The 8X's, Brackla ROF - Sept 07 ARCHIVED

[sinnerman]

The 8X's are a series of seven storage tunnels cuttin to north ridge of Brackla Hill near bridgend south wales. They served as a storage facility for shells produced at the near by Waterton ROF which produced the shell casings and fuses, These were brought round by rail to the Brackla ROF which filled the shelld with the cordite it produced and then they were put into short term storage in the 8X's befoe being shipped off to places like Ridge Quarry, Monkton Farleigh and Fauld.

Of the seven tunnels that were built only there can be accessed today. 8X1 and 8X2 were intact in WW2 state up until two years ago when a housing estate was built on the approaches to them so their entrances have been blocked of and back filed with builders crap. 8X3 and 8X4 were converted into the RGHQ for Wales and have had bunker extensions built on the front which are rock solid, They were sold of to a data storage company but at the momment the site looks asif it is going to be cleared for development into an access road for a new industrial estate andthey dont look too used at the momment. 8X4 is alarmed and has fresh heafty padlocks in place but 8X3 looks a lot more abandoned but more of that later.

8X5, 8X6 and 8X7 had there iorn support rings reclamed in the late fifties and were supposidly collapsed and back filled but a bit with a bit of digging done by persons unknown and a some breeze block shifting all three are accessable so i'll start with these.

All of the tunnels are similar in constrution a loading bay now in filled would have had ammo waggons brought in by rail, allong side the entrance was a boiler house for each tunnel. From the inside of each tunnel two entrance tunnels about 20m apart ran off at 90deg into the hill side parallel to each other. About 20m there is a guard post and now blocked off double doors which lead into the storage tunnel these ran a futer 100m or so into the hill side with 8 storage gallerys in between the two parallel tunnels. Wach of the tunnels ang gallerys was constructed of a round iorn ring tunnel similar to the london underground and the within these square brick built tunnels were build for storing the shells. All the electricity and other utility pipes ran out side the brick tunnel to keep them sperate from the stored ammo. Warm air was constantly circulated inbetween the two tunnel walls to keep the ammunition safe and dry.

8X7

Backfilled Loading bay


Guard/Boiler House


Entrance Tunnel


Storage Tunnel


Intact storage gallery


Collapsed Gallery


End of the Tunnel


Service crawlway between the two tunnel walls.


8X6

Backfilled Loading bay


Guard/Boiler House


Entrance Tunnel


Storage Tunnel


Collapsed Gallery


Original Rollers


8X5

Partially Backfilled Loading bay


Storage Tunnel Collapsed after the first Gallery


Chimney for venting the warm air after it had been circulated through the complex


Access


8X4

Bunker entrance


looking back along the loading bay roof


Doors were dealing with


8X3

Now this one looks like its out of use to me the padlock hasps have all been cut and the handels can be turned slightly with some effort, I one of the handels gave it a good wacking on the weekend and something on the other side gave way and fell off the door which gave about another inch of movement then it stuck fast. Up on the roof i then came across the escape hatch no handels on this one but the roof of its stair way is made of some thin concrete slabs some one else seems to have had a go it with a pick axe without much success.

Bunker entrance


Escape Tunnel Entrance

[ERNIE99_UK]

Great place, looks dangerous though

Is this a Vauxhall shoveit?