15 hours ago
Ideal for a first-time hider: World War II bunker on sale in Kent is perfect for those hoping to getaway from a potential nuclear global apocalypse
A WW2 bunker on sale in Kent is the perfect hideaway for those hoping to escape a potential end days even such as a global nuclear apocalypse.
An area of woodland which includes two bunker networks near the entrance to popular Hargate Forest on the edge of Tunbridge Wells is taking offers from history enthusiasts and preppers.
The land off Broadwater Down encompasses 4.7 acres and is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
According to estate agents Savills, it has two separate bunkers which add up to around 7,000 square feet of space.
It could make the perfect development opportunity for a new 'prepper', a member of the largely online community which documents how they prepare for natural disasters or global apocalypse.
This typically includes stocking months of food and water, back up electrical supplies and medical equipment.
Amid current global tensions and conflicts breaking out in the Middle East, the trend is becoming especially popular.
The bunkers, some 60 feet below ground, were built during the Second World War and were once home to the Royal Corps of Signals, a combat support arm of the British Army responsible for providing vital communication and information systems.
The site is being marketed as an 'investment opportunity for sale with potential for future redevelopment'.
The property is located on the southern edge of Tunbridge Wells approximately 1.4 miles southwest of the town centre, 2.7 miles east of Groombridge and 2.25 miles northwest of the village of Bells Yew Green.
Drawings and plans of the bunker show the complex had two long tunnels with eight rooms leading off.
It was used for around 12 months before it became clear there was a substantial flooding problem, likely due to it being constructed out of sandstone and clay.
Urban explorers who have visited the site recently have found chest-height water in much of the complex, meaning it would likely need substantial redevelopment.
The bunkers fell out of use by 1942, and the Ministry of Defence sealed off access in 1946.
There is however ample evidence the site has been accessed often in the time since, including by social media explorers who typically film their visits to historic sites and post them online.
Public footpaths also pass through the area.
The bunker system was built during the Second World War and were once home to the Royal Corps of Signals, a combat support arm of the British Army responsible for providing vital communication and information systems
Visitors to dry parts of the tunnels have left rubbish and graffiti behind
There was speculation the complex was built for Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the best known British general of the second world war - but he denied this in the 1960s.
Regardless it is thought the system was constructed as a potential military command centre in the case of any Nazi invasion onto British soil.
The land is currently available for 'unconditional offers'. A tree preservation order is in place on approximately half of it, limiting any purchasers ability to remove the woodland.
Savills said: 'Set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the land extends to approximately 1.90 hectares (4.69 acres) of woodland, containing a mixture of mainly hardwood species, including standards, coppice, and naturally regenerating young oak.
'The land also contains a subterranean network of bunkers and passages, some 60 feet below ground, built between 1940 and 1941 and occupied by members of the Royal Corps of Signals.
'Three access points are recorded which are triangularly orientated to each other throughout the property and appear to comprise brick with single openings. All three accesses are permanently closed to prevent trespass.'
