York Cold War Bunker

Schools

Discover the semi-subterranean bunker which acted as a nerve centre during the Cold War to monitor nuclear fallout in Yorkshire from 1961 until 1991 in the event of a nuclear attack.

Visits to the Cold War Bunker are available by guided tour only, and our expert-led sessions for schools have been designed to enhance the learning experience for your students.

Please note: Education visits are currently not available at this site.

Information about your visit

A visit to one of our sites will inspire your students and bring your teaching to life. We'd like to reassure you that we're following Government guidance to make your trip as safe and enjoyable as possible. 

Important information to consider before you book:

  • To keep everyone safe we’ve introduced limits on visitor numbers and school groups, so please bear this in mind when booking your trip.
  • Find out more about what to expect on your school visit, which also includes our Covid 19 Risk Assessment.
  • To make the planning process as easy as possible, make sure you check our Plan Your School Trip section at the bottom of this page, for updated information on the facilities at the site as well as our free resources.
  • As usual, you’ll need to book your visit at least 14 days in advance. Please check our Terms and Conditions for full details.
  • English Heritage are legally required to request and record the contact details of customers and visitors aged 16 years and over. The information that you provide will only be shared with NHS Test and Trace, if requested. For more information and for details of our safety measures, please see our what to expect page.

We’re continually updating our education offer in line with government guidance.  At some sites you might not be able to use our handling collections or costumes as part of a free self-led visit, but where we can provide hands-on items in a safe way we will. We’ve adapted our Discovery Visit workshops to follow government guidelines, but for certain sessions this hasn’t been possible – please check our schools webpages for further information.

There may be areas of our sites which are closed, so please check what’s available for your school group on our property webpages and with our booking team.  They can put you in touch with our Education Visits Officers who can offer help and guidance, so you can make the most of your school trip.

Curriculum Links

Support your teaching across various key stages in a fun and engaging way, with a visit to York Cold War Bunker:

  • KS1-3 History: Local history study
  • KS3 History: Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to present day
  • GCSE/A/AS Level/Degree History: The Cold War, Communist Russia, World Superpowers

Expert-led discovery visit

We aren’t running Discovery Visits at this site at the moment – we’re unable to adapt our sessions in a way that would still provide a quality, immersive education experience. 

Plan Your Trip

We have a wide range of materials to support your visit and make school trip planning easy. Download our free resources to help you make the most out of your visit and create unique learning experiences before, during and after your trip.

We also offer free planning visits for group leaders once you have made a booking. Our Education Booking Team is on hand to advise and help you create the best possible school trip to suit your needs and area of study.

  • Facilities
    • PARKING: Very limited free parking on site: only three allocated spaces outside. There is additional free parking on Acomb Road (2 minutes' walk)
    • TOILETS: Toilets including accessible toilets are available at the site
    • SHOP: There is a gift shop selling a selection of English Heritage gifts and themed souvenirs, including books, stationery, postcards and war memorabilia. 

  • Enquire now

  • School visits academic year 2020-21

    In line with government guidance, over 60 of our English Heritage sites are open for education visits, and we’re taking bookings online up to 30 June.

    Our COVID-secure measures will remain in place until all restrictions are lifted.  Visitor numbers are limited, and all bookings must be made at least 14 days in advance.

    English Heritage are legally required to request and record the contact details of customers and visitors aged 16 years and over.  The information that you provide will only be shared with NHS Test and Trace, if requested.  For more information and for details of our safety measures, please see our what to expect page.

    Due to the current situation we can’t answer calls as quickly as we’d like to. If you’d like more information about a site, email us and we’ll put you in touch with an Education Visits Officer.

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