You might associate archaeology with the excavation of objects hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, but early in 2019 an assessment undertaken by Wessex Archaeology near Arborfield Cross, Berkshire, uncovered a relic of the rather more recent past. This was the roof of an Underground Monitoring Post dating to the 1960s, which was located at the extreme end of a trench. The Post’s location had been known, but until that moment it had been thought that the underground structure had been removed. Interestingly, ‘demolition’ in this case meant the removal of all surface features, restoration of the ground surface, and little else. As the roof area was exposed, it became clear that the operations room – about the size of a car-towed caravan – had survived. Holes in the roof provided a tantalising glimpse of a stark world dominated by fears of an attack with weapons of mass destruction.
The discovery serves as a reminder that the Cold War had the potential to impact all parts of the British Isles; nowhere was immune to the spectre of nuclear warfare, even rural Berkshire. Interestingly, most of the excavation team had never encountered the Cold War directly, any familiarity having been learnt at school. The questions came thick and fast. What went on in this tiny space? Was it secret? And just what can the study of a part of the past that, for many, still remains within living memory add to our knowledge of the period?
Contemporary Archaeology
Archaeology is nothing if not a study of human behaviour. Contemporary archaeology challenges us to cohabit in the same intellectual space with historians, sociologists, and a plethora of other humanities-based disciplines. Contemporary archaeology also provides something no other period can: a chance to engage with those who experienced the monuments left in the landscape first-hand. Archaeological sites connected with the Cold War, in this case a Royal Observer Corps Underground Monitoring Post, provide an excellent example of the multi-layered approach needed to fully understand their place in the landscape.
