With the sun out and the temperatures soaring, summer is the time when people lucky enough to have one turn their attention to their garden. And maybe part of that is thinking about adding an interesting feature - a talking point for visitors and something that sets the garden apart from the neighbours.
A fountain maybe, or a sociable bar and outside kitchen area, or even a swimming pool if you have the space and the build budget. But fewer homes can now offer a glimpse to the past when the feature at this 1930s home for sale was a frightening and necessary addition to the garden landscape.
Many homes within more populated areas of Wales had a submerged, below ground, air raid sheltered built in their garden during World War II to offer an alternative to the inside of the home if German bombers arrived in the sky above. Many in Cardiff and Swansea were used by families and neighbours in the middle of the night when the sirens sounded, who in any instances packed the small concrete encased shelter.
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It's not known exactly how many now survive within the back gardens of homes in Wales, but if you do possess one or have bought a home with one still in existence, think carefully before you maybe get rid of it - they are becoming a rare slice of the past.
But they can also be a rare extra space to be used for the present and future, either for storage or with a degree of finessing could maybe be used as extra usable space - a home office with a difference if you can get the WiFi through the thick walls and get light inside maybe via some roof windows.
Or how about the coolest den in the area? Open the door and descend down the steps into a peaceful island away from everyday life above ground and far removed from the structure's former function, housing a frightened group of people huddled together and waiting to hear the 'all clear' siren.
This detached home built between the world wars has that distinctive door to the underworld located just beyond the garage, so it does not dominate the garden but rather offers an intriguing peek of something unusually waiting to be discovered if you spot it from the rear windows of the house and are unaware of its existence.
The roof of the staircase that lowers you down to the underground space is now plastic so you can see where you are going but once inside the surprisingly big and long shelter with reinforced concrete walls, roof and floor with a brick built end wall the darkness descends too.
At the very least it's very useful extra storage for bulky items and garden paraphernalia, although the house itself can offer a variety of options for room functions that contain storage perfect for a growing family or someone with a growing amount of personal treasures to display and love.
Just from the street this classic 1930s home has a distinctive look about it, with a two storey bay window 'tower' reminiscent of a castle the most commanding feature, and now this well-loved property is looking for its new king or queen.
The entrance hall has a two room cloakroom to the left - one housing the toilet and the basin unusually in a separate room, before the hall bends to the right to find the central staircase and the entrance to the front living room that occupies the ground floor of the bay window tower.
The space in here is very generous and once the interior design has been changed, or not, to the style that you adore, this room is surely a social hub of the home. Imagine the whole family sitting around the Christmas tree that itself sits in the bay window, or crowded around the television engrossed by the latest stressful, or not, game of football or rugby.
Then to the rear of the house and two more super spacious rooms. To the left is the dining room, which features another period fireplace from this 'between the wars' era, as well as a delightful original glass door out into a lean-to and then the garden.
Next door is the kitchen which has ample room for dining as well as a collection of retro examples of kitchen design through the ages, from the 1930s free-standing cupboard to what looks like the 1980s/90s fitted units. The kitchen is another room full of potential, that also has direct access to the rear lean-to, and it's at the back of the house where the most obvious potential to improve this home lies.
For a less expensive updating option then knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room is a great start. The result would be a very generous kitchen diner to suit modern living.
And maybe the lean-to should go in the skip too, as a slice of the inner section of the kitchen could easily be stolen to create a small but functional utility room so the lean-to would not be missed. Then the newly created rear room could be massive and directly connect to the garden via a wall of glass.
But for an even more impressive social space at the back, building a contemporary extension out into the generous sized garden that could lift the house into an even higher level of 'wow' factor. No knocking out the air raid shelter though please.
Another rearranging of space could happen at the front of the house with the simple shifting of the cloakroom basin into the good size toilet room next door to create a boot room with ample storage where the sink used to live.
Upstairs there are currently four bedrooms including the master within the first floor of the bay 'tower', two good sized doubles at the rear, a family bathroom and then the smallest of the four bedrooms. This room would make an ideal home office if the underground shelter, unique and cool as it is to show people on Zoom calls, is not an option.
Other functions for this smallest of the bedrooms is an ensuite for the master bedroom as it is found, like a yummy sandwich filling, ideally placed between the master and the family bathroom.
There is more potential to extend into the loft space should a new owner require another bedroom or another, top of the house, reception or office space. The house, unless retro is a new owner's style, is an interior design project as well as renovation project with bags of potential and original features either on display or hiding under carpets and behind panels added probably during the 1960s.
But the star of the show for anyone who is intrigued by features that show you the past of a particular property, like its own unique set of fingerprints, is surely the air raid shelter, with a door that entices you to enter and explore and be thankful you are visiting it in peacetime.
The four bedroom, detached home in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire is on the market for £320,000 with Anna Ashton Estate Agents, call the Ammanford branch on to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent to your inbox twice a week.
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