Anderson Shelter Restoration: Day 18-22

After the successful trial-fitting of the six side panels of the Anderson shelter indoors, it  was time to place the base into the 3-foot deep hole we had dug in the garden. Unfortunately, the hole required widening before the base would fit in properly, and two additional full-depth slots were required to accommodate the front panels. This took 2 days to complete. During this time, we also cut the 3 rear panels to size, bolted them together and painted them.

Once the base was correctly positioned in the hole, we adjusted it to ensure it was level, using a spirit level.

When we were happy that all was straight, we began adding the panels. We began with the two rear panels, followed by the two front panels, and finally added the two middle panels. These were bolted into place using a mixture of original bolts and nuts, and modern ones to replace the missing ones. The square washers had to be cut from steel sheet, as these are no-longer available to purchase.

With the roof of the shelter erected, we trial-fitted the front panels before calling it a night on the Wednesday; it was 10.45pm by the time we had finished!

The next day, we adjusted and fitted the front panels securely, and fitted the rear panels in place, again checking all was level. Finally, we began to fill the sides of the hole flush with the level of the ground surrounding the shelter. 

The next step will be to dig out the front of the shelter to form a step into the doorway. This will be 1 foot deep, and will extend to the full width of the shelter. This 'porch' area will then be lined with sandbags, as it would've been during the war. Once this has been done, the roof of the shelter will be covered with about 9-12 inches of soil to completely conceal it under the ground.