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Underneath the Ministry of Defence's Headquarters in London, a top-secret nuclear bunker has been built to protect government leaders from a nuclear strike.
Only the PM is allowed to shelter their family in the bunker (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
For those curious about whether the British government has any contingency plans in the unthinkable event of a nuclear strike on our nation, the answer is affirmative.
In what can only be characterised as a 'secret city' deep beneath the bustling streets of London, there exists a highly confidential nuclear doomsday bunker.
Operational since December 7 1992, this concealed fortress has one purpose - to provide shelter to government and military leaders if and when the apocalypse occurs.
The government's clandestine bunker is named Pindar and it's roughly 200 feet under the Ministry of Defence's Headquarters in Whitehall - deeper than the London Underground tube network.
The covert facility's name is believed to originate from an Ancient Greek lyric poet whose home was thought to have been spared by Alexander the Great during his destruction of the city of Thebes in 335 BC, reports the Mirror.
The British government is ready with a top-secret bunker in case of an apocalypse (Image: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
The MoD's 'Crisis Command Centre' took 10 years to build and cost Britain approximately £126,300,000. The subterranean bunker is constantly on alert and has been constructed to withstand even the most potent of nuclear strikes.
It accommodates roughly 400 bunks, features a broadcast studio and has a massive screen in the 'Situation Room'.
The UK's apocalypse bunker boasts a state-of-the-art centre potent enough to operate the entire communication network of Britain and the exclusive (or morbid) guestlist for Pindar is restricted to only "ministers, senior military and civilian personnel, plus service and civilian operational and support staff".
The Prime Minister is the sole person provided with a bunker for their family in this clandestine facility - and this is to ensure that the leader's judgement while making pivotal decisions is not impaired by concerns for the welfare of their loved ones.
The Pindar Bunker has the capacity to be isolated from the outside world within minutes and it features its own ventilation system which would enable people to breathe underground without the fear of inhaling potentially radioactive air from the outside world in the event of a nuclear explosion.
The doomsday bunker took 10 years to build and cost £126.3 million (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Speaking to MailOnline, Colonel Philip Ingram revealed: "This Britain's worst-case scenario bunker. It's there to deal with a full-scale nuclear strike. It's a last throw of the dice situation to try and keep things moving and the country running."
Explaining how the UK government will operate from the depths of the secret bunker when Doomsday arrives, Colonel Ingram told the publication: "There will be an access list and also a standby list for someone who can't make it. If the Principle is killed, then the Deputy has to come in.
"It might not reflect those that are currently in government. It could be someone on the Opposition. It will be the best person to do the job."
Pindar is thought to be linked to 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office through a network of secret tunnels, and authorised personnel would have mere minutes to scramble and secure themselves inside the bunker before it gets sealed should a nuclear strike or end-of-the-world scenario occur.
Since its construction in 1992, Pindar has only been utilised for training exercises and simulations, yet its location beneath one of the most heavily guarded buildings in Britain - the Ministry of Defence - underscores its significance.
The top-secret Doomsday bunker is located underneath the Ministry of Defence's HQ in London (Image: Google Maps)
If the bunker ever becomes operational, the staff within the "protected crisis management facility" would operate on a three-shift system serving eight hour shifts each.
Pindar's construction was commissioned by former PM Margaret Thatcher and while packed with modern technology, it also houses large stockpiles of mundane household essentials such as toothpaste, mouthwash and shower gel.
Images providing a rare insight into the top-secret government facility were published by photographer David Moore who was granted access to the site for an art project. He is believed to be one of the only civilians to have ever set foot inside the UK's hidden citadel.
His photographs reveal a vast array of televisions, a colossal document shredder and a basic medical bay, along with bedrooms featuring simple bunks and essentially stockpiled cupboards. Glass cabinets containing breathing apparatus suits have also been captured.
According to David, during his visit he noticed a bookshelf holding titles such as Len Deighton's Cold War spy thriller The Ipcress File, as well as a sign on the wall which read 'To the Bomb shelter area'.
David revealed: "It is permanently manned around the clock. And although not everywhere we went was operating - it was on standby. There was a mess where staff could eat and the rooms were clearly used for briefings of some sort."
After David finished his project, the MoD convened for a censorship panel and the only images that were released were with the ministry's approval.
The photographer disclosed: "I was asked to digitally manipulate some of the images. Door numbers were redacted and we haggled over descriptions and captions. A reference number from a map of Iran was taken off."
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David's pictures have been published in his 2008 book 'The Last Things', and the artist believes no one else since him has been permitted to visit the top-secret doomsday bunker.
Pindar is merely one of a series of doomsday shelters that are dispersed across Britain.
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