Underground nuclear bunker with 56 bedrooms goes on sale for £435,000

A former underground nuclear bunker, with 56 bedrooms and two storeys, has gone on sale in Devon.

The bunker, known as Hope Cove Bunker, is situated near Salcombe in Devon and was constructed in 1941 to be used as a Second World War radar station. However, with the threat of a nuclear attack during the Cold War, the structure was redeveloped in the 1950s into a regional government base.

The base remained on standby until the 1990s and would have been able to accommodate 250 government workers, should there have been an attack on the country.

This is not the first time that the property has been on the market. A previous auction in early February saw it fail to reach its reserve price and as a result, it’s been put back on the market.

Caretaker of the bunker, Christopher Howell, told Sky News: “It was designed to be sealed up, a recycled air system was running – and had anything radioactive come this way, that would have offered them some protection.”

He added: “The idea was had the bomb gone off they would all congregate here, they would shut down inside, they have enough oil in tanks run generators for 35 days.”

According to Mr Howell, the building was “highly secure” with people at the site “24/7” to help keep it “fully operational” in case of an explosion.

Various original features are still visible today. These include several maps which would have been used to help with any response to an attack. And there are soundproofed radio station booths where broadcasts would have been made to share with any remaining public.

According to Mr Howell, the bunker may also come with a ghost, with rumours of a wartime pilot who comes up the stairs at night.

Tom Lowe from Clive Emson Auctioneers said there had been a wide variety of people interested in the building.

He explained: “We’ve had people look at it as cheese storage, wine storage, a community area where they rent out different rooms to art exhibitions, dance classes, computer storage – a few people who’ve had the hotel ideas as well,” Sky News reported.

The bunker is on sale at a price of £435,000.