Abandoned and silent today, this hall once hummed with the sound of 120mph wind: the effect of a massive fan that could revolve at up to 250 times per minute. This wind tunnel, one of five at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough, Hampshire, was built in 1935 to study how wind affected objects. One aeroplane later tested here was the Hawker Hurricane – which became the main force for victory in the Battle of Britain.

The research carried on in these tunnels was secret. After being closed in 1992, the facility has remained off limits except for open days and guided tours run by the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust.

BBC Future was able to get a behind-the-scenes look led by Ken Odgers, who worked here for 27 years – and to recreate it with this 360-degree multimedia interactive. Explore this secret site for yourself, hearing from Odgers what it was like to work here, walking up to the testing platform, and even going inside the cavernous wind tunnel.

A PPM Production for BBC Future by Peter Price with photography by Matt Emmett.

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