Lighting the ‘Kremlin’

23 June 2021

You could say that The Hire Supply Company (HSC) has supplied lights for the Kremlin. 

Some of the firm’s Elite 5ft plasterers' lights were used to illuminate a disused Cold War bunker in the Beechdale area of Nottingham, the city where HSC’s HQ is located. 

The three-storey structure, known locally as the ‘Kremlin’, was built in the 1950s and decommissioned in 1992. In the event of a nuclear attack, the concrete fortress would have accommodated a regional commissioner governing the area. 

“Imagine my surprise when, watching the local BBC news, I saw our LED tripod lights in the facility,” said HSC’s managing director Gary McWilliam. 

While they may not be designed to withstand a thermonuclear attack, the Elite lights do have a reputation amongst tool hire firms for robustness and long service life.

The Nottingham Kremlin building is currently up for sale and the government says there has been interest in using it as a centre for music or film production, or for research.