Exhibition to reveal the hidden world of the Nottingham War Rooms
By Chris Birkle | Published on 15 October 2026
Categories: Press office; NTU Arts; Research; School of Art & Design;
Images of inside Nottingham’s most secretive Cold War site – which stood largely unseen by the public for decades - will go on display as part of a new exhibition at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
From 4 to 13 November, The War Rooms: A Past Unseen, A Future Revealed will bring together photographic and immersive digital documentation of the historic Nottingham War Rooms in Beechdale.
Presented by Martine Hamilton Knight and Dan Billings, as part of the University's Design & Digital Arts (D&DA) Exhibitions programme, it captures a unique moment in the life of the Grade II-listed structure, documenting its hidden interiors before redevelopment work will reshape the site.
Constructed between 1952 and 1953 as part of Britain's Cold War civil defence network, the bunker was later expanded to become one of only eleven Regional Seats of Government in the UK. Designed to house hundreds of personnel, it would have served as the command centre for the East Midlands in the event of nuclear conflict.
Today, as the site enters a new chapter, NTU's exhibition invites audiences to step virtually inside the extraordinary building and experience a part of Britain's recent history that few have ever witnessed.
Picture credit: Martine Hamilton Knight
The exhibition, which takes place at the university’s D&DA building, combines large-scale photographic presentations with immersive technology. Visitors will encounter Mrs Hamilton Knight's photographs displayed across multiple screens, revealing the haunting presence of the underground complex. Alongside this, Mr Billings’ digital recreation allows audiences to explore the bunker through self-guided VR headset experiences and within an immersive viewing environment.
A programme of public talks will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the show, bringing together contributors to discuss the history of the site, the documentation project and the future vision for the War Rooms development.
Images will be projected onto the Shakespeare Street-facing windows of NTU's D&DA building each evening, transforming the city centre façade into a public showcase of the work.
Martine, formerly of the Nottingham School of Art & Design at NTU, said: “We are incredibly excited to reveal the first-ever exhibition of the Nottingham War Rooms, showcasing an important visual archive to preserve the atmosphere, condition and character of the bunker at a crucial point in its history.
“Following decommissioning, the building's fixtures and fittings had been significantly disturbed, leaving it looking as though it had undergone its own form of internal conflict. It had a disjointed, chaotic atmosphere, with little lighting in places, which some people may have found psychologically unsettling. We were conscious that we were documenting a place that was about to change forever.”
The site is to be transformed by developer Langcroft which is carefully reimagining the historic bunker and opening it up for future community use. The next stage will see the building sensitively adapted through specialist construction works, preserving its unique history while creating a space with a renewed public purpose.
Sara Harraway, Director and Interior Design Lead at CPMG Architects, said: "The plans for the Nottingham War Rooms and surrounding site demonstrate how the past and the present can come together to create a desirable destination for living, working, wellbeing and leisure. The scheme embraces modern design inspired by the site's striking brutalist architecture, creating sustainable and meaningful community facilities."
Admission is free but with ticketed public entry available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the exhibition period.
For more information, visit the Eventbrite webpage.
Notes for Editors
Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
Students have voted us first in the UK for course quality, top five in the UK for employability and third best University in the UK (Uni Compare 2027). We are ranked in the top 25 universities in the country (The Guardian University Guide 2026).
We have over 35,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of over 5,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2025) and was named as Sports University of the Year (Daily Mail University Guide 2025).
NTU is a holder of the University Mental Health Charter, recognising the commitment an institution has shown towards continuous improvement in the area of mental health and wellbeing.
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and third in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2025).