In 2015 an air raid shelter in the garden of a house on Castle Terrace, Berwick-upon-Tweed was excavated by postgraduate students of the University of Newcastle prior to the garden's redesign. It proved not to be an Anderson Shelter, as previously thought, but a Wilmott's Fortress shelter, made by a company in Bristol. The excavation also brought to light the unexpected role the shelter had played in the defence of Britain, having been used to listen to U-boat activity in the Channel via a radio installed in the shelter. The excavations were published in Current Archaeology Issue 332 (November 2015). The story of the shelter has now been written up in a book - The Spy in a Berwick Garden - available from Berwick Record Office
Timings
Available anytime
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Additional information
The Air Raid selter will not be open for in person visits this year. However, this is your chance to find out more about its history and Gibson Ferrier Steven who had it built.
