In early 2002 Cleveland's government under Prime Minister Mallon authorized a series of reconnaissance missions into surrounding regions to obtain accurate and detailed geographic information: the Pennines, the strike zones around Newcastle and Hull, and the devastated badlands in West Yorkshire. The missions were tasked with identifying and counting small groups of survivors, identifying resources that the kingdom could use, and reporting on the state of cultural and artistic treasures in abandoned areas.
WEST - 2002[]
One team follows the former transpenine highway (A66) as far as northern Cumbria. Nearly all the towns and villages along the route have been abandoned. The team chart those few settlements that can be found and proceed into the Cumbria Co-Operative on the far side of the highland, where they advance as far as the walled castle town of Carlisle, recording estimates of the populations of the places that they pass through. They report that the locals are being harassed by the remnants of a former military unit, known by the locals as Reavers.
The team moves south into the interior of the Lakes area of Cumbria. Many small market towns and villages are thriving, trading with each other using sheep, wool and slate as trading tools. The towns call themselves the Cumbria co-operative (or just Cumbria). Up to now Cleveland's interactions with Cumbria have been largely unofficial and indirect; now the team meet with local parish councils, and they establish protocols for more official communication. They leave behind some radio equipment in five towns (Keswick, Workington, Whitehaven, Penrith, and Ambleside) - conditions throughout Cumbria remain primitive and such equipment has been sometimes hard to get.
As the team travels southwest from Ambleside they record increasing levels of radiation from the wreckage of the Sellafield nuclear power station, which experienced a catastrophic meltdown; as well as from leaked radioactive materials from other parts of the Sellafield complex and possible lingering radiation from the missile strike on Barrow-in-Furness.
Moving to the east of the area around Barrow, they travel south to survey territory around the Duchy of Lancaster, another survivor state whose official relations with Cleveland have been limited. A message has been sent to the Lancastrian government of the survey team's arrival; however whilst passing through northern Lancashire near the town of Milnthorpe, the team cause several farm workers to flee in a panic, despite attempting to calm their fears by flying a basic white flag made out of part of their field tent.
Within a few hours a strangely uniformed armed group rides out on horseback to confront the Clevish team - Milnthorpe's local militia. After a few initial tense moments the soldiers receive clearance from officials in Lancaster. They accompany the Cleveish team back to Milnthorpe.
After spending the night in Milnthorpe, the Cleveish team are allowed to continue charting the countryside and move on to the capital. Upon arriving in Lancaster, they find that word had travelled much faster then they had and get a jubilant welcome. Princess Anne has been a popular figure in Lancaster for some time and the arrival of "her" representatives is cause for excitement and celebration.
SOUTH - 2003[]
A second team follows the great north road (A1) south to chart and make population estimates of the many small villages still inhabited at preindustrial levels of technology. Many have joined together to former a co-operative of farms, shops and villages known locally as the North Riding Co-Operative or NRCO. Much of the farmland in the vale of York and Pickering is extremely fertile and radioactivity is at low levels. The NRCO has no real governmental structure and each village is essentially independent.
The North Riding villages have enjoyed close relations with Cleveland for some time, and the purpose of the 2003 survey is to lay the groundwork for an official vote on annexation to the Kingdom, planned for the following year. Population counts help to establish the numbers of voters who will be participating, and the team help the villages identify polling sites.
Journeys further south are halted by high levels of radioactivity around the bombed cities of Bradford, Leeds, Hull and Sheffield.
5th May 2004 - NRCO towns of Dunforth, Ouseburn, Flaxby, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Tadcaster vote to become part of the Kingdom of Cleveland adding 19,458 to the population of the Kingdom.
12th May 2004 - all NRCO towns in the former county of North Yorkshire join the Kingdom of Cleveland, adding 5,623 to its population.
22nd May 2004 - the final NRCO towns of Appleby, Kirby Stephen and Hawes vote to join the Kingdom of Cleveland, adding another 2,789 to its population.
1st June 2004 - 15 new MPs are sent to the Cleveland parliament from the former NRCO territories.
NORTH - 2004[]
New teams are sent north in August 2004 at the invitation of the Duchy of Northumberland. The Duchy is Cleveland's closest large neighbor but lacks Cleveland's resources and capacity. Even before DD, Northumberland was one of the most sparsely-populated regions of England. It is estimated that the population of the Duchy in 2004 is roughly 29,000. Now its Duke - Ralph George Percy, the 12th Duke of Northumberland - has asked for support charting his state's own territory and the land along its outskirts.
The Clevish expedition uses ships to bypass the heavily bombed Tyne and Wear valley, landing at Alnwick Harbour on the 16th of August. A detachment goes a bit further to conduct a survey of the thriving fishing and farming community based around the fortified island of Lindisfarne.
Up and down the coast are many small villages that are also thriving on the resurgence of fish stocks in the North Sea. The duchy's parliament sits in Bamburgh castle and the Percy family live at Alnwick castle.
2007 onwards[]
The major government-backed expeditions of 2002-4 have spurred many smaller groups of explorers to explore some of the nearby exclusion zones at the initiative of private or local bodies.
Some groups head into the irradiated exclusion zones looking for historical artifacts that had been stored in museums and art galleries. Many significant finds are made. The Lindisfarne Gospels are found in the ruins of the British Library in London; they are sent to Dublin for restoration and a subsequent planned return the Holy Island. Several major art works are found in London, York and Newcastle including some Picassos, Monets and Van Goghs. These are returned to Cleveland for restoration and hopefully public display.
Military bases throughout the country that had been hit by tactical nuclear weapons are deemed safe to enter by 2008 as the radiation has dropped to safe levels. Exploration of the bases finds that most equipment was destroyed in the attack or has deteriorated and had become unusable due to exposure to the environment. Many bases have become totally overgrown and unusable in the 25 years since the DD attacks.
Durham - 2008[]
In May 2008 a group of engineers, builders, and art scholars make a journey to the city of Durham. Durham had not been directly attacked, but it was close to the blasts at Newcastle and Sunderland. As with other places near major attacks around the world, survivors overwhelmed the town; enough original inhabitants fled that its institutions stopped functioning, leaving a hollow shell of a community where people died in huge numbers. The team of 2008 is looking to take inventory of two key structures, Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral.
Once in the city centre, the first building inspected is Durham Castle. Parts of the great hall's roof have collapsed due to weather and neglect over the last 25 years. The remainder of the castle remains relatively undamaged, though looters and vandals have resulted in the loss of many of its artifacts. Radiation levels are above normal background levels but not high enough to cause major risks.
The next building inspected is Durham Cathedral. It is found to be in remarkably good condition. The great east window has been blown in and there is some damage to the nave roof due to weather and moisture getting into the building. When entering the Cathedral, several hundred skeletons are discovered scattered on the floor. One of the bodies is identified as the Dean of the Cathedral, Peter Richard Baelz. It appears that he died while ministering to the sick, one of the few local leaders not to have fled the town. It is surmised that survivors of the Newcastle blast had made their way to the cathedral to die of radiation-related illnesses.
In the suburbs the forest has invaded and many parts are virtually impassible.
Durham In Brief
- Durham Cathedral - some damage to east end, rest of the building serviceable.
- Durham Castle - little or no damage caused by blast wave, some weather related damage has occurred in Great Hall.
- Population - a few hundred squatters in abandoned buildings
- Radiation levels low - expected safe for human habitation.
Not long after, the old keep of Durham Castle is re-fortified by the Cleveland Army and plans are begun to restore Durham Cathedral to its pre-DD state.
2010[]
In July 2010 a small group of scientists travel north along the overgrown remains of the Great North Road (A19) to fully survey the centres of of Sunderland and Newcastle, both towns had been hit with 200 Kilotonne devices.
Sunderland[]
They arrive in the ruins of Sunderland on the 27th of July 2010. From estimates made on site the centre of Sunderland was levelled by the 200 KT device to approximately quarter of a mile from the detonation point (known as the Zone of total destruction or ZTD). Due to the detonation taking place in a steep sided 50-metre-deep valley of the River Wear, the destruction only extends two miles from the detonation point (or DP). Radiation levels are found to be relatively low, but once within three quarters of a mile from the DP the radiation increases to a point where it becomes dangerous to health. At the edge of the ZTD at roughly a quarter of a mile, the soil and plant life are highly contaminated and the team stops moving to avoid disturbing it.
Going by size of vegetation occurring in the area over the past 15 to 20 years, trees have begun regenerating toward the DP. Trees closer than half a mile from the detonation point have been affected by radiation and are deformed and stunted. In many of the former suburbs of the city it is difficult to find where the former parks ended and the city streets begin.
Wildlife in the area has expanded in great numbers. Feral dogs hunt in packs; feral pigs have colonised the new woodlands. The River Wear is remarkably clean with radiation levels almost normal. There are signs of salmon found on the bankside.
From Sunderland the team heads north along the coast, arriving in the ruins of Tynemouth on the 8th of August. Due to the radiation levels, from here they travel by river rather than by land.
Sunderland In Brief
- The ZTD extends to a quarter of a mile from the DP.
- Radiation levels are dangerous to health at three quarters of a mile from the DP.
- Building damage extends to two miles from the DP, and most remaining buildings have been overtaken by vegetation.
Newcastle[]
Travelling upstream on the River Tyne they reach the DP of the 200-KT strike on Newcastle. Due to the shallower valley on the River Tyne the ZTD extends nearly three quarters of a mile from the DP and as in Sunderland shows signs of stunted and contaminated vegetation and little animal life. Beyond the ZTD the signs of life increase until radiation levels reach lower levels and relatively healthy new woodland begins at one and a half miles from the DP. Three miles from the DP the undergrowth becomes so dense as to be nearly impenetrable, and the teams return to the river.
There are signs of a major flood all along the Tyne. After leaving Newcastle and moving upstream the team discover that the Kielder Water reservoir had breached its earthen bank dam roughly 15 years previously (going by regrowth downstream of the dam).
It appears from the damage levels downstream of the dam that the collapse had been catastrophic. At the collapse point approximately 200 billion litres (or 4 billion gallons) of water had flooded down the Tyne Valley towards the North Sea over a period of only a few hours at most. Damage to remaining buildings was located up to 12 metres above normal river levels.
Newcastle In Brief
- The ZTD extends to three quarters of a mile from the DP.
- Radioactive soil and vegetation are dangerous to health at one mile.
- Building damage extends to over three miles, but a full survey was not possible due to the thick impenetrable woodland found on the outskirts of the city.
- Flood damage to any remaining structures within 8 vertical metres of the surface of the River Tyne is classed as total.
Both Newcastle and Sunderland will be abandoned to nature and will form the centre of the Tyne and Wear National Park.
York[]
In early October 2010, veterans of the 2008 Durham expedition conduct a thorough survey of the architectural, artistic and cultural treasures of the city of York. York, like Durham, had been steeped in history but collapsed under the pressure of waves of displaced persons - in this case, from the heavily-bombed industrial cities of West Yorkshire. Compared to Durham, York was smaller; the number of survivors coming to it was larger; and it was more distant from the main center in Middlesbrough - for these reasons, it suffered from an even more severe humanitarian crisis. By 2010 it was on the periphery of Cleveland's zone of control.
Most of York's large public buildings had been heavily made of stone and remain standing. In the ancient centre of the city, along the Ouse and Foss, there are signs of more severe destruction. York Minster appeared to have burned shortly after the Doomsday. Damage is severe, but the walls and main tower survived and it is hoped that someday, perhaps after the reconstruction of Durham Cathedra, work can start on York Minster.
Along with the cathedral, a major fire burned through the centre of York shortly after Doomsday. Most of the buildings are reduced to shells, but it is hoped that they could be rebuilt if Cleveland were to commit resources to it.
Outside the city walls of York, a squatter settlement exists somewhat larger than in Durham. Many parts of the city have been totally abandoned and are overgrown wildwood.
York In Brief
- York Minister has burned (along with many other large public buildings) but walls remain structurally sound
- Remaining ancient city (inside city walls) also burned shortly after Doomsday.
- Suburbs abandoned, totally overgrown.
- Low levels of radiation found - estimated safe for human habitation.
2011 expeditions[]
In the summer of 2011, Cleveland plans another major official survey, this time of West Yorkshire, in particular the nuked cities of Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield. These surveys are a collaborative operation with the Duchy of Lancaster, planned to happen between June 22nd and September 8th 2011.
Five teams assemble in Harrogate on the 7th of June 2011 to begin training for the expeditions at the end of the month. Each team includes 20 men from the Royal Cleveland Territorial Army and three scientists from the University of Teesside and Durham University.
Teams leave Harrogate on the 16th of June 2011 and join their Lancastrian counterparts in the outskirts of the ruins of Leeds.
Leeds[]
Leeds, hit by 200KT bomb, is surveyed between 24th June and 17th July 2011. The bomb appears to have detonated in the River Aire in the centre of the city. The point of detonation is now a lake approximately 150 metres across. The centre of Leeds has been effectively flattened, though it is unknown if this is due to direct effects of the nuclear detonation, the subsequent fires or the just the effect of the British weather on the area in the time since DD.
Downstream of the detonation point there appears to be no evidence of recent human habitation. The ruins of Castleford and Knottingly show no signs of human life. However, upstream there are some small subsistence farming communities, which are charted and counted. The abandoned areas have returned to a wildwood environment.
Bradford[]
Bradford, hit by 100KT bomb, is surveyed between 20th July and 9th August 2011. The bomb appears to have detonated in an airburst directly over the city centre, destroying everything within the central ring road.
Much of the rest of the city burned shortly after DD. It is unknown if the burning was due to the detonation of the nuclear weapon or accidents or rioting afterwards - reports from survivors indicate that public order rapidly degenerated after DD.
In the south of the former city, small communities have formed around areas of farmland, including Oakenshaw, Buttershaw and Clayton.
Huddersfield[]
Huddersfield was a town near Leeds and Bradford. It was hit in the third wave of attacks with a 100KT nuke. Its survey occurred between the 10th and 14th August 2011.
The centre of the town was flattened by an airburst detonation, but the rest of the town appears to have been little damaged by the blast. No signs of significant fire are detected. The town appears to have been abandoned very shortly after DD with no recolonisation since. Some small communities are found to the south of the town in Taylor Hill, Netherton and Honley.
Near Leeds and Bradford are the towns of Halifax, Wakefield and Dewsbury. Though not directly bombed on DD, they suffered greatly from radioactive fallout.
Halifax[]
Halifax is surveyed between the 16th and 19th August 2011. The town is abandoned, but the small town centre had been surrounded with a large wall at some point in the past.
Inside the wall the team discovers large numbers of skeletons, most of them covered and lying in rows inside one building. The burials appear to have been there for many years. They show no signs of trauma so the teams believe that they either died during a disease outbreak or committed suicide.
Wakefield/Dewsbury[]
Dewsbury is explored between 21st and 22nd August 2011 and Wakefield between 23rd and 24th August.
Dewsbury is totally abandoned andy overgrown with regrowth woodland.
Wakefield is a small market town working with nearby hamlets and farmers. It enjoys trade links with the town of Barnsley to the south and along the former M62 motorway to Castleford and Pontefract to the east. They have also begun to trade with East Britain, specifically the outpost of Goole on the River Humber.
Sheffield[]
Sheffield, hit by 200KT bomb, is surveyed between 29th August and 8th September 2011.
The bomb exploded as an airburst roughly between the City of Sheffield and the nearby town of Rotherham, destroying the majority of both with massive firestorms.
The south of the city of Sheffield mainly survived the firestorm due to its distance from the detonation point and the fact the River Don and River Sheaf separate the area from the burned City.
From damage near the rivers, the team concludes that there was a massive flood event in the last five years. Testimony from towns downstream (and farther afield in North Yorkshire) describe a destructive flood during the summer of 2007.
Exploration of the area surrounding Sheffield turns up little human activity, though the area closer to the former national park of the Peak District shows signs of recent agriculture.
After the exploration of the City of Sheffield, Lancastrian teams head further southwest to survey the Peak District. The Cleveland teams head east towards the East British town of Worksop.