A modest cottage in the English countryside hides a 35,000-square-foot secret nuclear bunker — take a look inside

Matthew WilsonJul 7, 2020, 02:00 IST

The Kelvedon Hatch bunker.© J.A. Parish and Sons

In 1952, the British government built the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker on the Parish family's property.
A cottage was built to hide the entrance to the bunker, which is 100 feet below the ground.
In recent years, the family has opened the bunker to visitors.

While it may look like a cozy countryside cottage from the outside, the inside holds a decades-old secret — this cottage actually houses the entrance to a secret nuclear bunker.

Built in the 1950s by the British government, the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker became a place for government officials to flee in case of nuclear war.

Now a tourist attraction, the bunker's owner Mike Parish spoke with Insider about its unique history and its place in his own family's legacy.

Mike Parish, a fifth generation farmer, inherited land from his family in Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, in England. It included a secret bunker hidden from the public eye.

Mike Parish. Sion Touhig/Getty Images

While it may look cozy from the outside, this cottage was built to hide the entrance to the secret bunker.

The Kelvedon Hatch cottage. © J.A. Parish and Sons

The entrance tunnel to the bunker is larger than a football field.

The bunker's entrance. Sion Touhig/Getty Images

The 35,000-square-foot bunker is about 100 feet below ground.

The Kelvedon Hatch nuclear bunker. © J.A. Parish and Sons

The nuclear bunker was one of 18 built in the country.

A class or briefing room in The Kelvedon Hatch bunker. ©J.A. Parish and Sons

In the 1960s, the bunker became a regional government headquarters for local government officials.

The Kelvedon Hatch bunker blast doors. © J.A. Parish and Sons

It was decommissioned in 1992 and is now a tourist attraction.

Transmission room in The Kelvedon Hatch bunker. Sion Touhig/Getty Images

The family imagined how the bunker might have looked when it was occupied, like this kitchen filled with food.

Another room shows a bedroom lined with cans.

Bedroom in The Kelvedon Hatch bunker. Sion Touhig/Getty Images

Parish had to hunt for and buy many of the genuine artifacts now found in the bunker.

Gas masks. Sion Touhig/Getty Images

He views the bunker as a piece of his family's legacy that he can pass down to future generations.

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