Western Approaches Museum

I’ll admit now I had no idea this place existed. Formerly the headquarters for the Western Approaches Command, a supreme Royal Navy authority responsible for keeping Atlantic shipping safe during World War II, the building is now open to the public and displays the subdued manliness of 1940s Britain with withering expertise. These people had no time for Facebook and iPlayer. They were too busy saving the world, by golly
A complex underground bunker decorated with all the original wartime furniture and machinery, the building looks unnervingly like its hundreds of employees have simply got up and left. I kept forgetting it was a museum. The atmosphere is striking. One highlight was the Operations Room, with its models of WRNs pushing models of ships round a big map of the Atlantic. A hidden tape player fills the room with sound effects of what it would have sounded like– all chattering teleprinters and barking admirals.
Other points of interest include the ‘hotline’ telephone booth that was connected directly to the War Cabinet and the Cypher Room, where decoded messages were received from Bletchley Park. Both of these things were protected by armed guards.
I loved this place, not least because I was the only visitor there. Being on my own meant I could do what most other museums will slap you for trying. I attempted to lift a huge unexploded bomb (I couldn’t) and almost wound one of those howling air raid siren things before I realised the woman on the front desk might get annoyed.
Towards the end of the museum there was a table piled high with helmets, caps and gas masks that you were allowed to try on. I say ‘you’ when I actually mean ‘children’ but that means nothing because I still did anyway. I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in a war.

War, huh, oh yeah, what is it good for? Museums, apparently. This one is a living monument with a sort of walking tour of that it would be like to have been involved in WWII. It’s also fun as what starts in a little gift shop becomes a maze of tunnels and rooms which give you a ton of historical information.
It’s central too, so there’s no excuse not to visit if you’re doing a little cultural walkabout. It’s not just soldier-​based stuff either — sure, you’ll find out plenty about weapons and machinery, but there’s a real sense here of what it would have been like to be in the thick of the domestic side of the war. I’d say there’s something for everyone, especially military history types — the only thing that marks it down are the erratic opening hours which rub everyone up the wrong way. They could do with a few more staff to prevent this problem.
Other than that — goggles and gasmask on, get involved in the adventure!

Situated under Derby House and behind the town hall.
I had a struggle actually getting into the museum at first, but finally with persistance the lady buzzed me in and I am glad that she did. This is a place that I must take my dad!
The Museum presents the historical war time bunker. You get to see the operations room which was designed to be bomb and gas proof and has a 7-​foot thick roof and 3-​foot thick walls.
The Royal Navy, Air Force and Royal Marines worked jointly at the bunker to monitor enemy convoys and «wolf packs» of submarines, which threatened to bring Britain to her knees in the early part of the war.
Would recommend this, and say don’t be in a rush when you are looking around.

This place amazed me! I lived around Liverpool most of my early life and didn’t know anything about it, but it’s just around the corner from the Town (or City) Hall.
On first entering, you think you’re in a smallish souvenir shop, but there is a doorway througto the wartime passages, where, amongst others, Winston Churchill spent a lot of time coordinating the defence of the British Isles during the Second World War (I do so hate this WWI and WWII — they are throwbacks to Hollywood).
We were extremely lucky a few years ago when first visiting as we were shown around by the lady who masterminded the opening of the area as a tourist attraction. I’m really sorry to have forgotten her name, as she was so knowledgable.
Wandering around all the bombproof rooms and tunnels give you a real idea of what it might have been like to be at home during the height of the war, the mapping room is just like all those RAF-​type films of the 1940’s and 50’s, with a glass window overlooking it, through which winston kept watch on what was happening.
A fascinating visit for anyone with the remotest interest in how people cope during conflicts.