Sold! Cold war bunker finds buyer

AN underground Cold War bunker near Kingsbridge, which would have housed the top brass of the South West in a nuclear war, has sold at auction for £433,000.

The Grade II listed building was sold at a virtual auction held by Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers on February 10.

Hope Cove Bunker was originally built as a World War II radar station in 1941 although was later redeveloped in 1952 during which time Britain was facing a new threat from the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

It was originally active between 1941 and 1945, working to assist the nearby RAF Bolt Head in tracking and intercepting hostile aircraft as they passed over South Devon overnight.

It comes complete with 56 rooms over two floors and walls one-metre thick. Bunk beds, phonelines and the broadcasting studio that were contained within the bunker have all been dismantled.

There were 17 nuclear bunkers across England and Wales which served in the Cold War with Hope Cove being one of the last to be sold.