No one would have ever dreamed of living in a bunker, but when Elizabeth Strutton saw a World War II bunker, she knew that place had great potential.
This bunker was built in 1942 and served as a secret radar and communications post for the people.
The place served as the first line of defense against potential Nazi attacks, where information was gathered and the sky was observed without being discovered by enemies in flight!
Strutton’s bunker is located in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Eighty years ago, the bunker was operational 24 hours a day, an essential component of the war efforts against the Nazis.
The British Ministry of Defense closed the bunker in 1982, and it remained on farmland for decades.
Strutton and her husband Mike saw a „Bunker for Sale“ sign in a real estate agency window and purchased the property for $194,000 from a farmer who used it as a potato storage.
When the couple bought the bunker, it still had its military-era equipment.
The bunker was meant to be anti-aircraft, with walls thick from two to six feet, making it challenging to make it habitable.
The surrounding area was also wild, covered everywhere with ivy.
To install 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 installation is now fully functional.
Strutton has beautified the entrance, but the exterior of the bunker has remained essentially unchanged.
However, when you see the inside, you’ll 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, living history. You don’t know what you’re getting into, 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 spacious living room.
Due to the underground location, it was not possible to install windows, so tubular skylights were installed in the roof to let in natural light.
Since there are no fire escapes, builders installed industrial spray systems throughout the house and took a month to drill through the bunker’s roof.
The three-foot-high mound of earth covering the structure also meant that the bunker had to be insulated to prevent mold formation inside.
„The construction process was very challenging. Builders were not used to this type of space because it had never existed before. It took much more time and money than expected,“ Strutton said.
The original interior structure was largely maintained despite the extensive renovation, and Strutton welcomed visits from several veterans who wanted to see the place in person.
„Incredibly, last week a veteran’s family came,“ she said at the time.
„They said their mother is suffering from dementia, but she told them she had worked here during the war.
They didn’t believe her, but once inside, it was exactly as she had described.
His mother seemed to be very happy about this.“
The historical significance of this place is evident to Strutton and her visitors.
„Living here, you really appreciate the way people fought – you feel a kind of connection to what they did. This is something I don’t take for granted, and it’s one of the best things about this place,“ she says.