I found it again! The secret hidden WW2 air raid shelter in Spring View, Wigan

[@mikego18753]

Thumbs up.Thanks, good vid.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Cheers Mikego, thanks for the thumbs up and glad to hear that you enjoyed the video. 👍

[@stormytempest6521]

Haven't watched you for a while MR H , must say your getting better and better at this, as a fellow NORTHENER i must say i really enjoy these HISTORICAL videos ! well done sir.🇬🇧

[@MrHsHotPot]

To be fair I haven't been making videos as regularly of late due to being busy with other things but I'm hoping to change that moving forward into the new year. Anyway thanks for the kind words and glad to hear that you enjoyed your choice of video on your return to my channel. I also hope that you've had a great Christmas and wish you and you're family all the best for the new year. 👍

[@chris-ro5zx]

Great vid mr h,cant wait too see inside.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Chris, and glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍 I'll be interested to take a look inside there again myself and see if it's still the same as how I remembered it when I first stumbled on the shelter in 1990 hopefully though it won't take me another 35 years the next time to find it again! 😆

[@garethparr9482]

Great to see you and another video mr H. Looking forward to you exploring at a later date 👍

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Gareth, I hope that you are keeping well and have had a good Christmas etc. 👍 It should be an interesting explore when I get around to going back to it let's just hope that it doesn't take me another 35 years to find it again though! 😆

[@garethparr9482]

@ good things come to those who wait ☺️ yeah all good thanx Roy hope you and yours are all good 👍

[@gwinniboots]

Fantastic find, Mr H! It should really be under a preservation order as a historic monument. 👍👍👍

[@MrHsHotPot]

I agree with you regarding the preservation order Gwyn, especially after doing some internet sleuthing as it turns out that this design of air raid shelter was unique to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway who built them for their workers close to large goods yards and sidings which the area was during WW2. Sadly not many of these type of air raid shelters are known about or exist today due to being built on railway property but I doubt Network Rail who now owns the land where this one is located would be interested if they were made aware of it and would probably demolish it instead such is the disregard for our history and heritage.

[@richardhinchliffe1678]

Look forward to your return and having a smooch inside happy new year to you and your family Mr H

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Richard, and glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍 I'm also looking forward to returning and seeing if the inside is how I remember it lets just hope that it doesn't take me another 35 years to find it again though! Lol. 😉

[@garycanning7015]

Some nice detail in the entrance to it ..cant wait to see inside it.. Happy new year to you and your family Mr H.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Gary, the design of the shelter had intrigued me also and after a bit of internet sleuthing it turns out that this design of air raid shelter were unique to the London Midland and Scottish Railway company who built them for their workers close to their large goods yards and sidings and nearby Springs Branch and the area I was exploring had been during WW2. Only a few examples of this type of air raid shelter in the country are known about and have survived which makes this particular air raid shelter uber rare, but would Network Rail who own the land today be interested in preserving it if they was made aware of it I wonder? Personally I doubt it and they would more than likely demolish it citing 'elf 'n' safety'. 😥 A further explore is definitely in order in the not too distant future just to document it in more detail but let's hope that it doesn't take me another 35 years to find it again though! 😆

[@garycanning7015]

@MrHsHotPot i hope not i can't wait that long 😂😂

[@joeoutdoors0161]

I’ve subbed you on the strength of the video!! What a find! Be good to see if a wild camp can be done in there!! I’ll look forward to the follow up!

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Joe, and welcome aboard glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍 From memory the shelter is quite dry and clean as all that was in there when I was last inside was a few small rusting oil drums and some empty pop cans as well as some crisp packets dating from the 1970's of course this was back in 1990 35 years ago so it could have been discovered by people less respectful since then but given the lack of graffiti and rubbish in the entrance way the signs look good that it hasn't. I will get back to do a follow up at some point but if you can't wait until then try searching for the Grove air raid shelters located on the grounds of The Grove Hotel in Watford, Herefordshire where there is an air raid shelter of the same design which will give you an idea of what these type of shelters look like inside. Also please feel free to check out my other videos as I have visited a number of WW2 air raid shelters and pillboxes some of which would make ideal locations for a wild camp.

[@joeoutdoors0161]

@ thx so much for a speedy reply! I will checkout your other vids as I do want to wild camp in a location like this!!

[@carolsmith6012]

My sister in law lives in Spring View, so I will give her the heads up, if we hear a air raid siren, great video Mr H

[@mrblue4233]

Cheers for video going go and see this

[@Toffeeblue75]

I remember as a ten year old me and my mates used to go inside the shelter at the time . I didn't know it were still here forty years later.. I remember you could walk though it and a ladder was at the end were you could climb up to the other entrance.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Toffeeblue75, as mentioned in the video I have been inside the shelter when I first stumbled across it when I was 16 and had been over that way walking the dog which would be around 1990. From memory inside there is a small rectangular opening somewhere along the top of the roof line which at the time let some light inside and I remember seeing the rusted remains of some small oil drums along with some litter such as empty pop cans and crisp packets dating from the 1970's, it was also very clean in there and I don't recall any graffiti. At the time I assumed it was just another abandoned concrete structure that had been used by railway workers at some point and it was only years afterwards when I realised what it actually was that I tried to find it again but I couldn't . In the end I gave up assuming it had been demolished when they removed the remains of the sidings which I was walking alongside and I'm sure you remember?

[@jackcro8825]

Well found

[@MrHsHotPot]

Cheers Jack, finding this old air raid shelter has been a bit of an on off personal mystery for me for almost 35 years now. Sadly the area has changed quite a bit since 1990 when i first stumbled on the shelter and I must admit when I was unable to find it again I was starting to think that I had either dreamt the whole thing up or that it had been demolished along with the removal of the old sidings that used to be nearby. Anyway mystery solved let's just hope that it doesn't take me another 35 years to find it again!

[@jackcro8825]

@ you know what I found amazing is the condition of the entrance, it look quite good and no graffiti for what I saw on the video, it must have been well built. I am 98 years old and remember the air raid shelters at John Pit and how John Pit area had over grown nowadays. I remember Standish Drift Mine Taylor Pit and Giant Hall Colliery.

[@procta2343]

Great find there, where i live ( sunderland) most of the history from the pits and the shipyards are long gone. I think there is only one surviving shipyard building, if that wasn't there you wouldn't have thought sunderland built ships. All of the shipyard areas have been redeveloped, and i think one area is up for redevelopment again, One part of it became part of the uni, called the glass centre, which i believe is due to close this year and maybe flattened. Nice to see some areas have hidden history that still survives.

[@tracya4087]

great friendly people in sunderland , regards from wigan ,lancashire

[@johnhankinson1929]

Mr H if you EVER find a railway person working PLEASE film it for posterity , all the best to you and your lovely family

[@g4joe]

Ah, well I used to be in the Golborne gang. Reading the news paper one day at Dinner time, a women had wrote in the letters section this " The railway workers are the laziest workers, they are leaning on their shovels all along the line as we travel through the country" Where did she expect us to be ?? Dead under the tracks.!!! By the way I have also put the "Crap" buckets under the Royal Train when it used to park up near The Bulls Head siding at Newton Le Willows.

[@johnhankinson1929]

@@g4joe I'm pretty sure there are a few hard working souls at BR

[@Explorations84]

If it goes to the length you think it might then it suggests a capacity for the workers from the local industries of the time. I would be surprised if it was all open and not partially blocked up. Will catch up with you in January great video great find.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Andy, hope you have had a good Christmas and are keeping well etc. I first stumbled on this air raid shelter back in 1990 when I was 16 and as stated in the video I did foolishly enter inside with no flashlight or owt. From memory there's a small rectangular opening in the roof line about halfway along which at the time allowed some natural light inside but as I didn't venture further past this point I've no idea how far this shelter actually goes. As a fellow local history buff you might be interested to know that this type of air raid shelter was unique to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway which makes them rare as not many examples are known about or survive today due to their locations being built on railway land and those that have been discovered have been found to be fantastic time capsules inside.

[@Rays_World_Offical]

I never knew these existed, I'm based in Pemberton Wigan myself.

[@tracya4087]

found a track chair at primrose farm

[@Rays_World_Offical]

Have you seen the old railway bridge in the woods next to little lane opposite Primrose farm.

[@tracya4087]

@@Rays_World_Offical it sadly been demolished mate

[@mikeatcora]

You're on railway property there, I know exactly where it is and back in the 70's we'd often go in there. Since they altered where the track runs it's now fenced off at the back of the trees, do you remember the old guards vans and wagons that used to be parked there or are you too young? It's strange how it's mostly buried with the entrances at the front and on top, the trees now take away a lot of the light but in the 70's it was open like looking across a field from Taylors lane bridge and way beyond the shelter.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Mike, I first found the shelter in 1990 when I was about 16 years of age when the railway sidings were still there. There was four of them ending in buffers if I remember rightly, but the only wagons I can remember being parked there were the British Rail grey and yellow hopper ballast wagons. Back then the railway line that runs in between Horrock's Flash and what is now Spring View Fisheries hadn't been electrified so it was all open and you could pretty much wander where you liked which is how I stumbled upon the shelter but when they removed the sidings and fenced part of the area off I couldn't find it again and just assumed that it had been demolished when they removed the sidings. Good to see that it's still there at least as apparently it is of a design that is unique to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway who I'm sure you know used to own the area before the nationalsation of the railways and there aren't that many of them left or known about in the country.

[@mikeatcora]

@@MrHsHotPot We used to push a wagon up the slight incline and ride it back down to the buffers, I and some others also used to go underneath and hold on to the axles and rotate with them, it wasn't dangerous or we wouldn't have done it. The old guards vans were brilliant for going in, they had an actual fireplace and we lit fires in them when it was cold, with the doors closed and the fire lit it was quite cosy. I used to climb the remains of the old bridge that's still there, it's overgrown now but a great memory of being young. I last wandered there five years ago, I was saddened by the change, I didn't expect all of those trees where the track used to be. Maybe a letter to network rail could get the shelter preserved, it could be taken to the National Rail Museum as part of rail heritage.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hello again Mike, having lived close to the sidings at Westwood as a kid I have also played in the old guards vans and remember the little stoves that were in them to keep the guard warm along with the massive cast iron wheel in the middle which was the actual 'brake'. According to my Dad who was brought up in Hope Street there used to be a signal box along the railway line somewhere between the bridge remains you have played on when you was young and the main line. There's still lots of rubble at the bottom of what used to be the embankment on the Taylors Lane side so who knows one day I may try and see if I can find any remains of this. Getting back to the shelter it's probably best not contacting Network Rail about it as rather than preserving it they may just choose to demolish it instead as what would have been both labour and time intensive to remove in the late 40's/early 50's can probably be done in under an hour today with a JCB. It's sat there since the late 30's and is part of Spring Views history with many of you on here remembering it so leave it where it is I say.

[@robmcbride1664]

I'm getting down there for a look 👍

[@gwinniboots]

Please do the Mesnes Park ones!

[@MrHsHotPot]

As far as I know the ones that lay beneath Mesnes Park were permantly sealed with concrete by Wigan Council back in 2017 Gwyn, luckily they had been covered a number of times on various urban exploration websites such as 28dayslater in the years before the entrance was sealed and I think there are even some videos of them knocking about on KZbin if you are interested.

[@tracya4087]

bamfurlong sorting sidings was huge , makes sense to have been a shelter , regards , from nick , in pem

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Nick, yes you are correct regarding the sidings in that area being huge as was the Springs Branch area in general during WW2. After doing some internet research and sleuthing it seems that this type of air raid shelter is unique to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway who built them as protection for their workers. There aren't many of these type of air raid shelters left or known about in the country as they was nearly always built on railway land away from the general public which is probably why this one has survived as you can (and indeed i have) walked past it without knowing that it is there if you follow that dirt track I was walking along to the end.

[@tracya4087]

@@MrHsHotPot cheers roy , grandad was a signalman , with lms , you should do one on the brock mill bomb

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Nick, had a walk down the now overgrown embankment towards the former Boars Head Station in Standish where the edge of a platform can be seen along with other brick walls and railway related rubble. Also the iron girder stumps that once supported Boars Head Junction signal box still be seen around this time of year. Fair old slog through the trees to get to the point where the line used to meet the main line at Boars Head but worth it. 👍

[@tracya4087]

@@MrHsHotPot hiya roy , wow , boars head box was a stunning structure , i would loved to have had a look too , my family came from that area so i know all the history , there was four signal boxes in that area , haigh junction and whelley junction have the best remains , my family lived in brock mill cottages just yards from where the bomb fell , i have a huge collection of railway memorobilia , large and small , i recently acquired the block bell from pemberton junction signal box , you are welcome for a meet and chat , thanks for getting in touch mate , kind regards from nick in pem

[@MrHsHotPot]

Belated congrats on acquiring the block bell from Pemberton Junction signal box. 👍 And I'll definitely have to take you up on that meet and a chat at some point. Getting to the Boars Head remains are a bit of a pain to get to as it is overgrown but with a little determination at this time of year it is doable and definitely worth a mooch. 👍 Speaking of which I had a mooch up to the remains of Haigh Junction signal box via Twenty Bridges and the Dominoes at the weekend where I found some good remains and a rather ominous message laid out on the ground using bricks from the former signal box but you'll have to wait for the video to find out what it was. 😉 BTW you mention that there was four signal boxes in the area I know of Boars Head Junction, Whelley Junction and Haigh Junction but where was the other one located?👍

[@russellmurray8102]

Has Mrs Gents closed now.?

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Russell, Mrs Gents would normally close until the new year around this time anyway. However given that she is just basically waiting for the sale of the shop to go through which had been agreed a few months ago I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't reopen in the new year this time round and has instead just quietly retired as I do know from her daughter who used to work in the shop on Saturdays that she didn't want a fuss making when she did finally call it a day. Guess we'll know one way or another soon enough in the new year.

[@russellmurray8102]

@@MrHsHotPot Thanks, it's shame to see you it close, I've had many of her meat and potato pies. By the way try Hamlets in Garstang, and Drake &Masfields in Settle. Anyway best wishes for 2025

[@MrHsHotPot]

Just a quick update regarding Mrs Gents, Russell. She HAS reopened after the Christmas break as I was in there this morning for a meat and prater pie so fill your boots if you can while you still can. 👍 I'll also stick your pie shop recommendations into the old noggin for a future date if I'm ever up those ways. Many thanks and all the best. 👍

[@Deliquescentinsight]

If NATO persists with poking the Bear, that shelter might come in useful, clean it out, stock up on grub & ride out nuclear winter...hmm

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Mike, whenever I visit one of these old WW2 structures I often wonder if the UK government would try to press them into service again if it ever came down to the crunch especially given the UK's past track record when it comes to preparing for a major war.

[@procta2343]

@@MrHsHotPot most of the WW2 stuff where i live, is now long gone sadly. I do remember 20 years ago, one house still having an Air raid shelter in their back garden. That has since gone now, but i think that there different people living in the house now, as its since been done up, well must of the houses have been now since then.