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Norwich School Hopes to Open Up Air Raid Shelters Beneath the Playground

15 November 2018

ONs who were at Norwich School during the Second World War will recall the air raid shelters under the school playground, which served as protection for pupils and staff against the bombing raids during the Blitz. Now there are hopes that the shelters may once again be opened up for access.

Built in September 1939, the series of tunnels running beneath the playground have been sealed up for decades. The shelter is close to where the former Lodge building stood, which was completely destroyed by bombing in June 1942 and subsequently replaced by the Dyers’ Lodge in 1953.

An application has now been submitted to Norwich City Council to install a new access hatch, railings and ventilation for the underground shelter. If approved, the School hopes that creating an access point would allow them to invite in heritage experts to assess the tunnels and discuss how they could be used in the future.

  

Jonathan Pearson, the Fundraising Campaign Manager at Norwich School, says: “at the moment, we cannot really get people down there. Therefore, it is difficult to seek the right expert advice on how best they can be used. However, we want to try and open up something that has a real heritage significance to the school and the city as a whole. Step one is simply to allow proper access. However, once this is there we can look at what could be done to open them up to interested parties. These could be children at the school, but also heritage groups and those with an interest in history.”