Tilehurst house with hidden tunnels and underground railway goes to auction
A bungalow in Tilehurst, near Reading, with hand-dug tunnels, secret rooms, a well and an underground railway built by a civil engineer is going to auction with a guide price of around £300,000.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
An ordinary-looking bungalow in Tilehurst, near Reading, is hiding a hand-built underground world that is now heading to auction. Above ground, the property looks like a normal family home. Below it, the former owner created a labyrinth of tunnels, hidden passages, secret rooms and an underground railway.
The complex was the work of a civil engineer, Tony Dean, who built it with help from his family over more than two decades, according to accounts of the property. One description dates the main work to the 1980s and 1990s. The owner has since died, and his family is selling the house. Until recently, the project was a secret outside the family.
The scale is unusual. Reports describe tunnels around 15 to 20 metres below ground and passages spread across four floors. One stretch of tunnel runs for around 20 to 30 metres. Much of it was dug by hand, with precast concrete and engineering bricks used in the construction. The walls are said to be made of compacted chalk.
Inside the network there are hidden doors, secret staircases and at least one secret room designed so that its door matches the surrounding wall. There is also a lift, a spiral staircase that goes deeper into the ground, and a small railway. The property has its own water supply from a well system.
Above ground, the sale includes a swimming pool with a Thunderbird-style rocket. Planning permission is in place for up to two houses. The house is due to go to auction later this month with a guide price of around £300,000, or over £300,000 according to another description.
The auction agent said he had never seen anything like it in more than 40 years. He described the project as one man's passion and dream, fulfilled over decades. When he asked the family whether the former owner had been in the secret services, they said no: he was a civil engineer and the tunnels were his hobby.
The agent also suggested there may have been a Cold War motive. He said the owner may have had half an eye on a fear of that period, and that in today's world the property could attract buyers who want a secure network of tunnels. He joked that it would be a good place to keep wine safe if something big happened above, and to keep family safe too.
Interest is already said to be strong. Buyers are not only looking at the site for a detached house; some want to convert the bungalow while keeping the swimming pool, land and tunnels. After decades in the shadows, the underground world is now out in the open, and the question is who will take it on.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| The property contains a hand-built network of hidden tunnels, secret doors and an underground railway, all constructed by its builder. | ||
| The property known as the House of Hidden Tunnels is going up for auction. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| The former owner has died. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by ITV |
| The property includes a swimming pool and has planning permission for up to two houses. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by ITV |
| The tunnel project remained secret outside the family until about a week before the report. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This bulletin treats the auction as a light end-of-programme feature. It contrasts the ordinary street-level appearance of the Tilehurst property with the hand-dug tunnels, secret doors and hidden room below, and gives the selling agent plenty of room to explain the former owner's passion project. The tone is curious and gently playful rather than newsy, with the reporter touring the site and joking about finding his way out.
- “Behind me is what looks like a pretty normal house in Tilehurst, which is quite close to Reading.”
- “You have around 20 or 30 metres of tunnel that way, all dug, by the way, by hand.”
- “the front facing on the door is exactly the same as what's here. And then you just close that up and then nobody would know that you're in here.”
This channel leads with the secret hideaway angle and frames the property as an extraordinary discovery. It gives more detail on the builder, Tony Dean, the four floors, the chalk walls, the auction price and the interest from buyers. The tone is amazed and accessible, with a Thunderbirds comparison and a focus on the top-secret nature of the project.
- “Forget Tracy Island, Thunderbirds has landed in Reading.”
- “I've been doing what I do for over 40 years. I've never seen anything like this. This is one man's passion, dream that he fulfilled over a period of decades.”
- “Right now we are 20 meters below ground and I'm told that the walls here are made of chalk, compacted chalk that I'm told is safe.”
This late bulletin revisits the story with a slightly wry tone and adds details about the former owner's death, the family sale and planning permission for up to two houses. It develops the Cold War and security angle, including the agent's line about wine and family. It also repeats the guide price and the unusual features of the tunnel complex.
- “20 metres below the ground carved into the rock by hand, a warren of hidden tunnels.”
- “So, my first kind of thing to ask the family was was your father in the secret services? And then they said no, he was a civil engineer and this was his hobby.”
- “Why wouldn't you want a network of tunnels where you could keep your wine safe if there's something big was going on above or likewise, keep your family safe down here as well.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.