Post-war nuclear bunker sells for £36,000 at auction

The bunker is under a hillside in the Peak District

A post-war nuclear bunker buried 14ft (4m) under a field in Derbyshire has sold at auction for £36,000.

There were 61 bidders for the 1950s bunker in the Peak District, near Buxton, which had a guide price of between £15,000 and £20,000.

The facility, which was never needed as a shelter, was one of about 1,500 listening posts built by the Royal Observer Corps nationwide in case of a nuclear attack.

Jim Demitriou, from SDL Property Auctions, said the bunker attracted "phenomenal interest".

Velvet curtains, a log burner and a chemical toilet had been added to the bunker

SDL Property Auctions said three people would have occupied the space - off Waterswallows Road - with enough food and water for a fortnight, to report on the fallout from any attack.

Mr Demitriou said: "It's very rare they come available.

"Even though there was 1,500 built in post-war Britain in the 50s, there's probably only a handful - maybe 20 or 30 available - for anybody to buy.

"Telecoms companies bought the majority of them when they were decommissioned, and individuals bought the remaining 20%."

Mr Demitriou said there was a magic key, which is L-shaped and also known as a hatch key, to open the top

He said the ones the telecoms companies bought in the 1990s were converted into mobile phone mast locations.

Mr Demitriou added the firm held two viewings of the bunker, and 30 to 40 people came to see it.

"Some people just came to have a look," he said.

"The nice thing with this one was there were a lot of original features and items that were in situ from when the bunker was built."

Original objects from the 1950s were still inside the bunker

These items were part of the sale on Thursday and included a red communications hotline phone, vintage binoculars and an asbestos fire blanket case attached to the bunker's walls.

There were also newer additions including velvet curtains, a log burner and a chemical toilet.