RAF Poltimore & Poltimore Park Exeter ROC Group, Exeter, Devon

RAF Poltimore was originally built as a WW2 Sector Operations Bunker for the RAF 10 Fighter Command Group in 1941. Linked to the Chain Home Radar Network, it was designed to take a direct hit from a 500 lbs bomb. After the second world war, and amid growing concerns due to international tensions leading to the Cold War, the building was taken over by the Royal Observer's Corps as a Group Headquarters Control Station in the late 1940s, remaining there until 1961...the ROC’s role of aircraft reporting having been changed to one of nuclear monitoring in June 1954.  

Another purpose built building was added adjacent to the original one for the ROC Control Station, keeping the WW2 sector ops building for administration. As only one of two remaining surface headquarters in England, along with one in Shrewsbury, it is now a Grade II Listed building. 

 

The whole site is now owned and used by the UCZ Paintball company and has been decked out with packing crates, oil drums and camouflage netting inside, plus an area outside between the two buildings, complete with several old jeeps amongst the crates and drums.  

 

I was fortunate enough to be included in a tour arranged by three friends from Plymouth in May 2009. We only had access to the WW2 section, as the ROC Command Post was being used as a location for a film - more about that later - although we were able to have a little sneak partway inside and take a few photos. 

 

These two subsidiary buildings are in the grounds. Above, the Isotope Store, used to store tins containing low-level radio-active sources for calibrating the fixed survey meters. The original building only had the lower rectangular section, the top part and ladder added later as part of the paintball landscape. The building below was used for a diesel oil tank. With the spade seen outside, it could now be used for gardening and grounds tools.

The doors below belong to the later building for the ROC HQ. Completely windowless, this door was the only entrance, apart from an emergency door at the rear. The stepped brick door surround, below, leads to a recess in which are two steel blast entrance doors.

The door on the left allows access into the main building and the right one leads into the particulate filter room. 

 

The photo below left doesn't seem to fit anywhere so I reckon it was probably the emergency door.

A reinforced building, there's a low parapet wall around the roof with drainage holes and drainpipes for rainwater, seen above right. I don't what the bit of piping below was for, but I took the photo anyway as it's still part of the remains. Originally green, the building was later painted white. Appropriately, it's now back to green with added darker daubs to emulate camouflage as part of the paintballing scenery.

Then into the WW2 building.

I didn't take a huge amount of photos, as it was very dark in places, and unfortunately unable to get any of the operations room itself. I also had a bit of a bad camera day but I'm including even some of the naff photos as they're the only ones I have of certain areas. The building looks small from the outside but inside is an absolute warren of corridors leading off to various rooms.

If memory serves, this was the corridor alongside the opening - on the left - where you can look down into the operations room.

Even though the WW2 section isn't a Listed Building it's still very interesting because it's mostly intact. One of the chaps that owns/runs the place was telling us that he'd love to do away with the paintballing altogether. He's very much into military history himself and they've been trying to restore and maintain it all for posterity. 

It was really good to see some of the original fixtures throughout, including air ducts and the older electric light fittings.

The next photo shows rifle numbers and the one below that is graffiti, much of which was written by the women of the Women's Royal Air Force stationed here, the chain home radar operations mostly staffed by WRAF during WWII.

The photo below always makes me smile as it reminds me of the pc game Quake II, an old favourite that my son played a lot, and one that I've played a bit myself. One of the parts where a wall has been knocked through for the paintball game.

Some more fixtures and fittings, below.

And a sillouette photo of two of my friends taking photos. Our gang consisted of Badoosh, Graybags and The Terror Wheel, all members of the forum Derelict Places including myself, my forum name being FoxyLady.

Then the sneak peek inside the ROC Command Post.

 

I think this one might have been the operations room.

As mentioned earlier, on the day we were there a film was being made and there were several 'zombies' strolling around and being made-up for their roles, which was good fun too. Called Zomblies, the film can now be seen on YouTube here.

And two more outside photos.

I have a copy of a group photo taken by Graybags of us four standing by a military truck. I tried getting in touch with him via the forum to ask his permission to include it here but I haven't heard back from him yet. If I do - and he says yes - then I'll add it later. :)