A site in Berkshire featuring underground tunnels, a goods lift and even an underground railway is set to go under the hammer later this month. The property, located in Tilehurst on the western edge of Reading, carries a guide price of between £300,000 and £325,000.
Tunnels extend more than 15 metres below ground
The site includes a swimming pool, changing rooms and a workshop, along with planning permission for two new homes. But it is what lies beneath that makes it extraordinary. Extending more than 15 metres below ground is a network of tunnels and chambers, equipped with a goods lift, water supply and an underground railway.
BTG Eddisons, the firm handling the auction, said the tunnels could serve multiple functions, including as a fallout bunker, an EMP-resistant server farm or for "secure, discrete storage", branding it "a prepper's paradise". It added: "This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for an imaginative buyer dedicated to the extraordinary."
Planning permission for two homes
Photos of the subterranean rooms reveal a metal spiral staircase descending to a spacious room featuring a yellow and blue chequered floor with light blue walls, alongside another vast open area boasting yellow walls and a blue carpet. Further images capture the brick-lined tunnels, and even one where raw rock and earth remain exposed.
Billed as being in a "prime residential location", planning permission has been granted for a two-storey, five-bedroom house on the swimming pool site, plus the conversion of the workshop into a three-bedroom home. There's even a striking metal rocket and slide beside the pool.
Describing the site as "a truly unique opportunity", BTG Eddisons said: "In a desirable and established residential area, a secure gated driveway leads to this large site which contains a 2,556 sq ft workshop over three floors, parking, gardens, a large swimming pool, and changing rooms."
Online reaction to the property
Reddit users were captivated by the property. One commented: "What a strange mix of features and styles. It's the most Fallout IRL (in real life) thing I've ever seen." Fallout is a popular video game franchise, as well as an Amazon Prime TV series, portraying a world devastated by nuclear war.
Others drew comparisons to a James Bond villain's lair, as well as Tracy Island from the beloved 1960s puppet series Thunderbirds. One user remarked: "This is so bizarre. That rocket slide looks comically Soviet. And the tunnels have tracks as well. Even a switch at the crossroad. This is amazing in a questionable way."
Yet another chimed in: "Very nice. In my head as I doze off at night, I've already almost finished building an ideal underground complex so this would fit nicely with making it a reality." One user wrote: "Think I'd prefer a cabin in the woods to a bunker underneath Reading." To which someone swiftly replied: "I've seen disaster movies, Reading never gets hit by meteors, zombies or Godzillas."
How to bid on the site
The site will go under the hammer in a live-streamed auction taking place over two days on Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29. Those interested in bidding must register in advance at https://bidding.eigpropertyauctions.co.uk/. The winning bidder will need to pay a buyer's fee of £2,700, along with a 10 per cent deposit, subject to a minimum of £5,000.
