Beneath Manchester's city centre lies the remains of a secret facility built during the Cold War that's now "like a ghost town".
The MEN recently wrote an article about the Guardian telephone exchange which was built between 1954 and 1957 in the event of a nuclear attack. Also known as ‘Scheme 567’, the facility consists of a hidden web of tunnels and a bunker buried around 35 metres under Manchester's streets and buildings.
MEN readers have been sharing their memories and opinions of the Guardian telephone exchange, with some having been down into the hidden tunnels before. Now, the facility lies empty, except for telephone cables that run through the tunnels.
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One MEN reader said: “When I worked in Manchester in the mid ‘70s my then manager (Civil Servant) was one of the ‘Chosen’. In the event of a nuclear attack he would have been in those tunnels helping with administration. Never been sure what would have happened to his family but suspect they would have been left outside.”
A second wrote: “I last went down there in the early 90s. Like a ghost town.”
A third commented: “I went down loads of times, I loved it. Dad used to take me there on father daughter days with BT it was such an adventure. I miss those days. Dad used to always say to me if there was ever a war or anything this is where I run to!”
In 2004, the Guardian exchange rose to prominence when a fire in one of the tunnels caused 130,000 telephone lines in the city to be cut off. One MEN reader who responded to the fire said: “I worked in the Tunnels due to the fire damage whilst working for BT. Amazing place.”
Someone else added: “We used to practice Fire Brigade breathing apparatus drills down there. One tunnel leads to Ardwick.”
A sixth comment reads: “It’s a shame they went to waste. I don't mean in their time of need, but after. Even if just to be part of a history tour a few times a year. Manchester has many hidden gems and side tracked plans for the city centre underground.”
What are your thoughts on Manchester’s Guardian telephone exchange? Let us know in the comments section below.
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