Defence

A walk explorting how in World War II (1939-45), Black Down became a key site in the defence of Bristol.

Discover how successful Starfish on Blackdown was at diverting bombing raids away from Bristol.

Discover how by the summer of 1940 due to the fear of invasion by the German Luftwaffe tumps were built on Black Down to prevent aircraft landing and taking off again.

Discover how,using lights and fires, Black Down was made to resemble a poorly blacked-out Bristol at night to divert bombs away from the city.

Discover how In World War II (1939-45), Black Down became a key site in the defence of Bristol.
The decoy town at Black Down was one of the first, may have been the largest, of a network of sites across the country designed to divert bombing away from major cities.

During the research into the history of Starfish on Black Down several people shared stories of how they were part of the secret wartime history of the site. Here you will find their recollections of what life was like and how they were involved with the secret world of Starfish.

The Children of Blagdon Primary school with some help from Ruth Coleman (Starfish Producer) and Biggerhouse Film, visited Black Down and researched the story of Starfish to produce a short film. A mixture of live drama and animated sequences tell the fascinating story behind the Decoy town on Black Down during World War II.