Source/Archive record SCH4336 - Cold War Monuments: an assessment by the Monuments Protection Programme

During the decade following the end of the Cold War (1946-89) the pace of the threat to its installations has quickened due to the rationalisation of the defence estate and the disposal of sites and structures maintained to support emergency government in the event of nuclear war. Many of the establishments and structures are now in a state of flux as they pass from military to civil ownership or are adapted to new uses. In this report English Heritage’s Monuments Protection Programme (MPP) has classified the sites and structures built to prosecute nuclear war (which throughout their history have often been surrounded with great secrecy) and identified those which are felt to have special interest or national importance, recommending the key monuments for protection. The report has drawn on documentary research carried out by Dr Colin Dobinson (1998) at the Public Record Office and the analysis of air photographs of early 1950s radar stations undertaken by Michael Anderton (2000) for MPP. However, the primary source of information has been an English Heritage field investigation project to document the monuments of the Cold War (Cocroft and Thomas, forthcoming). The report divides Cold War monuments into 9 Categories; these have in turn been sub-divided into 31 Groups, and then down into Monument Classes with Type variants also identified. The report is physically divided according to the Categories and Monument Classes. In most instances a brief introduction provides a historical background and significance of each Category, while for each of the Monument Classes a Class Assessment of Importance has been produced. Also for many Classes a definitive site list is provided containing a summary of their current condition. Each section has been produced as a self-contained report, which may be separated from the whole if required. This format has led to some repetition of text, but provides the flexibility for updated sections to be issued as necessary. For the sites and structures identified as the key exemplars a Statement of Significance and ‘Recommended Action’ has been given. The Recommendation will usually indicate the most likely course of action given the vulnerability, rarity and significance of the structure or site concerned. The final decision on the most appropriate designation will be determined following discussions between English Heritage staff, the owners and other interested parties. In some situations a combination of designations may be applied. For structures and sites identified as being Nationally Important, but where no designation is indicated, it is presumed that local planning controls will be used to ensure their survival, or in the final resort adequate recording before alteration or demolition.