WW2 air raid shelter found under playground

A hidden World War Two air raid shelter has been rediscovered under a school playground.

Construction workers were carrying out refurbishment work at Oxbridge Lane Primary in Stockton-on-Tees when they found a strange concrete building.

Site manager Jason Harrison described excavating and uncovering the distinctive arch shape before realising it was a shelter.

Headteacher Lauren Amerigo said it was an "incredible discovery" that had fascinated the children, some of whom had been studying the era at the same time the shelter was revealing itself.

Mr Harrison said: "This is the first time I've found anything like this. We didn't know it was there.

"We were getting ready to connect some pipework and we uncovered the concrete top.

"As we excavated down a bit we could see that it was a sort of bell shape."

The bunker is approximately 24ft long and had partially flooded with water which has since been drained.

Mr Harrison believes it is a Stanton Air Raid Shelter which were mass-produced by the Stanton Ironworks Company near Nottingham.

An architect will inspect the structure before a decision is made about what to do with it.

The discovery has thrilled Year Six students, including 11-year-old Skyler who said: "It was exciting to learn we had an air raid shelter under the playground, but I wasn't very surprised.

"Our school is quite old, but I didn't expect it to be so well-preserved.

"It looks just like one of the shelters we saw when we visited Eden Camp Museum.

"My great-nana and great-grandad were alive during the war, but they didn't have a shelter, they used to hide under the kitchen table.

"We learned that boys and girls would often have separate shelters and I think it might be the boys' one because there is an old sign on a wall nearby that says 'Boys'."

Mr Harrison and school staff agree and suspect there may be a second shelter hidden somewhere under the school.

Ms Amerigo said: "This has been an incredible discovery that brings history to life right beneath our feet. The children are absolutely fascinated.

"It's been a powerful reminder of the lives lived here before us and we're excited to explore how we can use the shelter's history to support our pupils' learning."

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