Forgotten history of the secret bunker in garden
TUCKED away at the back of Elena San Emeterio’s garden in north Manchester there’s an air raid shelter – built to protect families from the bombing campaign during the Second World War.
Elena has lived at her flat in Cleveland Road, Crumpsall, for three years and has always been fascinated by the rich history buried among the paving stones.
The 39-year-old Spanish native has lived in the apartment with her family since October 2015.
Speaking of the exciting relic, she said: “The shelter is really nice and we always joke about getting it ready in case the Third World War starts.
“Obviously, it is so old that it would not work at all. But it is nice to have it and imagine about its history.”
According to historians at The University of Manchester, the brick shelter is typical of those built during the Second World War.
Dr Frances Houghton, a lecturer in modern British history, said: “These types of wartime shelter were certainly quite popular – alongside the more famous Anderson and Morrison shelters – and there have been a number of similar finds across British gardens in recent years.
“It’s exciting for the homeowner, though, especially as Crumpsall was bombed again in mid-1941 when everyone hoped the main Blitz was over.”
More than 800 civilians were killed in two nights of intense bombing in Manchester in December 1940, with the campaign coming to a halt on Christmas Eve.