During the Second World War every school had an air raid shelter. Today the only publicly accessible school shelter in the south east is here in Brighton at Downs Junior School. 

Explore the shelter with one of our volunteer guides

About Take Shelter

Built in 1939, the shelter was used throughout the war to protect up to 300 pupils and staff during the school day and then was used by the local community after hours. After the war the shelter was sealed up, the original entrances were built over as the school expanded in the post war years and it forgotten about until it was rediscovered by accident during a routine drain inspection in 1983.

Poor access, environmental conditions and resources meant the shelter lay dormant until 2012. A team of volunteers led by the Schools’ Premises Manager began to clean and restore the shelter. Since then they have created an interactive museum recreating wartime dioramas, short films and sound effects. Today we welcome over 3,000 visitors a year including more than 1,000 school pupils.

What is on offer

Tours of the shelter will be running between 10am – 3pm. Each tour last up to 40 minutes and we recommend that you pre-book your tickets to avoid disappointment. 

While at Take Shelter you can also find out more about wartime Brighton in our dedicated museum and chat to our veterans who were all children during the war.

Hot and cold refreshments and snacks will be available as well as the opportunity to take home a souvenir from the Take Shelter gift shop.

Veterans & visitors in the Take Shelter museum

How to find us

Take Shelter is within the grounds of Downs Junior School on Ditchling Road, Brighton. Access to the event is via the school gate on Ditchling Road.

• By bus: Services 26, 46 & 50 stop nearby
• By train: We are a 10 minute walk from London Road station
• By car: There is pay and display parking on the adjacent roads.

Accessibility

Access to the shelter is via a flight of steps with a handrail. Once in the shelter the ground is level throughout and there are regular opportunities for visitors to sit as part of their tour. The museum, cafe, gift shop and toilets are all wheelchair accessible.

Further information

To find out more about the project please see www.takeshelter.org.uk and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any queries about the project or about visiting us please contact one of the team on TakeShelter@downsjun.brighton-hove.sch.uk

Browse the Take Shelter gift shop