Inside UK's 'top secret' fenced off location known as 'England's Area 51'

The Area 51 military base in the USA might be one of the most famous areas in the world when it comes to conspiracy theories, but it turns out we have our own on this side of the Atlantic.

It's called RAF Rudloe Manor, though the base has been abandoned for the past 20 years, it was once used by the RAF's operations group for a number of purposes.

Located between Box and Corsham in Wiltshire, 'England's Area 51' is the subject of many conspiracy theories, though in reality, it was used for filtering intelligence on enemy activity, and during the Cold War it was responsible for monitoring radiation hazards and nuclear risks.

The building is a hotspot for conspiracy theorists (Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Conspiracy theories around the mysterious Rudloe Manor

The theories about the base are all about the tunnels and bunkers that run underneath the building, with some suggesting that research was conducted into UFOs, while others think an actual spacecraft is being hidden there.

In fact, it has been suggested that the area had its very own 'Roswell Incident', as American writer Dorothy Kilgallon alleged that an anonymous high-ranked British official told her about it.

Despite all of the ideas and perceptions of the area, the Ministry of Defence has continually denied any involvement with UFOs or aliens.

So, what is it really like at the 'English Area 51'?

Retired business consultant Tony Pierce is a resident in Corsham Wiltshire, and has revealed what it's really like around the area.

Opening up to The Sun, he revealed he had been there since he was a teenager, and essentially shut all of the conspiracy theorists up.

“Unfortunately, the truth is that it was a product of the Cold War which at the time meant we had to have secret locations where people could work out how we were going to live if the worst happened," he anti-climactically revealed.

Rudloe Manor now

The former RAF site is almost trapped in time, with the 30-acre area surrounded by wildlife near Corsham, while about 40 prefabricated buildings are around the area, with several boarded up windows and doors.

Its old main entrance sports a sign that reads: "Private. Keep out".

There's a small hut near this where armed guards would be stationed when the base was under operation.

Are the government keeping a spacecraft under the building? Nearby residents think not (Fg. Off. A Goodchild/Imperial War Museums via Getty Images)

Another Corsham resident, 58-year-old Richard Moulton, commented on the alien rumours, saying: “If aliens do exist and they have the advanced technology to make their way to our little planets don’t you think they may have the ability to avoid detection and capture by the obviously primitive abilities that we possessed in the 1950s and 1960s?

“Everything else stems from that paranoia which erupts whenever something secret is on your doorstep,” he highlighted.

The old road leading to the base is now overgrown with vegetation, with it being clear that 'non pass holders' were shown to a different entrance.

Overgrown lawn in front of the base includes tangled brambles and stinging nettles, while colossal abandoned oil tanks and rusted pipes above ground level lead to nowhere in particular.

RAF Rudloe Manor has been the subject of several break-ins though, despite remaining sealed off from the public, with fences and barbed wires keeping trespassers out.