There is a detailed history by Nick McCamley of this site as part of the entry on the Farleigh Down Tunnel which provided access to the mine when it was converted to an ammunition store.
There is a detailed history by Nick McCamley of this site as part of the entry on the Farleigh Down Tunnel which provided access to the mine when it was converted to an ammunition store.
Monkton Farleigh Ammunition Depot was once one of the biggest of its kind when constructed. The site is now used for secure document storage. Most of the original surface features remain intact, but a few buildings have been demolished.
The current owners have repurposed some of the exit shafts into intake and exhaust ports for the current ventilation system they have put in place. Large fans are pulling and pushing vast amounts of air at these ports and being nearby is both noisy and windy. Where as most of the original airways are now disused but the remains of the fans are still in place. The most notable difference between the old and new system is that the old intake and exhaust have large vertical shafts. Where as the new are the original entranceways for pedestrian and ammunition transport down into the tunnels via inclined shafts.
The surviving buildings are in a very poor state and in the last 2 years a large section of roof has collapsed at one of the buildings. The only building kept in good condition is the main entrance which is where the documents are loaded down into the tunnels, this is the only way to get large items into the tunnels now. And there is only one other pedestrian entrance for emergency exit only. Every other exit has been blocked up with over 4ft of concrete blocks laid or has been backfilled and concreted.
The original heating and dehumidification plant is now used as an industrial yard and is separate to the storage buisnes. The boiler house and chimney remain intact but not in great condition.
The nearby Brown’s Folly mine is still accessible and parts of blocked off areas from Monkton Farleigh can be seen from inside the mine. Notably where a rusted out door has revealed backfill from the depot side. The backfill appears to be WW2 era red bricks possibly from when one of the tunnel linings inside Monkton was demolished and rebuilt with concrete. The different maps and changes to tunnels over the years make it hard to be sure which tunnel is which connecting into Brown’s Folly.
No videos are available for this site.