In 1983, part of Nothe Fort’s underground level was secretly converted into a Local Authority Emergency Control Centre, intended to keep essential operations running after a nuclear strike. Reinforced accommodation, control rooms and communications spaces were created for a small team who would have overseen disaster relief and the rebuilding of local infrastructure in the event of a nuclear strike. The project was known to very few people at the time, and its existence remained largely hidden from the community.

Today, these covert Cold War spaces can be explored through the fort’s Cold War tours and talks, which open up areas rarely seen by the public and reveal the atmosphere of the decade shaped by fears of nuclear confrontation. Led by specialist guides, these events give visitors a unique chance to step into the once‑secret bunker, see its preserved communications room, and hear the stories behind the secretive nuclear‑era planning that lay behind closed doors.