Box Hill - Lifting the Lid on Box Hill, Tunnel, Spring and Brown's Quarries

Regimental badge of the Royal Engineers.(RE)

Diagramatic map of district layout of MOD Tunnel Quarry underground complex, Corsham.

Have you ever...

Wondered what was inside the heavily guarded military establishment located in Corsham in Wiltshire?

Wondered why there is an extra railway tunnel alongside Box Railway Tunnel ?

Wondered why there are so many ventilation shafts sprouting up in the middle of fields?

Heard the myth about the country’s emergency reserve of steam locomotives stored underground?

If you have, then this programme is for you!

With the kind co-operation of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), we are able to lift the ‘secret lid’ on Box Hill
and take you on a video tour of the never publicly seen Tunnel Quarry in Corsham, Wiltshire.

Tunnel Quarry was one of the United Kingdom’s central ammunition depots.
Conceived in the mid-1930’s to hide from the enemy over 100,000 tons of bombs, shells,
cordite and small arms ammunition that the country depended upon to win the Second World War.

Thanks to the legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the local Bathstone quarrymasters and quarrymen,
over 100 acres of underground passageways and chambers were converted by hundreds of men,
under the leadership of the Royal Engineers, into an ammunition magazine storage area
of gargantuan proportions with unique architecture.

Whilst underground, you will see the twin platform railway station, the engine shed, powerhouse,
and some of the many miles of conveyor belting. We tour the magazine areas, main haulage-ways,
see the slope shafts and surface loading building, the administrative offices and Royal Engineers workshop.

We also observe the ‘Clift drift inlet fan’ and take a look at the associated conversion work
in the adjoining Box and Groundstone Quarries for the air drifts and communication requirements.

We can also bring to you two bonus locations:
As we were allowed special access, we can show you
in Spring Quarry:
the wartime painted murals in what was the canteen areas of the Bristol Aircraft factory
and,
in Brown’s Quarry:
the large Bathstone chambers that housed the wartime control room of No 10 Fighter Command.

You will be amazed by this totally unique and unrepeatable visit to this historic site,
which displays the 1930’s concrete architecture
and the British Army and civilian engineering skills that went into the building of this depot.

As the tour unfolds, our on screen map captions show you
where you are underground within this vast site.

Running time of approx 68 minutes.
Available in DVD format

Conveyor under railway lines in main East haulageway, Tunnel Quarry.

Howitzer shells in storage, Tunnel Quarry.

RAOC Officer checks shells for rail mounted WW2 big guns Winnie and Pooh.

railway junction to underground station, Tunel Quarry.

War Department No. 1 locomotive, Tunnel Quarry.

	Let's Look Back At ...