A Second World War buff has created the ultimate 1940s man cave in his garden – turning an Anderson Shelter into a peaceful retro retreat.
Trad Casey, 58, became fascinated with the home front – or civilian life during the war – thanks to the recollections of his grandmother.
So when Covid-19 left the country in lockdown, he seized the chance to build an Anderson shelter in his garden in Weymouth.
Now kitted out with a wood burner, a bed, a comfy chair, and a range of wartime relics, it’s the ideal place for a peaceful pint.
Mr Casey said: “I’ve got a wood burner in there and on a really cold night in the winter, I’ll sit in there and have a couple of pints, and cook some spam on the fire.”
He continued: “My daughter comes home in the winter, and my wife and her will be nattering away, and watching Big Brother or some crap like that on the telly.
“When that happens, I could go up the pub and spend a fortune, or sit in there and have a few drinks. It’s surprisingly pleasant.”
Designed in 1938, Anderson shelters were made with galvanised corrugated steel, and were meant to be partially buried in Britain’s gardens as a defence against air raid attacks.
Roughly 1.5 million shelters were distributed between February 1939 and the outbreak of war, with a further 2.1 million erected during the conflict.
Trad, a marine plumber, said: “I was always interested in what civilians went through. I quite like learning about how people lived during the war.
“Probably about five, six years ago, I had this idea I’d like to have an Anderson Shelter.
“You dig a hole, between three and four foot deep, you pile up all the soil, and then you construct the thing just like they would have done.
“Then all the soil that you dug out of the hole goes on top of it.”
He continued: “I had a real job digging it out. I think that probably took me three or four weeks.
“But it was still during Covid, and I had some time, so I really went for it – I wanted to get it done.”
Among the wartime artifacts inside are a gas rattle and mask, an all-clear bell, a first aid kit, and shelves stocked with various old-fashioned provisions.
Mr Casey said: “Some might think it’s weird – I mean, you’ve got to be a bit weird anyway to put one in your garden, I suppose.
“But you know what blokes are like with man caves. No matter how old they are, it’s still like when you’re a kid and you had a den.
“So, yeah, I do enjoy it. It’s quite nice, it’s just relaxing.”
The original Anderson shelters were issued free to low-income households, while higher earners had to pay £7 – some £500 in today’s money.
In Trad’s case, most of the shelter is a replica, costing roughly £400 from Tinman Steels.
But the facade is a wartime original, which spent the conflict in Weymouth’s heavily-bombed Chapelhay area.
Anderson shelters were named for Sir John Anderson, the minister responsible for civil defence.