A MAN was shocked to learn that his house was constructed over a World War II air raid bunker while looking into a hole in his driveway.
When Simon Marks’ automobile wheel buckled, he assumed he had drove onto a flowerbed.
Upon closer examination, however, he discovered that a portion of his £400,000 home’s driveway covered a two-room shelter.
The 37-year-old IT support specialist stated: “There was a huge void. I mistook it for a poorly designed garden or a sinkhole.
“I was just afraid that the home would go altogether. I texted my dad some images that I had taken.
“I discovered a ladder after rearranging a couple of the stones. I inserted my selfie stick into the opening where I could see two rooms.
“As soon as my dad saw it, he recognized it as an air raid bunker.
There are quite a few in this region, according to what we googled. It is in perfect condition and is constructed of concrete lintels.
Luton, Beds. resident Simon speculates that the bunker could have been constructed during a German bombing raid near the home during World War II.
He believes it to be 10 feet deep, having discovered it on a Saturday afternoon.
An elderly couple who had built the house in the 1970s was the seller of the property.
“The previous owner must have known it was there and he must have filled it in when he built the house and added a garden,” Simon remarked.
It was evident that he wasn’t very concerned about it because it remained there until the hatch collapsed. I think it’s fantastic, and if it’s structurally solid, I want to remove it and keep it.
“The idea that everything was crafted by hand is astounding. It ought to be preserved since it is a part of our past.
The mud-filled shelter was almost completely filled, but there were still several other objects within, such as glass bottles and old newspapers.
Using buckets, Simon and his 67-year-old father Gerald have been digging out the shelter since Saturday.
They have accumulated a lot of muck in Simon’s front garden and are almost halfway down.
Since Saturday, it’s been a matter of dig, dig, dig, Simon said. There are just another five feet left to go till it’s completed; we’re now approximately five feet down.
“There’s so much trash to get rid of that I think we’re going to have to get a skip in.”
A wall has been sealed with bricks. Although I’m 90% certain we won’t discover any additional chambers, we’re not positive.
“When the home was erected, they could have bricked up a wall to create room for the foundations. We’ll have to give it up if that’s the case.Play the Video
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