Jiggy
03-01-2010, 05:06 AM
LONDON (AFP) – A Cold War-era nuclear bunker has been put up for sale on online auction site eBay, with bids reaching as high as £19,100 on Monday.
"A rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Cold War history," read the sale advert on the website.
"Set in a stunning location with glorious views. Your own nuclear bunker within a plot of land and much original equipment," it said of the underground shelter which is located in the Peak District in Derbyshire.
After the auction for the underground shelter opened late on Thursday, starting at £500, a bidding war saw the price rocket. After 35 bids, the price tag hit £19,100 early on Monday.
Late Sunday, eBay listed the top bid as more than £27,000 but later cancelled this offer saying it had been an "unsound bid". The auction ends on March 7.
The bunker came into service in 1959 and was used by the Royal Observer Corps, a civilian defence organisation composed mainly of volunteers who had the task of reporting nuclear attack and fallout.
The shelter was fully operational until 1991 when it was decommissioned as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Measuring 50 feet by 50 feet (15 metres), the bunker is on farmland and in an "elevated position with panoramic views," says the seller.
The bolt-hoe, which is "accessed via a metal hatch and shaft", lies 15 feet underground and has two rooms -- a chemical toilet and monitoring room -- and two ventilation shafts.
As well as furniture, the buyer will also receive a siren box, enamel bucket, jerry cans and rope for hauling heavy items up the shaft, said the advert.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100301/wl_uk_afp/britainhistoryinternetebayoffbeat
"A rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Cold War history," read the sale advert on the website.
"Set in a stunning location with glorious views. Your own nuclear bunker within a plot of land and much original equipment," it said of the underground shelter which is located in the Peak District in Derbyshire.
After the auction for the underground shelter opened late on Thursday, starting at £500, a bidding war saw the price rocket. After 35 bids, the price tag hit £19,100 early on Monday.
Late Sunday, eBay listed the top bid as more than £27,000 but later cancelled this offer saying it had been an "unsound bid". The auction ends on March 7.
The bunker came into service in 1959 and was used by the Royal Observer Corps, a civilian defence organisation composed mainly of volunteers who had the task of reporting nuclear attack and fallout.
The shelter was fully operational until 1991 when it was decommissioned as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Measuring 50 feet by 50 feet (15 metres), the bunker is on farmland and in an "elevated position with panoramic views," says the seller.
The bolt-hoe, which is "accessed via a metal hatch and shaft", lies 15 feet underground and has two rooms -- a chemical toilet and monitoring room -- and two ventilation shafts.
As well as furniture, the buyer will also receive a siren box, enamel bucket, jerry cans and rope for hauling heavy items up the shaft, said the advert.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100301/wl_uk_afp/britainhistoryinternetebayoffbeat