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'Hole in the ground' bunker to go under the hammer

Andrew Turner/BBC For sale board, which reads "Auction Brown and Co" and gives contact details: brown-co.com 01603 629871, with concrete access to left of the sign, and a fork lift telehandler to the right, set within a fieldAndrew Turner/BBC
The auction for the former nuclear bunker goes live at 11:00 GMT on 12 November and runs for 24 hours

A Cold War nuclear bunker with no toilet or running water is to go under the hammer in a 24-hour online auction.

The bunker, which is beneath a farmer's field at Repps with Bastwick, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, has a guide price of between £10,000 and £20,000.

It was built in the 1950s as an observation post and was designed to house up to three people for up to three weeks in the event of an atomic strike.

Owner Fred Sharman said he did not know who would buy the bunker, adding: "There's no facilities of electric, toilet or water but there is what I call a 'bucket and chuck-it' toilet."

Andrew Turner/BBC Fred Sharman, wearing a herringbone jacket, sitting in the cab of his fork lift telehandler cab.Andrew Turner/BBC
Landowner Fred Sharman said he was inspired to sell the bunker after seeing a feature on BBC Breakfast News earlier in October

Mr Sharman said: "I think it's going to be someone a bit quirky. I don't think it's the everyday persons' sort of thing but it's whatever floats your boat and maybe that person's out there.

"I saw one advertised and I thought I've got one of those and thought I'd see what I could do with it.

"If someone sees it and it's something that they want, and it's in their money margin, then I've got nothing to lose. It's just a lump of concrete to me."

Supplied Artists impression of living conditions within the nuclear bunker showing one man climbing in through the access hatch, on the top left, with the ladder shown beneath, and a man sitting at a desk with another man standing near a bunk bed on the right, with the ventilation shaft to the surfaceSupplied
The bunker was designed to house up to three personnel for up to three weeks to keep observation in the aftermath of a nuclear attack

Auctioneer Trevor Blythe, from Brown and Co estate agents, said there were about 1,500 similar bunkers built around the UK and some of them had sold for good money.

He said: "Who's to buy it, who's to say. Probably an enthusiast or somebody who just wants something a little bit quirky, or perhaps to retain a little bit of British heritage.

"It's not that practical; I don't think there's any specific use for it. Maybe a wine cellar, but that's about it.

"I can't think of any other use for it except to come down and enjoy it for what it is; a hole in the ground."

Andrew Turner/BBC A green tin toilet with the toilet seat broken, hanging from the top of the hinge mechanism Debris and dirt is on the floor nearby.Andrew Turner/BBC
The bunker comes complete with it's rudimentary 'bucket and chuck-it' toilet
Andrew Turner/BBC Trevor Blythe, in a black jacket and pink shirt, standing in the bunker, and the ventilation shaft to the left of the image.Andrew Turner/BBC
Estate agent Trevor Blythe said anyone hoping to convert the bunker to residential or holiday use would have to inquire with the local planning authority

The bunker, which is next to a roadside, will be sold with a small parcel of land to allow for parking. Mr Sharman said when in military ownership a shed stood near the site, but that was removed some years ago.

Mr Blythe said any change of use or converted for holiday accommodation, would likely require consent from the local planning authority.

He added: "I think it's highly unlikely, I don't think the local planners would allow anything specific because it would open the floodgates, but you never know.

"It's up to individuals to make their own inquiries."

Andrew Turner/BBC The bunker interior, with deteriorated polystyrene insulation on the walls, with graffiti, debris on the floor and a cupboard and shelves on the left and a ventilation shaft central on the upper part of the back wallAndrew Turner/BBC
The bunker is clad with polystyrene insulation and features a ventilation shaft, cupboard and shelves

The online auction starts at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday 12 November and runs for 24 hours.

Andrew Turner/BBC Vertical ladder on the left, looking up to a square aperture to the right, showing the clouded sky aboveAndrew Turner/BBC
Access to the bunker is through a small access hatch, and down a vertical ladder
Listen: A 1950s nuclear bunker has gone on the market at Repps with Bastwick.

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