Abandoned Dorset: Witchampton ROC Post

The structure of this ROC (Royal Observer Corps) Post is in relatively good condition compared to many of the hundreds still dotted about the United Kingdom. There were originally 1,563 of these concrete structures built 6 feet underground between 1956 and 1965. Most have now been demolished, filled in or blocked off.

To read more about the history and use of ROC Posts, click here.

Westhampton ROC post opened in 1963 and, alongside the Royal Observer Corps being stood down, closed in 1991. Original features such as shelving , the desk, toilet and fire blanket remain, which is impressive for a bunker that closed over thirty years ago.

Lined with a bright purple carpet, with a mattress strewn on the floor and an array of empty crisp packets and drinks cans are littered throughout the small subterranean room. The dates on many of the wrappers are mid-1990s, suggesting that someone was living in the ROC Post not long after it closed. We reminisced the outdated logo designs of the food packaging as we sifted through the litter which has over time evolved into a time capsule of this bunker’s past use- simple objects now turned to relics of the past.

Last Updated on 17 May 2022 by Michael