Britain's secret bunkers: The hideouts from the Cold War to WW2 being put to very different uses

Others, however, have been converted to underground farms, bars and homes Some like Kelvedon Hatch in Essex have been preserved for historic record Thousands of bunkers dating back to World War II and the Cold War are empty Thousands of bunkers dating back to the Second World War and Cold War lie disused and deserted across the UK. Octavian Fine Wines are now based in Corsham where there used to be a huge underground bunker used in both the Second World War and in the Cold War Owner of Octavian Wines Nigel Jagger said 'everybody thought was mad' when he decided to buy the huge underground storage unit to keep fine wines. The Cold War bunker built on Shrublands Road in Mistley, Essex was first built by the Military of Defence in 1951 as an operations room for the Royal Artillery In 2016, however, the bunker was bought by property developers who converted the space into two three-bedroom apartments and one four-bedroom apartment each enclosed by heavy blast doors In the event of the nuclear war, the bunker, made with 600mm concrete walls, would have been used to fire anti-aircraft defences into the sky. Cahoots, which opened in 2015, was previously an air raid shelter off Carnaby Street but it is now designed to be a post-World War Two station, decked out with carriages, bunk beds and sandbags from the era Under the ground near to the famous Gherkin building in London, a former 16,000sq ft subterranean site has been converted into a nine-hole crazy golf course and night club Cahoots, which opened in 2015, was previously an air raid shelter off Carnaby Street but it is now designed to be a post-World War Two station, decked out with carriages, bunk beds and sandbags from the era. AND WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THEM NOW GROUP 1 : In the car park of a solicitors' office; was used for storage but is now empty and hosts occasional tours GROUP 3 : Above-ground buildings were demolished but the bunker is still intact - under a new-build block of student flats GROUP 5 : Bunker remains in the rear car park of a veterinary surgery; owner declined to comment on its use GROUP 9 : Lay derelict for many years - but has now been turned into a five-bedroom house with a timber frame outside GROUP 10 : Was empty for several years but has since reopened as a post-apocalyptic laser tag arena run by UCZ Paintball GROUP 12 : Converted and used as a conference centre by the Avon Fire Brigade GROUP 15 : Bunker is now kitted out as a 'house' with several fully-furnished rooms and used by police for domestic incident training GROUP 16 : Ground-level building remains almost completely identical - but has been turned into a vet's surgery GROUP 17 : Converted in 2005 into a 16-room recording studio which has remixed tracks for Rihanna and Kylie Minogue GROUP 20 : Bought by English heritage and fully restored, this is the only ROC HQ of its kind which is open as a fully-fledged tourist attraction GROUP 21 : Was bought by another vets' surgery but has since been sold to a private owner in Cheshire GROUP 27 : Currently being converted into a family home with a granny flat, large windows and views of Ardmucknish Bay GROUP 28 : A housing estate was built around it - so the bunker was disguised with a brick and pebbledash-clad 'sham house' GROUP 31 : The bunker was built on an operational Army base and remains there, being used occasionally by the military If you enjoyed this article.