A VEHICLE testing facility in the heart of a forest with a high-speed track and underground bunker has been left abandoned for decades.
Jon, from the YouTube channel Auto Shenanigans, showed viewers the eerie remains of the Transport Research Laboratory – based in Buckler’s Forest in Crowthorne, Berkshire.
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Established 90 years ago and officially opened in 1966 with a view of improving and modernising motoring, the site’s long straight roads, sweeping banked corners, traffic signs and experimental junctions helped determine the UK’s road network – but most of it has now been left to the elements.
Jon explained: “The government thought it was sensible to set up an automotive test facility where they could test all manner of things from road surface construction methods to road sign design and junction layouts.”
The facility features a huge circular area that was used as a make-shift roundabout to test traffic efficiency, as well as a short section of test track designed for speeds of up to 155 mph.
Jon explains that a report released in 1971 gives an insight into the various experiments conducted at the facility, including everything from experimental noise barriers which are now installed on roads across the country, to a bizarre hover train that could travel at speeds of over 200mph.
An on-site duel carriageway even had a bunker running underneath it that was used to record or photograph tyres being driven at speed to analyse tread wear.
Towering over the site is a creepy observation tower which overlooks the facility and was likely used to study various experiments from afar.
In the 1990s the site’s organisation was privatised and much of the site was used for vehicle safety and crash testing for manufacturers.
In 2012, the local council redeveloped the area, with over 1,000 houses constructed on a large portion of the site – while the rest remains dis-used and overgrown.
This comes after a very rare high-performance Volvo that was bought brand new and then abandoned for 24 years was rescued from a barn.
Elswhere, a classic Mercedes has been saved from being scrapped after lying abandoned for 20 years.
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