equipment room, administration control, signals room and two tank rooms. The signals room, positioned on the north-western side, has been subdivided into three areas, one containing a bench with sixteen acoustic booths with drawers. The switchboard and teleprinter room sits within the larger signals room and features a message passing hatch in its end wall. Some racking, electrical equipment, heating and floor linoleum remain in situ in the rear signals offices.

Throughout the building, timber doors have plain flat surfaces, some with ventilation panels at their base. Most bear painted numbering and some carry painted names identifying the room function, such as CANTEEN. Door furniture is largely of black Bakelite. Most electrical and light fittings are original. Round Tannoy public address system speakers are attached to the walls in several of the rooms.