Francis Proctor spent 30 years constructing an underground labyrinth by hand-digging beneath his garden in Ainsdale, Southport. Proctor, a retired photographer, carved out a network of caves that house a bridge, a waterfall and a collection of unusual objects from around the world. The couple had underpinned the side of their house when they built an extension, and the digging itself was Francis’s project. According to LadBible, Barbara Proctor, a mathematician and statistician, examined the plans and worked out how the excavation could proceed. Under her direction, Francis gradually dug deeper using spades and shovels, eventually reaching around 20 feet below the garden. What started as an idea for a private underground room burgeoned into a site for visitors, and eventually the garden became a memorial dedicated to his wife after she passed away.
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