One of the strangest and most unlikely of places that the National Trust owns is that of Orford Ness. The place is strung along the Suffolk coast and is now a nature reserve and a sight of special scientific interest with limited public access  So far, so normal, however Orford Ness has a dark secret and you can see  writ large in the imposing concrete Towers, or Pagodas as they are colloquially known, that pop up along the coastline. Orford Ness is not what it seems.

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The site was once the base for a weapons testing facility, including, so it is believed, Nuclear bombs and as a listening post. The place was covered in barb wire and access was only for a select few. However as the Cold War came to a close the need for such a facility was deemed unimportant.

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As with any ex-military brown field site the place needs to be made habitable again and in most cases this where a Land Remediation Company would come in and fix it. It is still tricky to get to as access is only by the National Trust ferry. Now it is to protect the flora and fauna on the site but also to protect us from what might be left in the Pagodas.

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