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Nuclear bunker on sale in Nottinghamshire | Nuclear bunker on sale in Nottinghamshire |
(about 17 hours later) | |
A Cold War-era bunker, complete with instructions for what to do during a nuclear attack, is up for auction. | A Cold War-era bunker, complete with instructions for what to do during a nuclear attack, is up for auction. |
The underground bunker was built in the Nottinghamshire countryside, in 1961, at the height of tensions between the West and the Soviet Union. | The underground bunker was built in the Nottinghamshire countryside, in 1961, at the height of tensions between the West and the Soviet Union. |
The small room, four metres below the ground, has been left more or less as it was when it was shut down in 1991, explained auctioneer Richard Gadd. | The small room, four metres below the ground, has been left more or less as it was when it was shut down in 1991, explained auctioneer Richard Gadd. |
It could have housed up to four staff. | |
"It would have been quite uncomfortable but they still managed to fit them in somehow. | "It would have been quite uncomfortable but they still managed to fit them in somehow. |
"It wasn't really built for comfort, it was built for a purpose." | "It wasn't really built for comfort, it was built for a purpose." |
And that purpose was to monitor the effects of what was believed to be an impending nuclear attack. | And that purpose was to monitor the effects of what was believed to be an impending nuclear attack. |
It was built by the Royal Observers Corps, in Burton Joyce, in the year the construction of the Berlin Wall began and the Bay of Pigs invasion took place. | It was built by the Royal Observers Corps, in Burton Joyce, in the year the construction of the Berlin Wall began and the Bay of Pigs invasion took place. |
The regiment built more than 1,500 monitoring posts across the country between 1956 and 1965. | The regiment built more than 1,500 monitoring posts across the country between 1956 and 1965. |
Scattered around the bunker are instructions for staff about what to do prior to and during a fallout, as well as charts monitoring wind speed, wall-mounted communications systems and an asbestos fire blanket. | Scattered around the bunker are instructions for staff about what to do prior to and during a fallout, as well as charts monitoring wind speed, wall-mounted communications systems and an asbestos fire blanket. |
Nick Catford, editor of the magazine for the Subterranea Brittanica society, for people interested in underground spaces, said the bunker's occupants were there to monitor the effects of a nuclear detonation. | |
"They would work out which direction the fallout was heading and therefore which part of the country, which airfields, would remain operational," he said. | "They would work out which direction the fallout was heading and therefore which part of the country, which airfields, would remain operational," he said. |
Mr Catford said it was rare to find one so well preserved. | Mr Catford said it was rare to find one so well preserved. |
"The last of them was stood down in 1991. Years have passed by and people have broken into them," he said. | "The last of them was stood down in 1991. Years have passed by and people have broken into them," he said. |
"A bunker in a field away from anyone, it just attracts the vandal. To find one that's still got some of its kit, that is a rarity these days." | "A bunker in a field away from anyone, it just attracts the vandal. To find one that's still got some of its kit, that is a rarity these days." |
He said there have been unusual uses for the facilities across the country, including a bird watching station and a wine cellar. | He said there have been unusual uses for the facilities across the country, including a bird watching station and a wine cellar. |
Savills auctioneers have set a guide price of £75,000 for the bunker and 6.5 acres of surrounding land. | Savills auctioneers have set a guide price of £75,000 for the bunker and 6.5 acres of surrounding land. |
Mr Gadd said it could also appeal to war enthusiasts. | Mr Gadd said it could also appeal to war enthusiasts. |
"You are buying a piece of history and a piece of land as well," he said. | "You are buying a piece of history and a piece of land as well," he said. |
"There is potential to recreate what would have been here back in 1961." | "There is potential to recreate what would have been here back in 1961." |
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