Mystery of surviving 'bunker' in Telford town centre

Boyd House was a centre for computerisation of the tax system, and someone who worked there in the 1980s and 1990s said: “I have a feeling that part of it had to be made as a sort of bomb proof, attack proof place so that records could be kept in there.

It was not a bunker, but part of the computer suite.

“I can remember going through the security doors. You didn’t realise this was a specially reinforced part of the building,” the worker continued.

Tapes

“It’s where all the interesting information on all taxpayers would have been kept. You didn’t want to lose the whole system. We did back up tapes all the time.

“Boyd House was the main centre for development of computerised revenue systems.”

Another former Boyd House worker wasn’t sure why the structure hadn’t been knocked down, but thought it might be because it contained the service points for the electrics and gas.

“You may be interested to know that there is a tunnel connecting Boyd to the Phoenix building – previously Matheson House – across the road, with an escape hatch on the roundabout.

“This tunnel allowed taxpayer data, and more importantly, breakfast, to be transferred securely between buildings.

“It has now been bricked up at the Phoenix end and I assume filled with earth/rubble at the Boyd end.

“The tunnel and server halls, which were two huge rooms filled with rows and rows of server racks, were eerie places to be alone on a night shift.”