And from the darkness, Art

Hawthorn (also known variously throughout it's history as Box, Stockwell, Turnstile and Burlington) is a massive underground town in Wiltshire, which served many purposes, most notably as the secondary seat of government in case of a nuclear strike on London.

Hawthorn had, at the time, the largest telephone switch outside of London (it even had it's own Royal Mail telephone directory), a vast system of Lamson tubes, two huge generators which could run the installation for 3 months on full tanks, the ability to be hermetically sealed from the outside world, and regulate air temperature and humidity internally. The base even had it's own railway siding, off a spur of the main London to Bristol railway line.

Inside one the main sections of the underground complex, the Quarry Operations Centre, are wall murals painted by one Olga Lehmann in 1943. They are beautiful examples of modern european art of the time, incorporating elements of futurism, cubism and the decorative style.

Of Olga Lehmann's other works I can find little example, and it turns out her remarkable works of underground art were rarely seen at all.

Intriguing.