Fascinating conversation on my run

After a few months of struggling to fit in my runs, this week has been just perfect (even if a bit wet at times). No running on Christmas or Boxing Day as we had visitors but on Monday, I was free to run when and as far as I wanted. I decided to go for my 6k (ish) route and set out quite early. The weather was a bit grim but that didn’t seem to matter and with nobody else about the time just flew by and before I knew it, I was at the point I begin my cool-down walk. As I turned into my road, I met the only other people I know that go running down my road. We exchanged the usual Christmas pleasantries and agreed to all go out for a run together the one day during the week.

An exchange of texts later that day and we confirmed an earlyish Wednesday morning run. Knowing when I run with them, the pace is slower than my normal one, I decided to go for a longer run on the Tuesday as I would not be pushing it too had the following day. I got in a nice 10K run although I did get a bit wet.

Wednesday’s weather was looking better as I walked down towards where my running companions lived and got there just as they emerged. We started our walk while catching up as we had not really had a good chat in quite a few weeks. We soon got onto the subject of their gym they are building in what turned out to be a large, converted bomb/fall-out shelter that had been built in their garden by a previous owner in the late 40’s or early 50’s. The last I had heard they were trying to find out more about it.

As we jogged along, I was told how their neighbour was still in contact with a woman who cared for the elderly woman that lived in the house until she died a few years ago. She in turn put them in contact with one of the woman’s relatives who they contacted thinking they had nothing to lose. They got an enthusiastic response when they mentioned the shelter as the relative was the grandson of the last owner that lived in the house and is tracing his family tree, a project that his late father started. The house had been in the family since it was built, and the family originally owned a large area of farmland around it. There is a mystery surrounding his grandparents and the fact there was a shelter on his land has made it even more interesting for him. He has sent over details of his family history which I am told is extremely interesting reading.

As we came to the end of out run, I was told a few of the family history details that they have seen, some which were a bit shocking and if it had been my family, I would have kept quite about it. I have been invited round to have a read of all the information. My husband has always been interested in the local history of where we live so I am sure he will be keen to find out the details too.

During Thursdays and todays runs the weather held out OK but I kept think about the quirky family history of the original owners of the land we live on. Cannot wait to read all those details.

[misswobble Graduate10]

That’s an interesting run for sure 🙂👍. You never know where a run will take you.

My last house had a large, brick-built,buried air raid shelter in the garden. Once unearthed it was a source of interest and we had various groups wanting to visit 🙂

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

It definitely has me intrigued. It is huge, I would say it is 10m by 7m in side. When their electrician started removing panelling off the wall and lifting the floor he found a bricked up doorway at the back and the actual floor of the room is about one and a half meters below the wooden floor. They are not sure if this originally led to the house or if there is another room on the other side. A previous owner had cut out part of the wall facing down the garden and put glass doors in. the current owners didn't know if was there when they bought the place as the garden was so overgrown that they could not get down the steps either side.

[misswobble Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Ours had a really long lead-in to it from the house that took up most of the garden I don’t suppose they were worried about that back then 🙂. My hens used to use it as a launch pad for their take-offs😀

We only used ours as garden storage once we’d unearthed it. It had two doors, presumably for protection from droughts as people came and went. We imagined what it would have been like down there when in use, if indeed it was ever used

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

From what I have heard, air-raid shelters were quite common in peoples gardens but tended to be small as they were only occupied for a matter of hours. Some were brick but others were just corrugated iron.Fallout shelters were to be used following a nuclear attack and you would need to be in there for months until the radiation was at a safer level. All food and water and possibly air would need to be stored in there too.

My neighbours believe theirs is a fallout shelter as it appears to have been built in the late 40's or early 50's after the war. Although it seems large, I don't think it would seem that way even after a few days inside. The thought of it is frightening enough.

One of the people that have seen it worked out that in todays money it would cost about £40,000 just for the concrete used in its construction.

They also think, the cost of opening up one wall and putting in the doors to the garden would have cost a bit too as they had to cut through walls that are over half a meter thick reinforced concrete.

Whoever built it must have been seriously worried about what may happen.

[misswobble Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Mmmm. Interesting stuff The worried well off! 😀. Could you imagine post-apocalyptic life? No don’t go there!

We wondered if ours was WW1 as we found a 1918 Punch magazine down there. Then used for WW11. Brick built, two doors, really thick concrete lid. My husband was fascinated with it and looked after it but not out of any fear we might need to actually use it for it’s intended purpose. I’d like to think it’s still there 🙂