Site Records

Site Name: Edinburgh: Kirknewton: Regional 'War Room': Region 11 / Scottish Eastern Zone HQ: Region 1.2

RSG site visit 11th October 2001

Since being decommissioned in 1993 the former Kirknewton War Room (see `The Regional War Rooms: 1950's') on the south side of the B7015 between East Calder and Kirknewton has been put to a number of different uses including a night club, recording studio, a military style training area and most recently storage. All these diverse uses have left their mark.

Kirknewton is very similar in design to the Regional War Room/RSG in Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. The war room, built in 1953, was of the standard two storey design with all external walls five feet thick; in this case one storey was above ground and the other below ground.

The war room was upgraded in 1963 with a two storey extension added. This was to form one of 3 purpose built central command Armed Forces HQ's (AFHQ). The plan was later dropped (1965) and as a result the site was used again as a temporary RSG while the plans were all being changed. In 1965 Scotland was divided into 3 zones, North, East and West with controls at Anstruther in Fife (north) , Kirknewton in Lothian (east) and Torrance House in East Kilbride (west) . These reported to a Scottish Central Control at Barton Quarry in Edinburgh. At this time the building was extended with the original regional war room butting onto a second two storey blockhouse with both levels above ground. It later became RSG for Scotland but by 1970 it had reverted back to Eastern Zone HQ with Scottish Central Control back at Barnton Quarry. This arrangement continued until 1983 when the East and West zones were merged to form the new South Zone. The Zone Headquarters at Kirknewton then became the Scottish Central Headquarters housing the Scottish Commissioner (the peacetime Secretary of State for Scotland), the Headquarters was know to many as `Central'.

Originally built for around 50 people it would have been too small for its role as an RGHQ (Scottish Central Headquarters) and it was replaced in 1990 by a new, purpose built bunker at Cultybraggen near Stirling. The Anstruther ZHQ became the Standby Scottish Central Headquarters. It continued in this role until 1993 when it was abandoned following the end of the cold war; shortly afterwards it was sold to the current owner, a local businessman.

The Kirknewton War Room/Eastern Zone HQ was demolished in August 2003.

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