No one would ever dream of living in a bunker, but when Elizabeth Strutton saw such a bunker from World War II, she knew this place had great potential.
This bunker was built in 1942 and served as a secret radar and communications post for people.
The place served as the first line of defense against potential Nazi attacks, where information was collected and the sky was watched without being discovered by the enemy planes!
Strutton’s bunker is located in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Eight decades ago, the bunker operated 24 hours a day and was an essential part of the war effort against the Nazis.
The British Ministry of Defence decommissioned the bunker in 1982, and it sat on a farm for decades.
Strutton and her husband Mike saw the “Bunker for sale” sign in the window of a real estate office and bought the property for $194,000 from a farmer who used it as a potato storehouse.
When the couple acquired the bunker, it was still equipped with the equipment from its military days.
The bunker was supposed to be bombproof; its walls were between two and six feet thick, making it a challenge to make it habitable.
The surroundings of the bunker were also overgrown, with ivy growing everywhere.
To accommodate insulation, water, and electricity, the floors had to be raised, and the ceilings lowered.
After five years of hard work and improvements worth over $135,000, the underground facility is now fully operational.
Strutton has beautified the entrance, but the exterior of the bunker has remained essentially unchanged. However, when you see the interior, you will understand.
In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2013, Strutton explained why she wanted to live in the bunker.
“It’s a magical fortress. You’re at the end of the world and experiencing history.
You don’t know what you’re getting into when you get into something like this, but I know I’m living in the best place in the world,” she said.
Her bunker house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large living area.
Due to its underground location, it was not possible to install windows, so tubular skylights were installed in the roof instead, allowing natural light to enter.
Since there are no fire escapes, the builders installed industrial sprinkler systems throughout the house and spent a month drilling through the bunker roof.
The three-foot-high mound of earth covering the structure also meant that the bunker had to be insulated to prevent mold growth inside.
“The construction process was very challenging.
The builders were not accustomed to this type of space because it had never existed before.
It took much longer and cost much more money than expected,” said Strutton.
Despite the extensive remodeling, the original structure of the interior was largely retained, and Strutton welcomed several veterans who wanted to see the place for themselves.
“Amazingly, last week, the family of a veteran came,” she said at the time.
“They said their mother is now suffering from dementia, but she told them she worked here during the war.
They didn’t believe her, but once they got in, it was exactly as she described.
Apparently, her mother was very happy about it.”
The historical significance of this place is undeniable for Strutton and its visitors.
“When you live here, you really appreciate the way people fought – you feel a kind of connection to what they did.
That’s something I don’t take for granted, and one of the best things about this place,” she says.