WOMAN DISCOVERS UNTOUCHED WORLD WAR TWO SHELTER ROOM HIDDEN IN 'STORAGE CUPBOARD’
Mia Gray, a resident of a tenement in Edinburgh, Scotland, was left stunned when they stumbled on a significant discovery. Years after moving into her building, Mia discover an untouched World War II air-raid shelter in the basement.
Mia said other residents had dismissed the space simply as a storage cupboard after finding it full of old paint cans and discarded items. However, it was not until a new neighbour moved into the building and asked about the room. Upon properly exploring the space, they discovered its original purpose. The room was once an air-raid shelter and still has many original features perfectly preserved more than 75 years later.
Mia has lived in the building since December 2016, along with her husband and young sons. She explained that neither she nor her husband had given the room a second look until the new tenant, Liz Mowbray, moved in and decided to organise a clear out.
The 33-year-old explained that "When we first moved in, we just assumed it was a store cupboard in the basement. The door was slightly ajar, but it just looked full of rubbish – old paint cans and carpet off cuts etc, so we never ventured in. Then a new neighbour moved in and asked about it and discovered the rubbish didn't belong to anyone that currently lived there, so she arranged for it to be cleared out."
They discovered that the room was far greater than any of them had expected once it was cleared out. The tenants found old washbasins, a heater and dilapidated wooden bunk beds for residents in the event they were required to take shelter in the basement.
"There is a bench that runs all the way round the walls, 'No Smoking' signs, an emergency exit, an old stove and two triple bunks too. There were more, I think, but they were very damaged. The ceiling is reinforced with sheets of metal. It's an old washroom, so it still has two sinks, a mangle and a boiler in it as well."
Mia was left shocked after knowing that the piece of history was located right underneath them the whole time.
"I suspect a previous occupant used it as storage after the war, and no one ever bothered to throw anything out. The wash room obviously wasn't needed anymore, so no one ever really went down there. It's such an interesting part of history, especially after posting online and finding out it was quite an unusual find. I think the fact that the triple bunks are still there is quite unusual too."