'I bought a house with a nuclear bunker under it'

Have you ever gone to view a house and spotted a strange quirk or questionable decor decision that was conveniently omitted from the estate agent's listing?

Well, that's exactly what happened to Paul Hendry-Smith when, about 16 years ago, he was shown around a property in the village of Little Snoring, in Norfolk.

Only this property's hidden quirk was not a blindingly bright paint job, or a room covered ceiling-to-floor in jazzy wallpaper; it was a gigantic nuclear fallout shelter.

It was built in the 1970s by its then-owner to ease his wife's anxieties over rising political tensions amidst the ongoing unpredictability of the Cold War.

Did it put Paul off? Not at all.

"I knew there was a basement, but then on first viewing I thought, 'Bloody hell, what is going on here?" he said about seeing the bunker for the first time.

"It was certainly a novelty, but the basement was more of interest to me as I wanted to make it into a home cinema.

"It is kind of funky because it is cool in summer but warm in winter, so it is ideal for wine storage, but it's just filled with junk at the moment."

Nuclear fallout shelters are designed to protect people from exposure to deadly radiation generated by a nuclear explosion – a fortress against an invisible killer.

But what was a phenomenon from a bygone era, has gradually started to become a modern-day must-have for some homeowners.

According to a report by the Telegraph in 2024, sales of private bunkers had experienced a boom in Britain in response to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

One manufacturer told the publication it was getting four to five requests for private bunkers every month and had seen a 300 to 400% increase in interest in recent years.

Like other shelters, Paul's underground stronghold is made of concrete and has a concrete and steel door which weighs between four and five tonnes.

There was also once a decontamination area with showers.

At the end of the bunker, there remains an escape hatch in the form of a breezeblock and concrete-lined tunnel.

"You can crawl down there and then escape out to the garden, the grandkids loved to play in it," added Paul.

The ready-for-war property, which Paul has rented out for the last 14 years, is currently undergoing a refurbishment ahead of him and his family moving back in.

He plans to finally transform the basement, which is as big as the entire house, into a space to watch films, and use the bunker for storing alcohol.

Where better to raise a glass to the end of the world?

"The beauty is when you lock the door, nobody can get into it," he said.

"I've never been worried that I will get stuck in there because the locking system is incredibly safe, so that's not a problem, but the sound of silence is piercing."

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