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Whitelees Cottage is a bombing decoy control bunker situated in Renfrewshire, Scotland, approximately 230 metres north-west of Whitelees Cottage itself. Constructed during the Second World War, the bunker formed part of Britain's air defence infrastructure, specifically the decoy system designed to protect industrial and urban centres from German air raids. Control bunkers of this type housed personnel who operated and monitored decoy installations—typically dummy fires, lights and explosions—deployed across the landscape to mislead enemy bombers away from genuine targets.
The bunker's location on bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff from the Dinantian period reflects both the practical geology available for construction and the strategic positioning of wartime defences. The volcanic nature of the underlying stone, formed during the Mississippian age, would have provided solid foundations suitable for an underground structure designed to withstand blast effects and offer protection to its operators.
The bunker is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM12828, recognising its significance as evidence of Scotland's home front during the Second World War. Such structures document the civilian and military investment in passive air defence measures during one of Britain's most demanding historical periods.
Whitelees Cottage, bombing decoy control bunker 230m NW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12828. View the official record →
Whitelees Cottage is a bombing decoy control bunker situated in Renfrewshire, Scotland, approximately 230 metres north-west of Whitelees Cottage itself. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12828.
Whitelees Cottage, bombing decoy control bunker 230m NW of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM12828.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Muiredge, cairn 1050m W of (2 km), Garvock, cairn 780m ENE of (2.3 km), Garvock, farmstead 825m SE of (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Whitelees Cottage, bombing decoy control bunker 230m NW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Whitelees Cottage, bombing decoy control bunker 230m NW of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.