Sixty years ago, an unassuming brick building in the affluent London suburb of Chislehurst disguised a government-built Cold War-era nuclear bunker, replete with food and fuel stocks and a backup generator powering its covert communications system.
Now, the undercover blockhouse has a state-of-the-art audio system, an indoor swimming pool and a formal dining room. But it won’t be private agents bunking in its 550-square-foot master suite, because the new owners turned it into a £3 million (US$3.8 million) luxury property, according to a listing by JDM Estate Agents.
Recently, there’s been significant interest in the five-bedroom mansion, said Steven May, manager of JDM’s Chislehurst branch.
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The home was once one of four Regional Control Centres around London, built in 1951, in the thick of the Cold War. Fearful of a Russian attack, British officials outfitted the suburban, Chislehurst edition with thick concrete walls and an air filtration system suited for a doomsday scenario.
"The residents of Chislehurst were intrigued to find out what the deep excavations and thick concrete walls would contain in the wooded grounds," reads JDM’s description.
Britons’ worst fears never materialized, of course. And with the threat of nuclear attack relegated to the history books, the bunker fell into disrepair.
Years after detente, in 1998, private buyers saw a diamond in the rough and bought the rundown estate with the aim of converting the old building into a luxury property in keeping with the neighborhood’s posh character.
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To give a sense of the neighborhood, nearby properties include a six-bedroom Georgian mansion just down the street from the bunker selling for £3 million and rustic four-bedroom cottage for £1.75 million (US $2.2 million), according to other JDM listings.
The home is now known as the "Glass House" thanks to its contemporary glass-wall addition, which contains a central pool and a winding staircase up to a sun-drenched sitting room and a second-floor, outdoor terrace.
Mr. May did not reveal the identity of the current owner. But it took the seller two years to reinvent the home, starting with busting through the thick concrete walls to carve out doors and windows. The result can be seen in the home’s deep window sills.
The bunker’s 1950s military technology has been replaced with electric-controlled curtains, windows and an audio system. The home also has an au pair’s suite, a game room and a three-car garage.