# My Nan's Air Raid Shelter - Harlow - Feb 2014



## nelly (Feb 8, 2014)

Ventured out with Skeleton Key, Lara and Laird Tam 

We had got a tip off abut a shaft under Harlow but we didn't have a clue what it was, it had us stumped for a couple of weeks and I even emailed Subbrit

I knew I should have just asked my Nan!!!

Not only did my wise old Nan know about it, she's been in it several times!!!

It turns out that the owner of Netteswell House was a Mr Lauritzen, he was the owner of Lauritzen Water Treatment, I knew my Nan worked for him when I was a kid but I only remember her working in building that was in Old Harlow 

Well it turns out that during the war years Mr Lauritzen had some outbuildings at the rear of Netteswell House that his staff worked in

The Bunker was his private Air Raid Shelter, my Nan said that when the siren sounded then all the workers along with Mr Lauritzen and the staff of the house would go into the shelter, apparently it had lighting and benches and they would stay in there until the all clear was given and then they would return to work

They would go in through the main door from the apple orchard and the shaft that we entered by was the emergency exit.

When I told my Nan that we got about 60 foot into it she said that was about it, so it appears that behind the bricks would be a bit of mud and then the wall that joins the car park at the top of a newer housing estate

It was amazing to think that I was unknowingly mooching about in the place where my Nan had sheltered from the German bombers 70 years earlier

__________________

The basic layout is like this. At the bottom of the shaft there was a small drop, about 2 foot and then you were in the main area, this was about 20 metres long and then you reached a doorway this led to the 2nd chamber which was only about 6 foot square and then the bricked up doorway. The door with the rusty reinforced bars was in this 2nd chamber so I'm guessing that it came from the bricked up doorway​


































I have a short video of the place here.........

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgBJS9hvUrU[/ame]​


----------



## LittleOz (Feb 8, 2014)

Great to hear you solved the mystery. Can you ask your Nan the best way into the one under Whitehall?


----------



## nelly (Feb 8, 2014)

LittleOz said:


> Great to hear you solved the mystery. Can you ask your Nan the best way into the one under Whitehall?



I'm seeing her Wednesday, I'll see what she knows


----------



## krela (Feb 8, 2014)

Nice one nelly, it is pretty amazing to think that she was there, particularly as you came across it without knowing that.


----------



## nelly (Feb 8, 2014)

krela said:


> Nice one nelly, it is pretty amazing to think that she was there, particularly as you came across it without knowing that.



Incredible eh,, mind you it is only a mile from her house and shes lived in Harlow for 85 out of her 91 years from before the New Town was built , I should have asked her first


----------



## Ninja Kitten (Feb 8, 2014)

this is a wonderful adventure! dont you just love nannys!!


----------



## chris (Feb 8, 2014)

Nice one Nelly + Nan


----------



## DirtyJigsaw (Feb 9, 2014)

I like this Nelly. Anthing to do with the Wars. Thanks for sharing


----------



## flyboys90 (Feb 9, 2014)

Great find,thanks for sharing.


----------



## oldscrote (Feb 9, 2014)

That's a goodun Nelly,it's amazing what grannies know innit


----------



## UrbanX (Feb 9, 2014)

What an amazing find! It looks like its fairing pretty well too! 
Great write up dude, this is what exploration is all about, cheers for sharing!


----------



## Mearing (Feb 9, 2014)

Thanks for that, takes me back, I spent some time in places like that as a lad during the war. Oddly enough the only time I was actually bombed I was above ground!


----------



## Pilot (Feb 9, 2014)

Now that is interesting! At the bottom of my garden is a large and heavily overgrown area. Since my home was built pre-war, I thought there must be evidence of a shelter of somekind. Only last month when I finally hired an industrial brush-cutter did I find the entrance to the old WW2 shelter. At present, all I can see are the three steps down that I have uncovered. I will do the rest at some point, althouth I am not expecting too much, and I dont intent to spend weeks digging out a large hole in the ground unless by some miracle it suddenly opens up into a dry area - still, you never know.


----------



## sYnc_below (Feb 9, 2014)

Nice find.

P.S Tell SK his Yahoo account has been hacked....received a load of garbage from it earlier


----------



## Munchh (Feb 9, 2014)

Brilliant Nelly! Best back story on a find I've ever heard.


----------



## chazman (Feb 9, 2014)

good pics and love the personal feel to the write up.


----------

