Owning a home always comes with the fear of unexpected repairs, particularly ones that might dig deep into your pockets. When an unsuspecting homeowner discovered a hole in his driveway, he never anticipated it unveiling the entrance to a fascinating piece of history. His initial intention was to fill it in, but what he found was an underground World War II air raid shelter.
An Unexpected Discovery
It was back in 2016 when Simon Marks returned home to a surprise. After a long day, he was met with what seemed like just another annoyance — his car getting caught and the jarring sound of cracking. Assuming a flower bed was the culprit, he got out to inspect, only to see that his driveway had split and was caving in. This certainly explained that unsettling sound.
With curiosity piqued, Simon began clearing away the debris. To his shock, he stumbled upon something metallic embedded in the earth. It was lodged too immovably to extract alone, so he called on his dad. Together, they unveiled a metal door, which once opened, revealed a ladder beckoning them downwards. Indeed, Simon’s driveway led to a hidden air raid shelter beneath his home.
“I was just terrified the whole house was going to vanish,” Simon shared. “I took some pictures and sent them to my dad,” he recalled. “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.” His father promptly identified it as an air raid shelter. Upon further research, Simon discovered that there were indeed several shelters of this kind in their vicinity.
An Ambitious Restoration Project
The lineage of such air raid shelters traces back to Sir John Anderson, who is credited with their invention. Simon and his father eagerly explored the excavation’s rooms, finding most were unfortunately bricked over. “One of the walls has been bricked up,” Simon remarked. “I’m 90 percent sure we won’t find any more rooms, but who knows? They might have done this while building the house to facilitate the foundations. If that’s true, we’ll have to leave it be.”
The father-son duo envisions restoring this subterranean shelter. Rather than sealing it off to avoid further damage, they see it as a historical artifact worth preserving. “The previous owner probably knew about it. He might have filled it in when he built the house and laid the garden,” Simon speculated. “That was his choice, but it stayed forgotten until now. I think the whole thing is fantastic. I want to empty and maintain it, assuming it’s still structurally solid. It’s incredible — all handmade — an essential piece of our past deserving preservation.”
This remarkable discovery indeed has the markings of history’s forgotten stories, right beneath the surface, reminding us of chapters we thought were closed but are very much alive.
