Peak District nuclear bunker sells for £36,000 - almost double its guide price

The inside of the one room nuclear bunker.
-Credit: (Image: Appeal PR/ SDL property Auctions)


A nuclear bunker in the middle of a Peak District field has realised double its guide price in an online auction. The Royal Observer Corps bunker, which sits underneath a farmer's field in Wormhill, near Buxton, went for £36,000, plus fees, at the final hammer and had been guided at between £15,000 and £20,000 plus fees.

Dozens of bidders chased the property on auction day, having previously drawn a lot of attention from across the UK with potential buyers coming all the way from Cornwall for two viewing days that were held previously.

The bunker was sold with different Cold War memorabilia items still inside, including an original Royal Observer Corp Jacket as well as binoculars, a red hotline phone and asbestos fire blanket case.

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The property consists of one room with a double bed and a wood burner and was designed to accommodate three people, and supplies to last for three weeks.

The hatch that leads into the mysterious Cold War nuclear bunker.
The hatch that leads into the mysterious Cold War nuclear bunker -Credit:Appeal PR/ SDL property Auctions

The seller had listed the property as dry, clean and also had installed a modern chemical toilet for those looking to stay in the property.

When Jim Demitriou, the estate agent for SDL Property Auctions, took Derbyshire Live around the bunker, he said: “I’ve actually sold two other nuclear bunkers, the owners have been seeking me out after seeing the others sold.

"I’ve become a bit of authority on the topic. This property only comes with the plot of land that it sits on top of, unlike the others I have sold. It's quite interesting as we get all sorts of people coming to have a look because it has ‘nuclear’ in the name, but the people who actually bid tend to be history enthusiasts."

The bunker was one of 1,5630 monitoring posts built by the Royal Observer Corps nationwide in case of nuclear attack. They operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.