Post Office Research Station

The Post Office Research Station was a research complex in Dollis Hill with multiple buildings spread across the site where scientists conducted work in telecommunications and computing. The main facility has since been converted into residential apartments, though the wider area retains some original structures.

The facility opened in 1933 and became the birthplace of Colossus, the first programmable electronic computer, in 1943. It played a central role in advancing British telecommunications research throughout the 20th century.

Engineers and mathematicians here developed groundbreaking innovations for British telecommunications that changed how people communicated. Their work created practical technologies like the speaking clock and automated systems that became part of everyday life.

The main building is now residential apartments and not open to visitors, so access to the site is limited. The surrounding area can still be viewed from outside, and nearby transport links make the location easy to reach.

Beneath the site, a secret two-level underground bunker called Paddock was built in 1939 as a backup command center for the wartime government. This hidden facility remained largely unknown to the outside world for many decades.

Location: London Borough of Brent

Inception: 1925

Official opening: 1933

GPS coordinates: 51.56163,-0.23840

Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:41