Second World War plotting room under Dover cliffs opens to visitors

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 13 Nov, 19:21 · Archive

A Second World War operations room built beneath the white cliffs of Dover to direct guns defending the Strait of Dover has opened to the public for the first time.

The Fan Bay Plotting Room, built in 1940 beneath the white cliffs of Dover, has opened to the public for the first time. The underground bunker was a war operations centre that helped direct guns defending the Strait of Dover when Britain's front line sat there following the fall of France. Dover, located just 21 miles from occupied France, endured regular shelling attacks from across the Channel and became known as part of Hellfire Corner.

The plotting room housed some of the most advanced military technology of its era, including a fire direction table used to calculate firing data and co-ordinate artillery operations. The Guardian reports that it housed the first land-based computer-aided targeting system, which acted as a 'brain' for a gun battery used to defend Dover and attack German ships in the Channel. Its construction was part of a national priority to strengthen Britain's coastal defences during the war.

The Guardian reports that the bunker was ordered by Winston Churchill, who visited the Kent coast after his 'fight them on the beaches' speech and was alarmed to observe enemy ships passing through the strait unchallenged. The site was entered via a hatch in a field and encased in concrete, buried four metres deep into the cliffs.

After the war, the secret site was abandoned and buried under soil in the 1970s. It was mothballed in 1957 and classified until 1981 owing to its military importance. Rediscovery came in 2017, when Jon Stewart, who led the excavation project for the National Trust, became the first person to enter the bunker. He described it as a 'Tutankhamun moment for a conflict archaeologist'.

The National Trust has carefully conserved the plotting room rather than recreating it, leaving all the marks of its history visible. The underground space retains its peeling paint, wartime graffiti, pipes and ducts as they were found. Jon Barker of the National Trust said the conservation allows visitors to 'experience it much as we found it'.

How it is being reported

• Abandoned WWII bunker buried inside Dover’s white cliffs welcomes visitors for first timeThe Fan Bay Plotting Room helped to direct guns on Britain’s front lineThe Independent · 13 Nov, 15:45
• Dover WWII bunker which attacked ships in Channel now open to publicA rediscovered Second World War plotting room has opened to the public for the first time. The Fan Bay Plotting Room, built in 1940, was hidden beneath the White Cliffs of Dover and used to direct guns defending the Strait of Dover on Britain’s front line. Following its rediscovery in 2017, the National Trust has helped uncover its deep history and will now be opening the site to visitors from Friday. In a statement announcing the news, National Trust’s Senior Community, Participation & Volunteer lead for the Kent & East Sussex Landscapes, Jon Barker, said opening the bunker to the public is…GB News · 13 Nov, 07:57
• Inside the secret wartime bunker rediscovered beneath white cliffs of DoverThe Fan Bay Plotting Room helped to direct guns on Britain’s front lineThe Independent · 13 Nov, 06:51
• Second world war ‘brain’ bunker in cliffs of Dover opens to publicHidden bunker, entered via a hatch in a field, controlled a gun battery used to attack German ships in Channel It has been kept secret for decades, buried four metres deep into the white cliffs of Dover. But from Friday, members of the public will finally be able to visit a pioneering command bunker that was ordered by Winston Churchill and proved a vital defence during the second world war. The Fan Bay plotting room , which is encased in concrete, housed the first land-based computer-aided targeting system. This acted as a “brain” for a gun battery that was used to defend Dover and attack…The Guardian · 13 Nov, 00:01
• Wartime plotting room rediscovered under white cliffs of Dover opens to visitorsThe Fan Bay Plotting Room was a war operation centre which helped direct guns defending the Strait of Dover.Evening Standard · 13 Nov, 00:01

In this story: Fan Bay Plotting Room · Dover · Strait of Dover · National Trust · Winston Churchill · France · Jon Barker

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