Home-Made Nuclear Bunker, built in 1982, becomes Grade II Listed Building
Historic England has awarded listed building status to a homemade nuclear fall-out shelter, erected in the owner's back garden in 1982.
The bunker (which is only a few years older than I am) has been deemed historically significant as it is one of the few surviving reminders of the impact the Cold War threat had on the public.
Historic England has described the bunker as
" ...a rare example of a private nuclear shelter as very few are known to survive. It vividly illustrates public anxiety during a period of heightened tension towards the end of the Cold War and therefore fully merits being Grade II listed."
That said, as a 'relic' of the 80s myself, I am struggling to come to terms with the era having become a period of 'historic interest' quite so quickly!
A DIY nuclear bunker built at the height of Cold War fear has received Grade II listing from Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch.
The shelter, constructed in 1982 in the owner’s back garden, is one of the few surviving reminders of the impact the Cold War threat had on the public.
Noel Barrett used mainly second-hand materials such as reinforced concrete, steel and brick to create the one-storey bunker, which was designed to protect him and his family in the event of nuclear fall-out.
Construction took almost six months of weekend work to complete, and even included domestic comforts such as a spa bath and carpeting. While domestic shelters were commercially available during the Cold War, very few were actually built.
Experts say the building is historically important as it shows the nervousness that people felt during the Cold War...
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