Hidden, Forbidden & Off-Limits

A Subterranean Journey to Britain's Dark and Forgotten Places

By: Steve Higgins

Narrated by: Steve Higgins

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

There are as many as 60 miles of underground tunnels beneath Wiltshire, England alone. While some of these abandoned and decaying subterranean spaces are playgrounds for urban explorers, others have been shrouded in secrecy for decades. This bunker-busting journey to some of Britain's dark and forgotten places will give you the chance to peek behind the heavy blast-proof doors of some of the country's best-kept underground secrets.

Features secret and forgotten underground places including:

• RAF Rudloe Manor
• Burlington Bunker
• Command and Control Centre (CCC)
• Tunnel Quarry
• PINDAR
• Global Operations & Security Control Centre (GOSCC)
• Copenacre Royal Navy Store
• Drakelow Tunnels

Embrace the darkness and uncover the forgotten history that is waiting to be discovered below ground—the weird mix of fact, folklore, and mythology. Venture into decommissioned command bunkers, probe now-mothballed Cold War nuclear hideouts, uncover the World War II secrets that are still hidden beneath the British countryside, and find out how the tunnels left behind by 19th-century quarrymen provided a safe haven for these covert schemes.

There are plenty of stories to be told on this underground adventure, from the tales of covert government agents skulking around the secretive underground base in Corsham formerly known as RAF Rudloe Manor, to the wartime spirits of a cloak-and-dagger underground aircraft factory in Kidderminster. There's even wild rumours linking one of the UK's most secure underground locations to a government department tasked with gathering intelligence on extraterrestrial encounters.

Circumvent the anti-trespass barriers, dodge the bats, and descend into these hidden landscapes to discover why people are so fascinated by the unknown worlds beneath their feet. With a foreword by Matthew Williams, the urban explorer and ufologist who helped shine a light on many of the government's underground coverups.

©2023 Steve Higgins (P)2023 Steve Higgins

Pretty Average

The story itself could be fairly interesting but I found the description of tunnels very hard to follow.

I have read a few books about the Cold War and Continuity of Government linked to the Box Tunnel and Cosham.

This gives a basic idea of what is down there and some very basic history but not the in depth look at the function of these sites.

The author narrated his own work, which was OK and didn't detract from his work.

More a book on urban exploration than on the Cold War and the bunkers.

It was an easy enough listen but not what I was expecting from a modern history point of view.