A site in Tilehurst, on the western edge of Reading, Berkshire, is heading to auction later this month with a guide price of between £300,000 and £325,000. The land includes a swimming pool, changing rooms, a workshop, and planning permission for two new homes. However, the most distinctive feature lies out of sight: a network of tunnels and rooms stretching more than 15 metres below ground, complete with a goods lift, water supply, and even an underground railway.
Underground complex with railway and lift
BTG Eddisons, the auctioneer handling the sale, describes the subterranean space as suitable for a fallout bunker, an EMP-resistant server farm, or "secure, discrete storage," calling it "a prepper's paradise." The tunnels and rooms are accessible via a metal spiral staircase, and images show brick-lined passages, some with exposed rock and earth. The underground area also features a track system, with a switch at a crossover point.
Above ground, the site includes a 2,556 sq ft workshop over three floors, parking, gardens, and a large swimming pool with an eye-catching metal rocket and slide. Planning permission is in place for a two-storey, five-bedroom house on the pool's footprint, as well as conversion of the workshop into a three-bedroom house.
Unique opportunity for imaginative buyers
BTG Eddisons described the site as "a truly unique opportunity" and noted that a secure gated driveway leads to the property. In a statement, the auctioneer said: "In a desirable and established residential area, a secure gated driveway leads to this large site which contains a 2,556 sq ft workshop over three floors, parking, gardens, a large swimming pool, and changing rooms." They added: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an imaginative buyer dedicated to the extraordinary."
The underground rooms have drawn comparisons to fictional settings. One Reddit user wrote: "What a strange mix of features and styles. It's the most Fallout IRL thing I've ever seen," referencing the video game and TV series set after a nuclear war. Others likened it to a James Bond villain's lair or Tracy Island from the 1960s puppet show Thunderbirds. Another commenter said: "This is so bizarre. That rocket slide looks comically Soviet. And the tunnels have tracks as well. Even a switch at the crossroad. This is amazing in a questionable way."
Auction details and bidding requirements
The property will be sold in a live-streamed auction held over two days, starting Wednesday, October 28, and continuing the following day. Interested bidders must register in advance through the auctioneer's bidding platform. The successful bidder will be required to pay a buyer's fee of £2,700, along with a 10 per cent deposit, subject to a minimum of £5,000.
