The Time Tourist

In a suburban area on the outskirts of York is a lasting reminder of our Cold War past, York Cold War Bunker. This is a fascinating, if somewhat scary, place to visit! The bunker was built in 1961 during a time when the threat of nuclear war was at an all time high. This partly subterranean building was constructed to be the headquarters of the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) Number 20 Group and was one of 31 bunkers of it's type across Britain. The ROC was set up in 1925 but during the Cold War, in 1954, adopted the role of nuclear reporting across the country. In the event of a nuclear explosion on British main land the ROC would be able to gather data and issue warnings. York's bunker had only three full time staff employed by the Home Office, an observer, a secretary and the deputy commandant. Anyone else who worked in the bunker, around 50-60 people, were ROC volunteers. These volunteers were split into three crews - each expected to operate for at least two weeks in ...

Standing on a headland just outside the seaside village of Heysham in Lancashire is the ruins of a small Anglo-Saxon chapel,  St. Patrick's Chapel. Dating back to around the 8th Century this chapel would have been a rectangular construction and is made from local sandstone. Folklore dictates that St. Patrick once came ashore here following a shipwreck in the fifth century and set up a chapel. True or not the chapel, still visible today, was built some two centuries later in his name to encourage pilgrimage. Interesting features: The curved Anglo-Saxon doorway built into the south wall. A beautiful piece of ancient architecture. The stone cut tombs. Cut from the rocks that create the headland these tombs would have held human bones. At the head of each tombs are square sockets, it is believed that this is where wooden crosses would have been placed.