Grandfather Discovers A WWII Bomb Shelter Under His Lawn And Converts It Into A Bar

• Patel was gardening and decided to inspect the manhole cover in his lawn.
• He and a friend started digging and eventually saw that it was staircase that went 10 feet underground.
• He decided to turn the shelter into a bar where family and friends can relax.

Imagine living in your home for 40 years and not knowing what lies beneath it. One can only think what Khandu Patel, a 68-year-old man living in Wolverhampton in the UK, felt when he discovered a World War II bomb shelter right under his own house!

Patel was gardening and decided to inspect the manhole cover in his lawn. He and his wife are living in a semi-detached house which was built in the 1920s. Perhaps unknown to him, the previous owner had excavated a sizable air raid shelter in the garden.

In an interview with The Sun, Patel said that he has always wondered about the presence of the manhole cover in his garden. During the lockdown, he and a friend decided to lift the cover up and see what’s underneath. They discovered concrete.

They started digging and eventually saw that it was staircase. The two became even more amazed as the steps eventually appeared. The steps went 10 feet under the garden and then they discovered the shelter, made of brick and concrete.

Patel decided to turn this awesome space into a bar. He painted the walls and installed lighting.

“We reckon most of the street would have used it during the war. It could probably have got 40 people inside cramped. We’re turning it into a bar. It’s going to be where we can relax and when allowed, have family over,” he said.

A similiar thing happened in Eastleigh, Hampshire when a man named Daniel Hibdige discovered a WWII bomb shelter under his garden. His wife called him about a sinkhole that formed in their lawn, which formed when the entrances to the bunker began to collapse.

When they checked it thoroughly, it turned out to be a bunker that would have been a communal facility for people who were caught out in the open during an air raid.