What
A previously secret Royal Navy and Royal Air Force establishment that helped win the second world war. “This underground bunker, hidden beneath the streets of central Liverpool, was the top-secret location in which the British armed forces developed their tactics and worked to protect the allies’ shipping operations,” says Emma Stringfellow, the operations director at Western Approaches HQ.
Inside the command centre is a series of interlocking hidden rooms containing documents and tools the forces used to monitor enemy convoys. Seventy-three years on, much of it remains as it was left in 1945, although it is undergoing a redevelopment to tell the stories of those who fought for the country on land, sea and air.
Where
Opened
Originally in the 1990s. The restoration by Big Heritage, the social enterprise group that now runs the museum, was completed in 2017.
Collection
While the bare bones of the building remain as they would have been in 1945, the interior was stripped of objects and records after the war. This has meant the team have started to slowly but accurately recreate how it would have been, which includes the replacement of the impressive two-storey map stretching across the wall of the bunker. It also holds one of only two surviving wartime phones that had a direct connection to the war cabinet in London.
The public will have a chance to donate to the museum through a crowdfunding campaign this year. “Regular donations help to build the archive and collections as well as enrich the team’s knowledge of the building and its operation,” says Stringfellow.
Help at hand
Guided tours can be booked in advance and are popular. VIP tours can also be arranged to catch a glimpse of some of the secret rooms that are not open to the public, such as the wartime sleeping quarters. The knowledgeable staff on the front desk and ticket office are always on hand to answer questions.
Visitors
Since reopening under Big Heritage, the museum has been getting around 20,000 visitors a year. “This is steadily growing, especially since it was promoted from 65th to the sixth-best thing to do in Liverpool and has become the top-rated museum in the city,” says Stringfellow. There is a wide variety of activities and events on offer, including a challenging family trail of decoding and spy work, an escape room and old-fashioned games accompanied by tea and biscuits, which attract visitors of all ages.
Sticky moment
“The discovery of a live semi-automatic firearm was possibly one of the more worrying moments in the museum’s development,” Stringfellow says. “It had to be removed by the Liverpool police force and we are glad to say no other firearms have been found in the building.”
Jessica Browne-Swinburne is a freelance writer.
A previously secret Royal Navy and Royal Air Force establishment that helped win the second world war. “This underground bunker, hidden beneath the streets of central Liverpool, was the top-secret location in which the British armed forces developed their tactics and worked to protect the allies’ shipping operations,” says Emma Stringfellow, the operations director at Western Approaches HQ.
Inside the command centre is a series of interlocking hidden rooms containing documents and tools the forces used to monitor enemy convoys. Seventy-three years on, much of it remains as it was left in 1945, although it is undergoing a redevelopment to tell the stories of those who fought for the country on land, sea and air.
Where
Hidden in plain sight, the understated entrance of the bunker can be found just behind Liverpool Town Hall on Rumford Street. As you descend below street level, the extent of the bunker, which stretches beneath Derby House (now Walker House) and Exchange Flags Square, becomes clear and you get a real sense of the tense wartime atmosphere, says Stringfellow.
Having been mothballed after the war and forgotten until the 1980s, the command centre was rediscovered by builders extending an underground car park. Following a campaign to keep the bunker as a museum, it was reopened to the public and has since undergone restoration.
Opened
Originally in the 1990s. The restoration by Big Heritage, the social enterprise group that now runs the museum, was completed in 2017.
Collection
While the bare bones of the building remain as they would have been in 1945, the interior was stripped of objects and records after the war. This has meant the team have started to slowly but accurately recreate how it would have been, which includes the replacement of the impressive two-storey map stretching across the wall of the bunker. It also holds one of only two surviving wartime phones that had a direct connection to the war cabinet in London.
The public will have a chance to donate to the museum through a crowdfunding campaign this year. “Regular donations help to build the archive and collections as well as enrich the team’s knowledge of the building and its operation,” says Stringfellow.
Help at hand
Guided tours can be booked in advance and are popular. VIP tours can also be arranged to catch a glimpse of some of the secret rooms that are not open to the public, such as the wartime sleeping quarters. The knowledgeable staff on the front desk and ticket office are always on hand to answer questions.
Visitors
Since reopening under Big Heritage, the museum has been getting around 20,000 visitors a year. “This is steadily growing, especially since it was promoted from 65th to the sixth-best thing to do in Liverpool and has become the top-rated museum in the city,” says Stringfellow. There is a wide variety of activities and events on offer, including a challenging family trail of decoding and spy work, an escape room and old-fashioned games accompanied by tea and biscuits, which attract visitors of all ages.
Sticky moment
“The discovery of a live semi-automatic firearm was possibly one of the more worrying moments in the museum’s development,” Stringfellow says. “It had to be removed by the Liverpool police force and we are glad to say no other firearms have been found in the building.”
Jessica Browne-Swinburne is a freelance writer.