Churchill War Rooms Located beneath the HM Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, the original bunker facilities became operational in 1939 and were in constant use until the surrender of the Japanese forces. The doors were locked on 16 August 1945 and WKHFRPSOH[ZDVOHɓXQGLVWXUEHGXQWLOWKH8.3DUOLDPHQWHQVXUHGLWVSUHVHUYDWLRQDV a historic site in 1948. IWM agreed to take over the administration of the site in 1982 and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opened the ‘Cabinet War Rooms’ in April 1984. In 2003 a further suite of rooms, used as accommodation by Churchill, his wife and close associates, were added to the museum. In 2005, the War Rooms were rebranded as the Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum. From an estate perspective, the structure is an exceptionally strong reinforced concrete bunker set over three levels: ground level, basement, sub-basement. The JURXQGOHYHOLVPDLQO\XVHGIRU,:0VWD̯IDFLOLWLHVDQGWKHYLVLWRUUHFHSWLRQDUHDZLWK the main museum housed at the basement level. The sub-basement is not open to the public and houses critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure for the safe RFFXSDWLRQDQGXVHRIWKHIDFLOLWLHV3DUWLFXODUO\̰UHVDIHW\DQGDQDELOLW\WRVDIHO\ evacuate is of critical importance to IWM.
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