Tunnels of love! House with incredible underground network of passages and rooms dug by engineer and his children as fun family project sells for £375,000
A property in Tilehurst, Reading, with an extensive hand-dug underground network has sold at auction for £375,000. Built over two decades by civil engineer Tony Deane and later with help from his six children, the unusual complex is a striking family project and a feature that could shape how a buyer uses the site.
The tunnels and rooms cover more than 1,300 square feet, descend through four levels to over 15 metres underground and include a railway, a one-tonne goods lift and concealed doors. The auction guide price was £300,000 to £325,000; the site also includes a three-storey workshop, pool and gardens, with planning consent for a new five-bedroom house and conversion of the workshop into a three-bedroom home.
In short
- A hand-dug underground network helped a Reading property sell for £375,000.
- The tunnels span four levels and reach more than 15 metres underground.
- The site has planning consent for two homes.
Explained simply
Tilehurst is a residential area of Reading, in Berkshire. The site combines a house and gardens with a workshop, and has planning consent for new homes.
Civil engineer Tony Deane spent about 20 years digging a network of underground passages and rooms, later involving his six children in the project. Such a large structure beneath a property is unusual, and its railway, lift and hidden doors may affect how a future owner uses or maintains the site.
The property also has scope for redevelopment under the existing planning consent. That means its value may reflect both the land and buildings above ground and the distinctive underground complex.
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