“The last two years of participation have been fantastic!”
Scotland’s Secret Bunker
“It is great to be part of an initiative championing an area of heritage which seems to be of increasing interest to our visitors.”
National Trust Needles New Battery
“NCWHW raises awareness of genuine Cold War buildings!”
Kelvedon Hatch
“NCWHW allowed us to try longer tours with more technical content, and explore a building we have not used before.”
Bervie Brow Research Station and Reserve
National Cold War Heritage Week (NCWHW) is the UK’s annual celebration of the places, people and stories that shaped Britain’s Cold War. From bunkers, radar stations and former airfields to museums, archives and private collections, the week brings together organisations across the country to showcase this extraordinary and often overlooked heritage.
NCWHW 2026 was our most successful year yet.
26 sites took part – an increase of 11 on the previous year – and many reported record levels of public interest. Several venues delivered their busiest tours to date, while others sold out talks or events weeks in advance. According to post‑event evaluation, 100% of participating sites said the week helped staff or volunteers gain new skills, whilst 85% reported increased confidence in presenting Cold War heritage.
More than half used NCWHW as a platform to trial new tours, interpretation, outreach or evaluation methods. One such example was Harrington Aviation Museum in Northampton trialled temporary displays of Cold War model aircraft, weaponry (Thor IRBM), as well as ROC/CD equipment. They said: “NCWHW confirmed long held thoughts that we should actively promote our museum site’s Cold War heritage.”
As we look ahead to National Cold War Heritage Week 2027, we are inviting more sites, collections and collectors to get involved. Whether you care for a museum, a historic site, a private archive or a single remarkable object, you are part of this story.
Sign up to our free members’ newsletter to hear about plans for 2027, access resources, join our webinars and become part of a growing national movement to protect and promote Britain’s Cold War heritage.
TAKE A LOOK BACK AT OUR 2026 EVENT:
2026 EVENTS (visual map):
2026 EVENTS (in alphabetical order – click the links to learn more):
| Alconbury Weald Cambridgeshire PE28 4FR | Barnton Bunker Edinburgh EH4 7BN | Bervie Brow Aberdeenshire DD10 0TL |
| Clipstone Headstocks Museum Mansfield NG21 9EH | Fort Widley Portsmouth PO6 3LS | Gravesend Cold War Bunker Kent DA11 0AZ |
| Hack Green Cheshire CW5 8BL | Harrington Aviation Museum Northampton NN6 9PF | Ilfracombe Museum Devon EX34 8AF |
| Kelvedon Hatch Brentwood CM15 | Landguard Fort Felixstowe IP11 3TW | Military Intelligence Museum Bedfordshire SG17 5PR |
| Needles New Battery Isle of Wight PO39 0JH | National Museums Scotland Edinburgh EH1 1JF | National Collection of Aerial Photography, Edinburgh EH11 4EP |
| Nothe Fort Weymouth DT4 8UF | Orford Ness (IRGON) Suffolk IP12 2NU | RAF Radar Museum Norwich NR12 8YB |
| Royal Signals Museum Dorset DT11 8BJ | Scotland’s Secret Bunker St Andrews KY16 8QH | The Tank Museum Dorset BH20 6JG |
| Upper Heyford Heritage Centre Bicester OX25 5BX | Wings Aviation Museum West Sussex RH17 6JT | Yorkshire Air Museum York YO41 4AU |
Click here to read a full write up about the success of National Cold War Heritage Week 2026!
MAJOR FUNDING NEWS:
The Cold War Network has been awarded £19,604 from the National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Awards for All’ scheme to expand and strengthen its National Cold War Heritage Week initiative. Among other outputs, the funding award will enable the Network to co-create a Cold War Engagement Resource Pack – a flexible toolkit designed with member organisations to support community-led programming.
Read the full press release by clicking here.
