Dad transforms old 1950s bunker into quirky space - now it's up for auction

A dad has cleverly transformed an old nuclear bunker into a quirky home - and now it's going under the hammer. Jon Graves, 37, has renovated the 15ft-deep former Royal Observer Corps pit, which was once part of Britain's defences against radioactive explosions during the Cold War, to conserve a slice of British history.

When he bought the shelter three years ago, which was used from 1964 to 1991, it had been sealed with concrete. However, after breaking through it recently, Jon was amazed to find the military-grade sanctuary remained remarkably well-preserved.

His restoration journey has been shown on Channel 4's "George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces". Now Jon is moving to Dubai with his family in the new year, which has prompted Jon to auction off the historical site.

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Jon said: "It was never about modernising it. It was always about trying to get it back to a usable condition, similar to what it was historically. I didn’t want to put TVs in it. I didn’t want to put loads of tech in there, it was very much about 'Can we get it so it is a quiet space away from noise?."

Jon enjoyed the bunker's unique appeal and its use over the previous year, adding, "It’s such a quirky, great building and we used it loads last year, we had lots of fun. For it to just sit and rot away and get cold and damp and overgrown just feels like a waste."

As a multi-business owner, Jon has long harboured a fascination with the network of 1,500 observation bunkers across the nation. When a pit came up for sale near his home in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, the military enthusiast didn't hesitate to purchase it. Initially, he built decking on the 40ft by 50ft plot so he could camp with his family around the cavern.

However, Jon was amazed when he broke through the concrete cap of the bunker to discover it was watertight and relatively well-preserved inside. He shared: "I’d always wanted to own one, but every time I saw one come up, they were all down south, miles away from home."

"We’d never been in it. We took a punt really that it was going to be ok. The top of it was in a reasonable condition - all be it with the cap on top. And when we first opened it, it was bone dry inside, which was great. Then of course we could get on with decorating and renovating it."

Jon explained that if a nuclear weapon were detonated in Britain, it was expected that standard communication lines would fail. Observers in bunkers like his would have been responsible for spotting light from the blast or measuring nuclear fallout with their instruments.

It is believed that Jon's bunker, known as Upton ROC, detected radioactive material from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986. He has intentionally refurbished the underground space with items from the era when it was operational.

Jon said: "We tried to keep it in the same format, the same layout that was there originally, and I think we did that reasonably well. We ripped off all the old polystyrene tiles and cleaned it up, got rid of all the dead mice that were stuck in it, and just kind of decorated it.

"We furnished it and put back in what was already there. So we didn’t put brand new modern beds in, we put old metal beds back in. It was always about trying to tastefully restore it to a condition that you could stay and sleep in without the noise from outside."

Jon noted that the bunker would have been stocked with provisions to allow occupants to survive for two weeks underground in case of a nuclear explosion. However, he observed that since Donald Trump's election as US president, the number of potential buyers expressing concerns over future world conflicts had actually fallen.

Jon quipped: "You would think it would be the other way around. But it’s definitely topical with the way American politics is at the moment and with Russia and Ukraine fighting. It wouldn’t survive a direct hit, that’s for sure, but from a novel perspective, it’s definitely interesting."

The bunker is now on the market with a guide price of £15,000 to £20,000. Jon also mentioned that the freehold property isn't listed, which means new owners could redesign it as they see fit after getting planning permission.

Residents living nearby could easily drop by the bunker to unwind, as it's spacious enough to accommodate visitors. The nuclear bunker is set to be auctioned off by SDL Property Auctions on November 21, with the bidding process being livestreamed on their website.

Andrew Parker, an auctioneer and partner at the firm, noted: "There are only a handful of ROC nuclear bunkers left in the country so to have this lot for sale in our auction is quite unusual.

"This is only the fourth time we have had a bunker for sale, and the previous three that we have sold generated a lot of interest, and we’re confident this lot will do the same.

"Some of the interested parties are simply curious to see what the inside of a nuclear bunker looks like, however, many are genuinely considering purchasing to secure their own piece of history."