There’s a lot to be said for old buildings and the history they often bear. “If these walls could talk,” has become a common saying, but when one stops to think about it, it can make for a fascinating stimulus where the imagination is concerned.
I can clearly remember a sense of wonder about my grandparents’ home when I was younger. The house had been built in the 18th century and had passed from owner to owner many times down the years.
I used to wonder what sort of people had called it home during, say, the 1800s, and even what the land might have looked like before it had been deemed ideal ground for building on in the way back when.
My point is, most people never know what secrets their homes may be hiding. One man, Simon Marks, from Luton, England, certainly never expected that a hole in his front yard would prove to be the entrance to an underground cavity from the Second World War…
We’ll be upfront regarding the fact that this story played out a few years ago, but it makes for fascinating reading nonetheless.
As per reports, Simon Marks, from the UK, thought he’d driven onto a flowerbed when his car suddenly seemed to dip down into the ground in his front yard.
Yet after inspecting the ground, Simon realized that it was no flowerbed he’d rolled his vehicle over, but a two-roomed World War II air raid shelter!
balipadma (Stock image, not directly related to story)
“This massive hole appeared. I thought it was a sinkhole or a badly constructed garden,” the 37-year-old Simon told The Sun.
“I was just terrified the whole house was going to vanish. I took some pictures and sent them to my dad.
“When I moved a few of the slabs out of the way I found a ladder. I got my selfie stick and put it down the hole where I saw two rooms.
“My dad saw it and instantly said it’s an air raid shelter.
“We googled it and found there are quite a few in this area. It is made from concrete lintels and is in immaculate condition.”
As per reports, Simon bought the house from an elderly couple who had build the home in the 1970s. He believes they must have know about the shelter’s existence.
“The previous owner must have known it was there and when he built the house and put a garden in he must have filled it in,” Simon explained.
“He clearly wasn’t very worried about it and it just sat there until the hatch fell through. I think it’s great and I want to clear it out and preserve it if it’s structurally sound.
“It’s incredible to think it has all been made by hand. It’s part of our history so it should be kept.”
Intrigued by the find, Simon and his father set about excavating the shelter with buckets, revealing the two-room shelter in its entirety.
To see more on this story, and for photos of the shelter, check out the video below:
What a find! Have you ever heard about anything like this? Let us know!
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