When Paul Hendry-Smith first viewed a home in Little Snoring, Norfolk, about 16 years ago, he discovered an unexpected feature hidden beneath the property: a large nuclear fallout shelter built in the 1970s. Constructed by a previous owner concerned about Cold War tensions, the concrete bunker includes a heavy steel door, a former decontamination area, and an escape tunnel leading to the garden.

Rather than being deterred, Hendry-Smith was intrigued. He initially saw the expansive basement as a potential home cinema and now plans to use the bunker space for wine and alcohol storage. The underground structure, as large as the house itself, stays cool in summer and warm in winter, making it practical as well as unusual.

Interest in private bunkers has grown in Britain in recent years amid global conflicts, with manufacturers reporting a sharp rise in inquiries. After renting out the property for more than a decade, Hendry-Smith is refurbishing the house and preparing to move back in, embracing the bunker as both a novelty and a distinctive feature of the home.