Cold war bunker at Fairlight

[peter_simpson]

I was having a bit of a play on the internet the other night and somehow - I'm still not quite sure how - I came across the following rather interesting link.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/f/f ... index.html

This is an account of an exploration of the Fairlight nuclear/cold war bunker carried out a few years ago. I'd heard rumours about this but didn't know for sure if it existed. I think it's in front of the coastguard cottages at Fairlight_ _ _

Peter

[Geoff]

A very interesting link indeed Peter!

I grew up in Fairlight and my parents still live there. None of us have heard that there was such a bunker.

The link is no doubt doing the rounds with Fairlight residents right now. It will be interesting to see if anyone knew it was there.

The photos are great and a good write-up too.

Thanks again!

Geoff

[Bob1947]

What an interesting site; and a revelation!

I believe the Fairlight radar station was one of the first ever built in this country, presumably just before WW2, and was bombed during the Battle of Britain. I always understood that it was sited where the "Heli pad" (picnic area) is now, just off Fairlight Road. It was definately an RAF establishment. Although I have lived in the area all my life, since 1947, but I have never heard mention of the bunker. From the aerial photos the site of the bunker does appears to be in the field to the West of the Country Park car park. I shall look at the area in a diferent way from now on.

[peter_simpson]

Thanks - since finding that piece I've actually done a little more 'digging' (pun totally intentional!) around the site, and there is actually quite a lot of other stuff of local interest on it. For example, the prominant gun emplacement/look out post on the cliffs at Pett Level isd, it seems, accompanied by a mass of undrground and semi-underground stuff, and there's also an underground cold war bunker on Pevensey marshes. All stuff I didn't know about, despite having been past all the locations many times_ _ _

[Geoff]

Used to mess around in the bunkers at Pett Level as a kid, there's quite a lot of underground stuff as you say. Gun emplacement visible from the main road. Not sure if there would be still be public access as it's probably dangerous looking back on it, but good fun at the time.

[mike_stasiw]

hi there for your info- the bunker was part of rotor system and it still exist underground ,fully sealed up of course,think it was 2 /3 story affair.it is situated to the left of the coast guard complex that is there now and is about 200x50 ft in size

[History-huntersuk]

Hi there Fairlight bunker is still there having recently seen inside of this one and another one in the area you'd be amazed at what hastings has we are a group called history-hunters uk we document historic sites and are currently in the process of trying to get an air raid shelter off the council so we can allow public to see what not many have