sealed – sYnc

Mines #47 – End of an era

One of the local playgrounds has been sealed with several tonnes of rock in the last few days, quite unfortunate really as we had unfinished business there……oh well !!

I wonder of anyone was inside when it got sealed? If so its now their watery grave.

Camera phone shit pix:

Ravensden ROC Post – Bedfordshire Group

Opened – Unknown
Closed – October 1968

There isn’t too much that can be said about this post as you can see from the pictures. I’m not entirely sure when it was capped with concrete and steel bar but its at least 15 years ago, also I’m not sure if it is just a cap or in fact they poured rubble down the shaft and topped it with concrete. If I run out of things to do before I die I might go back with a large can of PlusGas and ‘FSM Cam’ it just out of idle curiosity.

Great location geographically with great vision all round, or certainly would have been before the odd building and trees that have sprang up since the 1950’s. Bedford is one of those unusual counties with very few ROC Posts, despite the fact that Bedford ROC Group HQ No 7 was the HQ for the UKWMO Midlands Sector, covering many more counties at the time.

Nature has certainly claimed back this post…

Upwell ROC Post – Norfolk Group

Opened – October 1959
Closed – September 1991More from the ‘8 ROC Posts in one day’ tour. Once we caught sight of the telegraph poles disappearing into a field we were well happy as this was a Master Post but sadly on reaching the compound it was a major disappointment as it was seriously locked down (pictures elsewhere show this to be very tidy inside). The exterior was a lovely shade of green though with no obvious damage to anything. Not sure if they built this too low by mistake but the FSM tube has an extension and the hatch is well low in the ground!!

Supposedly this has been bought by someone but I don’t know for sure. Whoever is taking care of it has secured it very well and as we were tight on time we couldn’t really spend time finding out.

A Tube Cam was also out of the question unless we had a monster can of EAC Plus Gas and a spare day…..we had neither 🙁

Parson Drove ROC Post – Cambridgeshire Group (FSM Tube Cam)

Opened – March 1960
Closed – September 1991Another post visited as part of an ‘8 ROC Posts in one day’ tour, Parson Drove had been ingeniously locked with a cleverly fitted mortice lock so became our first ‘fail’ of the day in respect of underground shots. The post was recently sold on eBay to someone in Oakham, Rutland but it looks like nothing has been done to it apart from the fancy lock.

Never one to be outwitted I broke out the Tube Cam Kit and did some ‘remote photography’. The interior looks to be the same as its always been with the red spray paint noted by Sub Brit back in 1999. My Tube Cam Kit is due to be modified in the future to provide precise shots, these ones are a bit poor but its better than nothing.

The famous Shetland pony is still there, it crept up on us and was attempting to eat Winch It In’s Canon kit while we had our backs turned doing the Tube Cam !!

Earls Barton ROC Post – Northamptonshire Group

Opened – Unknown (gotta cross reference it in Attack Warning Red)
Closed – September 1991

It’s been a ROC Post Fest this last few days across several counties, I’ve hit up 8 posts in 6 days and the 9th planned for tonight but this one wins the FUBAR award so far, not only has it been stripped bare inside, its now Fly Tipping Central with the shaft totally full of refuse/junk/detritus

I was on my own and also short on time so I didn’t attempt to start removing the trash, plus I wasn’t sure of the contents of the black bin bags

The compound itself is chest high in stinging nettles so I’m not sure what original items might be laying around, I suspect none though.