Abandoned Engineering
2017– · U&Yesterday · 60 min · 15 seasons
S15E12 · Churchill's Shadow War
Thu, 12 Feb, 7:00 am
Exploring a secret subterranean network in London that inspired James Bond author Ian Fleming, and an Italian country retreat that was designed to brainwash a generation of children.
About
As the saying goes – they probably seemed like good ideas at the time. The world is peppered with examples of incredible engineering projects and buildings designed to make life easier for those that used them, amaze those that came to see them, and make money for those that ordered, designed and built them. They were the stuff of dreams. Often enormous engineering problems had to be resolved, obstacles overcome and new innovations employed just to get them built in the first place. Alas, a great number of these remarkable structures have now been abandoned, cast aside like enormous expensive out-of-date toys, never to be used in the ways for which they were intended. Each and every one of these extraordinary places is home to a wealth of powerful and compelling stories. We'll see and hear about some of the most spectacular examples of abandoned engineering the world has eve...
Episodes
- E01
Japan's Poison Island
Thu, 27 Nov· 60 minExploring a complex in New Jersey infiltrated by a notorious gang, a tranquil Japanese island with a poisonous legacy, and a top-secret bunker in Lithuania.
- E02
Hitler's Fortress of Fury
Thu, 4 Dec· 60 minExploring a serene institution in Wisconsin seized out of righteous anger, a Spanish settlement stained in innocent blood, and a subterranean lair in France with a disturbing objective.
- E03
The Nazi's Last Stand
Thu, 11 Dec· 60 minNazi towers in Berlin that were defended to the bitter end by child soldiers, a Chicago institution that was the largest of its kind, and an odd vision in the Malaysian jungle.
- E04
Suicide Island
Thu, 18 Dec· 60 minExploring a Dover stronghold transformed during an unprecedented crisis, and a top-secret site in Japan used for wartime missions of no return.
- E05
London's Burning
Thu, 25 Dec· 60 minExploring a towering structure in London on the banks of the river Thames, witness to the city's darkest days, and a Wisconsin farmstead that brewed up a storm.
- E06
Cold War Cover Up
Thu, 1 Jan· 60 minExploring a top-secret military base in Michigan linked to an unexplained disappearance, and a California transportation hub that inspired lasting change.
- E07
Escape from Dunkirk
Thu, 8 Jan· 60 minExploring the nerve centre of a heroic rescue mission in England, a dilapidated mansion in Virginia raided during the Civil War, and a facility in Detroit where a champion made his name.
- E08
The Invisible Enemy
Thu, 15 Jan· 60 minExploring a top-secret facility in Scotland besieged by militant protesters, and a small Greek island caught in a chilling web of controversy.
- E09
Agent Zigzag
Thu, 22 Jan· 60 minExploring a Philadelphia venue that set the stage for era-defining artists, a French compound where a staggering deception was launched, and a the scene of a baffling crime in Malaysia.
- E10
Peru's Massacre Island
Thu, 29 Jan· 60 minExploring a remote Peruvian island besieged by a violent rebellion, a refuge in Nevada that offered hope to its occupants, and a French worker's paradise seized by an invading force.
- E11
Churchill's Folly
Thu, 5 Feb· 60 minExploring a secret New Jersey facility infiltrated by a Soviet spy ring, an island stronghold besieged by the Nazis, and a palatial compound in Peru frequented by the country's elite.
- E12
Churchill's Shadow War
Thu, 12 Feb· 60 minExploring a secret subterranean network in London that inspired James Bond author Ian Fleming, and an Italian country retreat that was designed to brainwash a generation of children.
Cast
Tom Ward
Narrator