Battle of Britain Bunker
- Military history enthusiasts
- History enthusiasts
- Families with children
What Visitors Say
If you have any interest in the Battle of Britain, this is a must see. NOTE: there are 77 stair steps to access the bunker (no elevator). It’s really wonderful that the site has been restored to its WW2 condition. The docent staff, Steve and his partner, did a great job explaining how the bunker was used during the war, especially during the Battle of Britain. Steve demonstrated how the plotting board was used. The original equipment and furnishings are great. Take your time, there is a lot of see. Highly recommended.
We booked the noon tour and there were just 13 of us on it . Thanks to insightful ex RAF staff I could have listened to the history of this bunker all afternoon. A fascinating glimpse of what it took to defeat an enemy and recognition of all those who worked tirelessly to protect this island . It’s an easy 15 min or so walk from Uxbridge tube station. The on-site cafe is small but as others have mentioned it’s reasonably priced .
Lovely little museum focussed on its subject and very methodically set out. The tour was excellent and I learned a lot about how sector control worked. Tea shop very nice and reasonable prices - highly recommend
Hidden gem of Uxbridge, must go for all interested in military history. There are group tours at specific hours, althought online you can buy only tickets for 2:30 pm, but there are earlier tours available. To visit the bunker you need to be fit to manage a few flights of stairs, but people with disabilities can just visit the museum (with lifts and accessible toilets) and watch the film about the bunker (request the show at the ticket office). There are different discounts available for Hillingdon Pass holders, students, kids, disabled, museum only tickets, etc. There is a nice cafe on the site, with hot and cold food and drinks. Parking is free, with sufficient number of spaces.
We booked a superb tour of this bunker this morning. I booked first thing for the 11.30 tour but I think we would have been accommodated had we just turned up as including our family of 4 there were 11 in total. If you are interested in WW2 then this is a great visit. The interactivity make it much more interesting than just looking at exhibits. Note that the tour visits the main room in the bunker where the plotting took place. A deeper tour is available on the last Saturday of each month at 10am for those wanting to see the other areas. Booking on this one is recommended. Andy, our guide, was an engaging and knowledgeable guide, our early teens loved it as much as we did. There is a cafe and small gift shop on site. Prices are very reasonable (£7ish for a jacket potato or panini, £8ish for a pizza).
Highlights
Operations Room
The war’s nerve centre for southeast EnglandPlotters with rakes slid blocks across a giant map as controllers ‘scrambled’ squadrons by telephone and radio.
Bunker level, guided tour only
Dowding System Explained
World-leading network warfare—1940 editionChain Home radar + Observer Corps + sector control = minutes of advantage turned into survival.
Surface museum, timeline wall
Voices in the Headset
Stress you can hearReal transcripts of clipped commands and acknowledgements from controllers and pilots.
Audio stations
Churchill’s Visit
15 September 1940, the turning point observedChurchill watched from the balcony as raids peaked; he left to declare the day decisive.
Ops room gallery notes
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Those coloured sectors on the big clock weren’t decorative—controllers used them to timestamp plots so they knew, at a glance, how ‘fresh’ each sighting was.
WAAF plotters (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) provided much of the bunker’s workforce; the ‘rake’ jobs demanded spatial memory and split-second hearing.
On ‘Battle of Britain Day’ (15 Sept 1940) Winston Churchill watched operations here; two days later he gave his ‘so many to so few’ speech in the Commons.
