It may seem like long ago, but at one time the threat of nuclear destruction was very real.
The Cold War faced a real possibility of 'heating up' over issues such as Cuba and missile defence shields between 1947 and 1991, meaning systems were built across Britain to prepare for the worst.
One of these facilities was RAF Wartling - an underground radar base that was tasked with detecting a nuclear strikeif it was launched into the airspace of southern England.
The facility near the unassuming village of Wartling, just north of Bexhill, was handed the crucial responsibility of protecting everything south of the River Thames.
But this wasn't the only purpose of the 'Master Radar Station' which executed its role proficiently when Britain was facing its darkest hour.
Fascinating research and pictures captured by Darmon Richter from Ex Utopia show the scale at which RAF Wartling used to operate - and how afterwards it was left to rot.
Second World War
After first becoming operational in 1941, RAF Wartling was used to control fighter aircraft and guide them towards approaching German aircraft.
The set up of the facility at this point was primitive, operating out of caravans until a brick-built operations block was constructed in July 1943.
One of the main functions of the base at the time was to neutralise the threat of the German V-1 flying bombs or 'doodlebugs' that were launched from the other side of the channel to attack major British cities.
These early examples of cruise missiles struck fear into the hearts of people in London and other urban centres, with its distinctive whistling noise making it clear when each attack was coming.
During the war, Wartling helped track and destroy 380 V-1 flying bombs.
After the war, the base remained open while many other stations, including nearby RAF Pevensey, were closed as there was no longer any threat.
Wartling remained open as one of the few remaining Ground Controlled Interception stations in the South of England.
Cold War - Master Radar Station
Within a decade of the Second World War coming to an end, a new threat to Britain's skies came about in the form of the Soviet Union.
As the USSR now had both A-Bomb's and H-Bomb's in its nuclear stockpile, the station was used as part of the ROTOR air defence radar system and a protected underground operations rooms was built at the facility.
Construction began in 1951, with the radar station becoming fully operational in 1955.
As radar technology improved shortly afterwards, RAF Wartling was converted into a Master Radar Station in 1958 as other less equipped stations were closed, with the facility now responsible for all British airspace south of the River Thames.
In 1959 it supplied the last known radar trace to accident investigators following the fatal crash of the prototype Handley Page Victor strategic bomber.
However, it was not long after this that the continued improvement of defence technology rendered the site obsolete.
RAF Wartling went out of use and finally closed in December 1964, eventually being sold to the Marquis of Abergavenny in 1976.
Later Cold War
Despite no longer being in use by the military, the bunker remained under 'care and maintenance'.
However, after its sale in 1976 to the private owner it fell into a state of disrepair.
The former radar station became subject to mass flooding and even looting as the Cold War relic plunged into a state of abandonment.
It wasn't until the turn of the century that fortunes for the old radar station began to change, with the current landowners putting in huge efforts to see RAF Wartling conserved.
A project by Subterranea Britannica saw roughly 2.75 million litres of water pumped out of the bunker, with efforts being made to seal water ingress points, fix the lighting and restore the walkways.
There has also been a conscious effort to gather and catalogue Wartling’s remaining contents and artefacts.
The abandoned Cold War mega-structure was finally opened in 2019 for a small number of public tours, a far cry from its sorry state not many years beforehand where the entire bottom level was completely submerged underwater.
To find out more about Sussex's Cold War past visit Ex Utopia.