MI6 and GCHQ - international and technical intelligence

Secret intelligence – not just MI5

Although MI5 is the key intelligence agency for UK based threats, MI6 and GCHQ are the other 2 main intelligence organisations. MI6 (the Secret Intelligence Service) investigates and gathers intelligence abroad concerning UK national security, whilst GCHQ gathers intelligence by electronic eavesdropping.

All 3 of the intelligence agencies receive their budget through the Single Intelligence Account which is in the region of £3.6bn [1] per year.

Focus of MI6

The heads of the CIA (American Intelligence) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS / MI6) wrote a joint article Sept 7th 2024 in which we learned [2]:

Ukraine has changed the global dynamic and has been a war like no other - with different forms of intelligence and ways of working for the intelligence services.
Russia uses technology to spread "lies and disinformation"
China is a significant task for both agencies which has required re-organisation
They are both involved in counter-terrorism efforts
Play a role in the Middle East and the trying to bring peace
To gain a technical advantage, the CIA and SIS work with private partners
They use AI for a number of tasks

Reduced Sites

Over the years GCHQ and MI6 have had to make a number of key savings and reduce the sites they operate from. Thanks to Google Streetview history, we are able to see a number of these sites from the images below.

To change the date on the Google Streetview features, click the "View in Google Maps" option and note the dates on this section:

Former MI6 Recruitment centre [2017]

By 2019 this site had closed and is now a block of flats. Note how the front doors were highly specialised.

MI5/6 training centre [2024]

Revealed by accident due to a local planning application and due to be turned into a block of flats! Very central London location. [4]

Former GCHQ London office [2008]

Opened in 1953 and was the key central London location of GCHQ.

Current GCHQ / National Cyber Security Centre London

Interestingly this place was a key feature of the BBC drama Nightsleeper! (2024)

Former GCHQ Oakley site [2011]

Now a housing estate ... although part of the land remains off Brockweir Road.

Current GCHQ Manchester location

Nothing secret though ... their website was how I found it!!

Current GCHQ Cheltenham location

Current GCHQ Scarborough location

I didn't know where this one was - a quick Google maps search finds it and pin points it straight away! I wonder if Google ever gets in trouble for taking photos when it clearly says "No Photography"??

In addition to closing 2 sites, GCHQ is moving in with MI5 and MI6, according to the same report; "In conjunction with the two other Agencies, GCHQ is currently developing a strategy to share SIA accommodation, primarily in London, to reduce costs and create greater flexibility."

Secret for a reason

The world of secret intelligence is fascinating and we are pulled into an intriguing world through Spooks or James Bond. However the reality is that the work of the intelligence services is (officially) done for the interests of you and I.

It is not the intention of this website to 'reveal' secret sites which would put our intelligence services at risk or distract them from the important work they do. For most of these sites, a quick Google will give you plenty of information.

Many of these folks work long hours with little official recognition as they can't discuss what they do and yet it saves many lives and our national interest.

The growth of the internet

With the rise of the internet, many locations and topics which were once secret are now publicly available and in very good quality. When knowledge was gleaned from books, these books would have been reviewed before publishing and any sensitive material removed. This is no longer the case. You can publish something on the net straight away, with no limits (within reason). This has even impacted the intelligence services. [3]

The sub heading of this article reads "The rise of the web and Google means Britain's spies have to work harder to produce genuinely secret intelligence. Thanks to Google Maps and Streetview anyone can today see photographic detail of far away countries which hitherto would have been available only through secret and highly sophisticated national satellites. Intelligence producers have had to become very sensitive to this phenomenon and very careful not to put effort into producing intelligence that purports to be secret which is in fact not secret at all."

The issue is that once a formerly 'secret base' is known about, in part it can be viewed in high quality aerial or roadside photography. Many of the bases have had street view coverage removed from particularly sensitive sites. Take for example Fort Monckton on the south coast, just outside of Gosport.

This base is the widely known location of the MI6 intelligence officers training centre (i.e. your supposed 'bonds' of this world). The nearby road has street view coverage upto a point from which a small section of the street has been removed thus hiding from view the entrance to the fort. I have only discussed this base as it is widely known about but is clearly a huge site and may well be used for purposes other than just MI6

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