Barnton Nuclear Bunker - Secret Cities  /

Around five years ago myself and Andy Brydon visited the Barnton Nuclear Bunker which is buried 100ft under Corstorphine Hill, close to Edinburgh. It was probably one of the most intense and affecting photography shoots I’ve worked on. The whole place was in ruin, with fire blackened walls and years of damage, it felt like the set of a zombie movie. The idea that these places needed to be built and that we could ever have come anywhere near close to needing them filled me with a kind of anger. Whilst I knew it was important to document this era of our recent history I was very glad to be out of there after being in the complex for a few hours.

 

These images are from a whole set from the visit which you can see here on my site and if you have any questions about it all let me know.

 

I’ve held back on sharing the work as it felt quite unsafe down there and did not want to draw to much extra attention to the place. But recently I’ve heard that an organisation is working on restoring the bunker, after contacting them they have given me permission to share these images.  

 

They have asked me to mention the site is secure 24/7 so can’t be accessed except through them. But anyone over 18 can volunteer to help them with their work for a day and that they will then get a full tour of the bunker. Other then this there are no tours available at the moment or access for photography, but their end aim is to open the bunker to all visitors as a museum. You can find out lots more about their work on this website www.barntonquarry.org.uk and Facebook Page.

 

This photography is part of our ongoing Secret Cities project which has taken me and Andy Brydon into some very strange places in the UK, Netherlands and Iceland. You can see some more galleries from this project here and please get in touch if you are interested in commissioning a Secret Cities project in your part of the world.