Found an air-raid shelter in the garden today!

cues · Sep 17, 2012

dc4 said:
"a quick google search"
Maybe I'm too retarded, but how the hell could google give you and answer on what time the shelter could be made in? Even more, what did you search for, lmao "I have a bomb shelter in my garden" ?

In answer to your second question, yes, weirdly enough. I googled bomb shelter WW2 in images and just looked down until I saw it. I knew from the approximate age of the house that it would be WWII. Even if I didn't know the period, I'm sure it wouldn't have been difficult. It's not like bomb shelters have been around for thousands of years!
I am biting my tongue on answering the first question :-?

(tongue firmly in cheek!)

cues · Sep 17, 2012

hotrodharley said:
These shelters had air vents (usually filtered ha ha) - often multiple air vents with one exhaust and one or two fresh air intakes. Find one, open the top and drop a lighted video camera down. See if it's even worth the blisters digging the entrance out. Or one of those lighted cameras plumbers use (they got the idea from colon scopes) to check for breaks in sewer lines. They sell those at Harbor Freight for cheapies.

If you can't even find the vent stacks that could be a sign this shelter was abandoned and filled in or surface water took it over or . . . .. Somebody's bitch disappeared but really they stuffed her in there and caved it in. These stacks were above ground level obviously. These shelters weren't built as bunkers to fight from but to survive a thermonuclear blast. In other words these vents were always above ground for obvious reasons.

I know what you are saying but the Anderson shelters didn't have vents, other than the door area. I think they were designed for short period use.

richinweed · Sep 17, 2012

cues said:
Ok Peeps.Apologies for the delay. Been busy today. Didn't do too well with the pics or get any digging out done either but here's what I got so far.

Thanks for the interest and encouragement. You all have inspired me to do a mini-journal on this now.View attachment 2338078
View attachment 2338079 View attachment 2338080 View attachment 2338081 View attachment 2338082 View attachment 2338083 View attachment 2338084 View attachment 2338085

Today, I spoke to the people with the dog that used to live downstairs and they didn't have a clue about it.

Your fukkin kiddin me...man got the pumps in there yet...lol

cues · Sep 17, 2012

richinweed said:
Your fukkin kiddin me...man got the pumps in there yet...lol

LOL. One thing that I am suprised at is how dry it looks. Then again, we've got a big drop in ground levels behind the garden and I think that drops the water table in the area. There's no smell of mould or signs of damp.
Then again, it's summer now. I wonder what it will be like in winter.

Ringsixty · Sep 17, 2012

Just simply cool :peace:

cues · Sep 17, 2012

Thanks peeps. I love it too but can't take credit. That must go to whoever built it (which I must try and find out)
I was just lucky to find it.
Weird to think how long it's been there unknown or how long it would have been there without being found, if ever. I was just lucky.
I grow some veg for a hobby and my first thought is using it as a main feature and creating a British WWII (dig for victory) garden. The style/period of house fits with it and still retains features such as wooden sash windows and cast iron gutters/drain pipes.
I need to do some more research though.
From what I can tell from my research so far, most of these anderson type shelters have rotted away which makes me think there is either some kind of liner over it (this was obviously an affluent area in the past) or the water table (mentioned earlier) has prevented this.

lokie · Sep 17, 2012

get Geraldo Rivera to do a special. lol

[video=youtube;P84OKTUx6LY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P84OKTUx6LY[/video]

I hope you find some cool and valuable stuf in there.

uhm uhh wut? · Sep 17, 2012

so sweet man fuck, + rep for your luck lol...

polyarcturus · Sep 18, 2012

some little kids gonna climb in there and get stuck lol you need to fill it in or dig it out or cover it wih something heavy just a reminder.

Samwell Seed Well · Sep 18, 2012

cues said:
I kid you not!
OK, so here's the story. We (g/f and I) live in the top 2 stories (upstairs and loft conversion) of a big old house with the garden shared with the downstairs neighbour. I've never been able to have much to do with the garden as the old neighbours had a big old neglected dog that used to crap everywhere and eat anything I tried to grow. Anyhow, they left a while back and I've been growing veg out there.
Anyway, (rambling, stoned!) today we were out there tidying up and picking (33 tomatoes today but the squirrels ate all my broccoli!) and having a general tidy up. There has always been a 'hump' in one corner with a huge Fuschia and some ferns growing in it, a bit like a raised bed.
While pruning back the bed and shrub I noticed 2 stones and what appeared to be a small hole between them so I lifted one to see a large hole. So I lifted the other to find an entrance to a room! A quick google revealed it to be a WWII Anderson shelter! I don't think it's a standard one though as it seems a bit bigger (probably reflecting the size of the house). It seems buried deeper than standard too because I would guess this mound is only about a foot high. At the moment, I'm thinking about 6 ft high, 8 ft deep and 6 ft wide with a 1ft square entrance that needs digging out.
Anyhows, I had a lot of other stuff needs doing so couldn't really explore too much. Hopefully more news and pics tomorrow.

thats effing cool dude im jealous

polyarcturus said:
some little kids gonna climb in there and get stuck lol you need to fill it in or dig it out or cover it wih something heavy just a reminder.

so dark . . .ll but good point put a lock on that shit

cues · Sep 18, 2012

polyarcturus said:
some little kids gonna climb in there and get stuck lol you need to fill it in or dig it out or cover it wih something heavy just a reminder.

.
LOL!. The garden is all locked up safely.

greengrowthexpert · Sep 18, 2012

Pictures ! Lol

Saerimmner · Sep 18, 2012

hotrodharley said:
These shelters had air vents (usually filtered ha ha) - often multiple air vents with one exhaust and one or two fresh air intakes. Find one, open the top and drop a lighted video camera down. See if it's even worth the blisters digging the entrance out. Or one of those lighted cameras plumbers use (they got the idea from colon scopes) to check for breaks in sewer lines. They sell those at Harbor Freight for cheapies.

If you can't even find the vent stacks that could be a sign this shelter was abandoned and filled in or surface water took it over or . . . .. Somebody's bitch disappeared but really they stuffed her in there and caved it in. These stacks were above ground level obviously. These shelters weren't built as bunkers to fight from but to survive a thermonuclear blast. In other words these vents were always above ground for obvious reasons.

I think you must be thinking of a different kind of shelter as the Anderson shelters that the OP is talking about were only ever designed to be a short term shelter for the family to escape to during a bombing raid and did not have any kind of air filtration, they were simply designed to protect from bombing shrapnel and would not withstand a direct hit even.

Anderson shelter- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-raid_shelter

HTP · Sep 18, 2012

Little gifts to the world caused by nazi Germany......

My godmother was from the uk during. Ww2 and said she and all her friends used to play near this chicken coup. One night during a nazi bombing run, a huge bomb landed next to it. However the bomb never went off. The kids where scared outa their mind about this bomb. As the war went on, they got less and less scared of the bomb. In the end they starting playing on it, jumping off the coup onto the bomb.

After the war ended, germany came in and cleaned up the extra bombs in the area. The bomb next to the chicken coup, she said they were making fun of her parents making them stay in the hills over looking the house. She keep telling her mom that the bomb is a dud and not to worry about it.

Well, as they where defusing it.... The bomb blew up and also blew up their house ...........

cues · Sep 19, 2012

Cool story. I actually lived in Berlin for a while about 7 years ago and it's very true what they say. Don't mention the war. Even now they are still very embarrassed about it.

MrGrower1 · Sep 19, 2012

so what's the news? have you explored it anymore? I think it's a very cool find. :clap:

cues · Sep 21, 2012

I was hoping to get down there on Sunday but rain is forecast. Will be interesting to see what happens to the inside when it rains though.

hotrodharley · Sep 21, 2012

cues said:
LOL. One thing that I am suprised at is how dry it looks. Then again, we've got a big drop in ground levels behind the garden and I think that drops the water table in the area. There's no smell of mould or signs of damp.
Then again, it's summer now. I wonder what it will be like in winter.

I'd have a go at it in there. Very stable temp-wise if majority earth insulated. Nobody would notice the smell no matter if skunk when air mixes with the outdoors that quickly. Use Romex (or UK equivalent) to run concealed electricity safely. Make sure it's grounded both ends. It has far more going for it than against it.

hotrodharley · Sep 21, 2012

cues said:
I was hoping to get down there on Sunday but rain is forecast. Will be interesting to see what happens to the inside when it rains though.

That's what cheap sump pumps are for. Go for it. Handle the problems you encounter as you go. US Navy WWII CB (Seabee's) slogan: "Can do!"

hotrodharley · Sep 21, 2012

Saerimmner said:
I think you must be thinking of a different kind of shelter as the Anderson shelters that the OP is talking about were only ever designed to be a short term shelter for the family to escape to during a bombing raid and did not have any kind of air filtration, they were simply designed to protect from bombing shrapnel and would not withstand a direct hit even.

Anderson shelter- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-raid_shelter
View attachment 2338944 View attachment 2338945

Knowing the Battle of Britain Hitler waged with nightly bombings they are probably everywhere. Thanks, never heard of them.

Found an air-raid shelter in the garden today!

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