Cold War artifact: underground English nuclear bunker sold on eBay

English nuclear bunker sold on eBay

LONDON — An underground nuclear bunker in the bucolic English countryside has been sold on the auction site eBay.

The bunker was built by the Royal Observer Corps at the height of the Cold War in 1959 to monitor the spread of radiation after a nuclear blast.

It was sold by an unidentified private owner for 20,600 pounds ($31,000) Monday after more than 40 bids were received. The opening price was 500 pounds ($755).

The two-room bunker 15 feet beneath the ground comes equipped with a phone, a chemical toilet and several air shafts. It is located in the Derbyshire Peak District 160 miles (260 kilometers) northwest of London.

The Royal Observer Corps built a series of bunkers across Britain. They were decommissioned in 1991.