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A home in Tilehurst, Reading, featuring a four-level underground network dug by its owner and family, is being offered at auction with a guide price of £300,000 to £325,000. The tunnels extend more than 15 metres underground and include a railway, goods lift and concealed entrances; the auction is scheduled for October 28-29.
A property in Tilehurst, Reading, with a four-level network of hand-dug underground tunnels extending more than 15 metres below ground, is being offered at auction for a guide price of £300,000 to £325,000. Civil engineer Tony Deane built the subterranean complex with help from his children over decades, and the listing also includes a workshop, gardens and a swimming pool.
The tunnels contain more than 1,300 square feet of underground space, including rooms, corridors and storage areas. According to the Reading Chronicle report, the family excavated the chalk by hand using buckets and wheelbarrows. A railway was built to move the excavated material, alongside a four-level goods lift weighing one tonne.
The network includes two concealed doors, one made from a 1.5-tonne sliding concrete wall, and a room reached through an entrance hidden inside a rocket by the pool. The rocket stands 23 feet tall, the report said. The wider site is accessed through a gated driveway and has a 2,500-square-foot workshop arranged over three floors, parking, gardens, a swimming pool and changing rooms.
The property is due to be included in BTG Eddisons Property Auctions’ live-stream auction on October 28-29. The guide price is £300,000 to £325,000. The source report does not specify the year for those dates, so the auction timing should be checked with the auctioneer before bidding.
A Rare Feature With Practical Questions
The listing stands out because the underground works form a substantial part of the property, rather than a conventional cellar or small storage space. For prospective buyers, the tunnels, workshop and existing permissions could offer options beyond a standard residential purchase. The auctioneer suggested possible uses such as secure storage or a data centre, but these are potential uses, not confirmed plans or approved uses.
The unusual construction also makes due diligence especially relevant. Buyers would need to establish the condition and permitted use of the underground rooms, along with maintenance needs, access arrangements and any applicable safety or planning requirements. The source report does not provide an independent engineering assessment, so the auction description alone cannot establish the tunnels’ current structural condition or suitability for a particular use.
How the Underground Network Took Shape
The Deane family’s underground projects reportedly began in the 1960s, when changing rooms were built beside the swimming pool. Tony Deane later undertook the larger tunnel works during the 1980s and 1990s. A civil engineer whose earlier work involved aerodrome and airport infrastructure, he was assisted by his six children, according to the Reading Chronicle.
The report says most of the tunnels were cut through chalk, which auctioneer Richard Worrall described as naturally self-supporting. He said concrete was cast by hand in places where it was needed. The network remained largely unknown outside the family for decades, according to the report; the extent of local awareness has not been independently established.
Planning consent was granted by West Berkshire Council in December 2024 for a 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, two-storey house on the swimming-pool site. The report also says the workshop has consent for conversion into a three-bedroom house. Buyers should verify the permissions, their conditions and whether they remain valid with the relevant authorities.
“In all my years as an auctioneer, I’ve never seen anything like this before — it’s utterly amazing and, I think, unique.”
— Richard Worrall, auctioneer and consultant at BTG Eddisons Property Auctions
Condition, Permissions and Auction Timing
The source report does not give the property’s full address, the year of the stated October 28-29 auction, or the final sale price. It also does not include a survey of the tunnels, independent structural findings, or details of insurance and ongoing maintenance. Those matters remain for prospective bidders to establish through the auction pack, professional inspections and relevant authorities.
Planning consent is reported for new housing and workshop conversion, but the report does not provide the permission documents or conditions. Nor does it confirm that the proposed alternative uses mentioned by the auctioneer would be allowed. Any decision to use the underground network commercially or for specialist purposes would depend on the applicable permissions, technical review and other requirements.
Auction and Buyer Due Diligence
BTG Eddisons’ live-stream auction is listed for October 28-29, with a guide price of £300,000 to £325,000. Interested buyers can contact the auctioneer for the full particulars, bidding requirements and auction pack, and should confirm the year and sale timetable directly because those details are not specified in the source report.
Before bidding, buyers may want to review the planning records and commission appropriate inspections of the workshop and underground structures. The eventual sale price, whether the property sells, and any buyer’s intended use have not been reported.
Key Questions
Where is the property?
It is in Tilehurst, Reading. The source report does not provide a full street address.
How much does the property cost?
The guide price is £300,000 to £325,000. A guide price is not a confirmed sale price.
How extensive are the tunnels?
The report describes more than 1,300 square feet of underground space across four levels, reaching more than 15 metres below ground.
When is the auction?
The property is scheduled for BTG Eddisons’ live-stream auction on October 28-29. The year is not stated in the source report, so buyers should confirm the dates with the auctioneer.
Can a buyer use the tunnels as a data centre or shelter?
The auctioneer suggested these as possible uses, but the report does not say they have been approved or technically assessed. Buyers would need to check permissions and obtain suitable professional advice.
Source: hn
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