A father has built a man cave in the style of Winston Churchill’s wartime bunker with real submarine doors weighing 600 kilos each and reinforced walls – because it reminds him of a Second World War-themed pizza joint where his parents took him as a child. David Massey, 41, who built the bunker after his wife Magdalena suggested he convert their garage into a “man cave”, has gone to extreme lengths to recreate the 1940s wartime atmosphere, with original submarine doors salvaged from a Japanese U-boat worth £3,000 and Second World War-themed music playlists featuring artists from that time such as Dame Vera Lynn and Glenn Miller.
He also says it could provide shelter for his family in case of nuclear attack. While Dave, who lives with his wife and two daughters Sofia, nine, and Isabella, six, in Preston, meant for the bunker to be a place where he can relax with a glass whisky, it also serves its original purpose of providing shelter in case of attack, having been equipped with enough food and water to last a month and protective military “chem” suits in case of emergency.
The 180 square foot war room, which has its own toilet, shower and 55 inch TV, cost Dave around £20,000 to make but he says it reminds him of a better time and that it was worth every penny. “My wife said why don’t you turn the garage into a man cave, you deserve it,” said Dave, who owns ADS Automotive and Eldon Street Garage in Preston.
“We have a relatively small house and I live with three girls, so, you know, I don’t have a lot of man space really. So I was like: ‘Wicked.'”
Dave first toyed with the idea of making the bunker Star Wars themed given he is a “massive fan”, but decided it had already been done too many times before. Instead, he took inspiration from a WW2-themed pizza joint which his parents took him to as a young boy.
“When I was a lad, there was a pizza place in Preston called Winston’s where my mum and dad used to take me if I did well at school,” he said. It was fully immersive, so you would go in and they had bunkers in the basement, there were sandbags around the door, Vera Lynn was playing on the wireless, all the waitresses were dressed in 1930s gear, they had all the art work up from the Imperial War Museum, they had church pews and candlelight – it was very much made to feel like underground London during the Blitz.
“They did it well and not just that, they had the best pizzas, just on a different level, I just loved it.” Having decided on a theme, Dave took to Google in search of the first item on his man cave list, a pair of submarine doors.
“I tracked down a marine salvage company in Exeter called Trinity Marine and they had a pair of beautiful Japanese U-boat submarine doors for sale. I thought, ‘I’ll be having them’ – and they were not cheap.”
Dave paid £3,000 for each door, which weigh 600 kilos and had to be welded onto a specially designed steel frame concreted three feet into the ground. “They lock and seal perfectly like a submarine,” he said.
The bunker, which took around 18 months to complete and cost around £20,000, was completed on Dave’s birthday in September last year. “I’ve probably invested around 20 grand in total with all the decor, bits and bobs,” he said.
Dave re-ordered all of the posters from the imperial war museum and had a custom-made chesterfield sofa bed manufactured by Old Boot Sofas in Fulham. The war room also boasts an antique writing desk and drinks globe with a collection of whiskies and other beverages.
“When you come in to the room, you have to swivel the handle and pull open the door, and they’re 600 kilos the doors – it’s like going into a vault. I only play traditional music too, so I’ve got World War Two blitz-themed music playlists with all the classics from that era.
“So when you go in there, pour yourself a glass of whisky, light a cigar and listen to the music, you’re just back in time – it’s wicked.” While the bunker’s primary purpose is to serve as a place for relaxation, it can also be used in the more traditional sense and Dave has purchased chemical NBC suites for him and his family, which are designed to protect against radioactive, biological or chemical substances.
“It’s not the main reason why I built it, but Putin was kicking off at the time, so I thought, stuff him. I don’t trust the bugger, so I’ve got some armoured boxes in my garage with NBC suits, food, water, all sorts of stuff.”
Asked how long he could survive in the bunker for, Dave said: “Well I have about 15 bottles of whisky. Jokes aside, I’ve got a supply for a month for four people.
“But it all depends because I’ve got to get in there and close the door before the temperature reaches 10,000 degrees outside.” Dave managed to track down the former owner of Winston’s Pizza, Lorraine Rathbone and invited her round for tea so she could see the bunker with her own eyes.
“She came round and sat down in the chair and started weeping. I asked her if she was alright and she said ‘I can’t believe it, you’ve completely recreated Winston’s.
“She brought me five of the original pieces of art work from Winston’s Pizza.” The man cave has been “infiltrated” several times by his wife and daughters but Dave likes to lock himself away and reminisce about a “really happy time in his life”.
“I’m a very social guy and I love people but I have to be honest with you, I don’t like the way the world is going, with the erosion of moral values. So I wanted somewhere where I could go back in time to when things were different.
“I couldn’t think of a better time than the 1930s, 1940s, when we were the best of British.”
