'Only one of its design in the Channel Islands': A 1943 hospital bunker found in Alderney

  • Kate Prout has been given a sneak preview by Caroline Gauvain...

A new tourist attraction in Alderney has been spotted after being hidden from sight for decades.Built in 1943, a hospital bunker which is "the only one of it's design built in the Channel Islands" is set to reopen to the public in Easter next year.

Caroline Gauvain from Visit Alderney explained that she had never discovered the bunker on the island before, she says: "I didn't even know this existed. It's hidden away down the track.

"It's quite big, 16 rooms, it was built as the principal hospital bunker by forced labour in 1943. Since then its been used as the militia and then the civil defence and army cadets.

Caroline Gauvain describes the wall which was built "at an angle so stretchers could be brought in"

"It hasn't been used for years and years and tourism just wanted another project to open up for visitors, somewhere new to visit." Describing parts of the bunker, she says it was built tactically and one "wall is at an angle so stretchers could be brought in and this would be the admin room."

She added: "Jersey and Guernsey have underground hospitals and now Alderney has. It's really exciting, we're lucky, this bunker is a 118B.

"It's the only one of its design built in the Channel Islands, there are others on the Atlantic Wall but none in the Channel Islands so we're unique."

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