Royal Air Force Holmpton or more simply RAF Holmpton is a former Royal Air Force Cold War era nuclear bunker that was built in the 1950s as an early warning radar station as part of the ROTOR Radar Defence Programme.
[4] It is encased in 10-foot (3 m) of solid concrete all round, with tungsten rods providing additional stability to the outer shell.
[12] This made RAF Holmpton one of the last places in the UK where any members of the Royal Observer Corps served, and is a unique part of the site's history.
In 2003 the site was leased for 25 years by the Ministry of Defence to RL(FRAFS)BLC Limited, and the day-to-day management passed to HIPPO (The Holmpton Initiative Project Planning Office).
[13] In 2012, as a result of Government cutbacks and following a review of the Defence Estate, the Ministry of Defence decided that the site was no longer required by the Air Force, and in 2014 the lease was terminated and the whole site sold to RL(FRAFS)BLC, which already held the original 25-year lease.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the bunker closed, but in 2023 re-opened for occasional visits with some members of the original ROC volunteers on duty.