December 2024
Visited with @Mr Budge to finally explore a place I had wanted to see for a long time: the Littlewoods' Air Raid Shelter. After a brief walk around, we found ourselves in the middle of this huge shelter. It was clear that time has not been kind to the structure. Many parts of the floor were starting to buckle, and overall, the structure was showing signs of wear. We spent about 45 minutes inspecting the entire area before wrapping up and heading to our next destination, the Waterloo and Victoria tunnels. On our way out we were met at the access point by a very confused looking dog walker, who was clearly perplexed as to why two blokes suddenly emerged from what looked like a small foxhole in the ground.
History
On factory building sites where there was space, an external shelter was often preferred. This choice minimized the risk of the staff air raid shelter being crushed if the building above collapsed, or if the escape route was blocked by debris. At the Littlewoods site in Edge Hill, the shelter was constructed at the eastern edge of Wavertree Park, parallel to the factory for quick access through several entrances. The factory itself, an appealing art deco structure built in 1938, surprisingly lacked a heavily protected basement shelter. Established in 1928, Littlewoods was a well-known shopping catalogue company. During the Second World War, like many factories, it shifted production to military needs. It played a significant role in the war effort, such as printing 17 million National Registration forms in just three days, assembling parts for Halifax bombers, and participating in code-breaking at MC5, an office that monitored communications of suspected enemy agents.
Merseyside was the second most bombed area in Britain after London, making air raid shelters especially vital during alerts. The Littlewoods shelter measures about 300m, lying parallel to the factory on a north-south axis. Its layout features a series of rectangles, with pairs of chambers approximately 12m and 9m long, connected by 9m long corridors. There are 14 entrances evenly spaced along its length for easy access from the factory's west side. The sloping entrances connect to the corridors at right angles, providing solid blast protection. The shelter was partially underground, with soil piled on top for added protection, possibly originating as a trench dug quickly during the Munich crisis in September 1938. Many trenches were then lined with precast concrete for dryness and a sense of permanence, but Littlewoods’ shelter was made with reinforced concrete, which reflects higher quality construction. A map from 1940 shows its location.
One of the shelter's highlights is a fascinating series of portraits at the southern end. Many individuals depicted wear helmets, suggesting they might have been painted from life, perhaps to ease the boredom of waiting for the All Clear signal. The portraits feature both men and women, with one cleverly adapting to a stain on the concrete. These works likely came from a single artist, possibly one of the MC5 personnel who used graphic skills to alter letters. They may represent colleagues from the factory, as some people are identified by initials. Most portraits are of women, while the men are either in uniform or middle-aged, with one depicted wearing a bow tie and another with a pipe. Cigarette lighter marks on the ceiling show the years 1942 and 1943, during a period of sporadic raids after the main blitz and before the V1 attacks. Other markings are limited to black bay numbers and signs instructing occupants to "Turn Right and Duck." Inside, there would have been benches, and shadows on the walls indicate where they were attached. Pairs of empty toilet cubicles branch off from the shelter chambers, though currently, all chemical toilets have been moved into a single pile, possibly for future collection.
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Fujifilm X-T2, 10-24mm f4 R OIS WR
