Revealed: The unassuming garden with a huge secret that played an integral role for Churchill during the Second World War

To the naked eye, this garden looks just like any other in Britain – yet lying beneath its unassuming soil is a major piece of history.

Similarly to other greenspaces, this slice of land in Uxbridge, West London, is bustling with wild plants and creatures.

But unlike other gardens dotted around the UK, if you go wondering around this stretch of land you will find a top-secret building from World War II.

And this isn’t just any bunker, it is the precise location where Winston Churchill first uttered one of his most famous phrases – and it also played integral role during the Battle of Britain.

The secretive shelter was disguised as a decorative garden to confuse the Luftwaffe. 

On this plot of land is a top-secret bunker from World War II which was used by RAF Command 11 Group (Pictured: From an aerial view)

The bunker is the precise location where Winston Churchill (pictured) first uttered one of his most famous phrases

Construction of the Grade I-listed bunker began in 1938, with its operations room dug 60-feet deep into the ground. 

Here, the RAF Fighter Command 11 Group coordinated Britain’s response to attacks from Nazi Germany‘s Luftwaffe airforce during the war.

Wartime Prime Minister Churchill first uttered his famous phrase: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,’ during a visit on August 16, 1940.

He later repeated the famed words in the House of Commons only four days later – immortalising them in the British consciousness.

There were no known photographs taken of the bunker on the ground during the war due to its top secret nature.

However recent conservation and repair works at the fortified bunker by Historic England and the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)  have unveiled the lengths to which the RAF went to protect the vital military command centre.

A recent interpretation of historic aerial photographs of where the bunker was located suggests the shelter and its defences were camouflaged as a decorative garden.

Experts believe this was done, so that from the air it looked like part of the designed landscape of nearby Hillingdon House.

Surveys also show deep layers of earth and concrete were piled up to protect the base against direct hits from above.

Britain’s response to attacks from Nazi Germany ‘s Luftwaffe airforce was coordinated at this bunker (Pictured)

There were no known photographs taken of the bunker on the ground during the war due to its top secret nature

Winston Churchill first uttered his famous speech here, where he said: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’ (Pictured: Inside the bunker)

New analysis of aerial photographs suggest the bunker was designed to appear as part of the landscape of nearby Hillingdon House 

Gun pits, as well as brick pillboxes, and barbed wire entanglements were also introduced to defend against potential enemy attacks on the ground.

The defences were implemented in response to rising fears of airborne raids and the threat of German parachutists being launched onto the land.

Researchers also uncovered another intriguing piece of history at the site in the form of a large Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) symbol scratched on a pillbox.

The symbol suggested evidence of a later peaceful protest at the site.

Archaeologists say they are unable to determine whether the graffiti was created while the RAF base was still operational.

Sandy Kidd, a team leader at Historic England’s Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS), championed the historical significance of the bunker.

‘London’s archaeology goes back thousands of years, so the Battle of Britain Bunker at 86 years young is one of the most ‘modern’ sites I’ve been involved with,’ she said.

‘We knew that any exploration of the site would need careful understanding of Second World War military tactics and features so that nothing was missed.

Construction of the Grade I-listed bunker began in 1938, with its operations room dug 60-feet deep into the ground

The Battle of Britain Bunker is now a popular attraction and education centre managed by Hillingdon Council which welcomes thousands of visitors each year (Pictured: An aerial view of the camouflaged bunker)

‘The discovery of the multiple and layered defensives employed to keep this secret nerve centre safe tells us something of the fear of the Bunker being compromised, which could have spelled disaster for the country.

‘I’m pleased we’re still able to add to our knowledge of this extraordinary place.’

Jim McKeon, a Project Manager at MOLA, added: ‘MOLA is delighted to have contributed to building a greater understanding of this nationally significant monument.

‘By bringing the various strands of information together – archaeological evidence, documentary sources, aerial photography and historic maps – we now have a good idea of how the exterior of the bunker looked during WWII, as can be seen in the new artistic impression produced by the MOLA graphics team.’

The Battle of Britain Bunker is now a popular attraction and education centre managed by Hillingdon Council which welcomes thousands of visitors each year.

Visitors can experience a series of rooms on two levels, including the operations room – or ‘plotting room’.

This section of the bunker features a large map table, squadron display boards, balloon, weather states, and is exactly how it was when Sir Winston Churchill visited.

The recent archaeological work at the site was instructed and monitored by Historic England’s GLAAS and undertaken by MOLA on behalf of Hillingdon Council.

Pictured: An iron picket used to hold a barbed wire entanglement in place to defend the bunker on the ground

Councillor Jonathan Bianco, deputy leader and cabinet member for Property, Highways and Transport at Hillingdon Council, commented: ‘It is fascinating to find out that this literal hidden gem in our borough still had mysteries to uncover so many years later.

‘Visitors to this formerly top-secret bunker won’t be surprised to now learn that such an essential nerve centre during the war was so creatively hidden to avoid enemy detection.

‘The Battle of Britain Bunker Visitor and Exhibition Centre is a truly unique location and hopefully this latest discovery entices more people to come and pay it a very worthwhile visit.’

MOLA’s findings are available via the Greater London Historic Environment Record, which is set to be relaunched on a new and improved publicly accessible platform.

The site, which is set to be live once again, was created through a long-term partnership between Getty and Historic England.