Second world war ‘brain’ bunker in cliffs of Dover opens to public

Hidden 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 German ships in the Channel, according to Jon Stewart, who led the excavation project for the National Trust.