According to official sources one of Liverpool’s 6 sub controls (or the main control for Liverpool Corporation) was located in the basement of ‘Balliol’ in Mill Bank, West Derby. It was co-located with a Civil Defence Training Centre built in 1958. The training centre and control closed in 1968 and the site was handed over to the Social Services District Office.
The house is currently derelict with the entrance driveway boarded up. The single storey Civil Defence Training Centre at the rear of the house is badly vandalised and now surrounded by fencing. There is a four bay civil defence garage alongside, with its doors boarded up. There was no evidence of the control centre ever having existed in the basement. All the unlined brick rooms are empty with no evidence of any wiring, aerial feeds, telephone lines etc. The only evidence in the basement was of 19th century domestic use. Further research is needed to determine whether the control was ever located at this site.
Those taking part in the visit were Nick Catford, Keith Ward, Rod Siebert, John Fogg and Robin Ward.
