
Hidden away in the Suffolk countryside, this abandoned concrete structure with a rusty metal hatch may not look like much.

However descend 14-feet down the narrow ladder shaft and it gives a fascinating insight into life inside a Cold War bunker.

The scene inside the bunker has barely changed since it was left in 1991 and there are still instructions on the wall explaining what to do in the event of a nuclear attack.

This abandoned Cold War bunker in the Suffolk countryside, built in 1958, has been overgrown by vegetation

A 14ft ladder shaft descends into the Cold War bunker that has remained largely untouched since it was closed down in 1991

Inside the bunker there are two grubby mattresses propped against the wall, as well as a canvas chair in the corner

This note details the instructions the volunteers had to carry out during the 'transition to war' stage

The reports from hundreds of these tiny bunkers would be communicated back to headquarters, who'd create a picture of the country, deciding which areas were safe and which were not

During the Cold War there were 1,563 bunkers built across the country - at a distance of about 15 miles apart - in case the simmering tensions between Russia and the USA descended into a nuclear war.

They were manned by volunteers from the Royal Observer Corps who were charged with finding out how many nuclear bombs were falling, where they might land and to monitor the subsequent radiation as it drifted across the country.

Underground, there was a bomb power indicator to measure the blast wave a meter to detect radiation levels, both of which were connected to the outside world by pipes.

In the event of a nuclear attack, volunteers were expected to continue to operate as the missiles fell and exploded for up to three weeks.

Using sirens, they could also warn the public of an imminent air or missile attack.

Between 1956 and 1965, the UK government ordered the construction of 1,563 monitoring posts

Volunteers would carry out their task from each bunker, using a range of equipment crammed into the tiny room

There are only two rooms inside the bunker - the main observation area and a toilet (pictured)

A box of toilet paper left inside the bunker that has remained largely untouched since it was closed down in 1991

The bunker was built in 1958 and abandoned in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Pictures from the depths of the bunker reveal how little it has changed since then.

An A4 piece of paper, pinned to the wall, informs volunteers of what to do during 'transition to war', which involved preparation of the monitoring devices.

During the attack stage, volunteers were instructed to 'report explosions and maintain diary'.

The three-man team inside the bunker were to monitor the progress of a nuclear attack by measuring radioactive fallout

A flash light (left) and polish (right) that are still inside the bunker that has lain abandoned since 1991

Petrol cans left in the bunker that is 14-feet underground in the Suffolk countryside

A kettle inside the bunker - the volunteers who worked there were cut off from the outside world

Medical supplies in the Cold War bunker that was closed down following the break-up of the Communist Bloc

A newspaper cutting left inside the bunker - about the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk Sir Joshua Rowley's Awards

Elsewhere in the bunker mattresses are propped up against the wall and a canvas chair is gathering dust.

A series of maps, notices, tools and the spilled contents of a First Aid kit are splayed out on the floor.

One recent visitor commented on the 'claustrophobic sensation' inside the bunker.

He said: 'Accessing the bunker takes a bit of bravery as you're not quite sure what to expect when you go down there.

'It was really cramped going down the ladder to get in - I can only imagine how hard it would have been for volunteers with their kit.

'I was blown away by all the Cold War paraphanalia which is still in place.

'It's as though time has stood still whilst the rest of the world has moved on.'

The bunker was used during nuclear exercises by the Royal Observer Corps at the height of the Cold War tensions

Entry was via a metal hatch which revealed a narrow shaft and a steel ladder descending into this underground bunker

The subterranean explorer also praised the volunteers for their bravery at the post.

'I only spent half-an-hour down in the room and soon felt quite claustrophobic - fair play to the volunteers who spent many hours and even days down in these things at a time when people really did think there was a chance of nuclear war.

'It's amazing to think this bunker is just hidden here in the Suffolk countryside. Most people would not even know of its existence.'