Sealed bids invited for former workhouse and council nuclear bunker in East Yorkshire
Motorists may not give the former council offices in the East Yorkshire village of Skirlaugh more than a passing glance as they drive by on the A165.
But behind the still imposing facade of the building, which is now up for sale, lies a fascinating history.
The Grade II-listed former workhouse, which has a hidden nuclear bunker underneath, are about to begin a new chapter, with sealed bids invited for an auction which finishes on March 4. When the workhouse was built 187 years ago, it would have stirred mixed feelings in the local populace.
Workhouses were known for their harsh conditions, children were separated from their parents, and inmates had to wear uniforms and work long hours doing manual labour.
Designed by John and William Atkinson of York, it had a central courtyard, divided into two sides for men and women. It closed in 1915, with "the children and few remaining inmates moving to Beverley". It was a military hospital in WW1 before being taken over the council and becoming housing.
During the 1970s it was converted and extended to provide offices for Holderness Borough Council.
During heightened Cold War tensions in the 1980s the government built and upgraded dozens of emergency centres to manage post-nuclear attack survival and recovery.
A bunker was built underneath the council chamber at Skirlaugh to serve as the Holderness District Emergency Centre in 1989 - the year that saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Following local government reorganistion, East Riding Council inherited the building in 1996 and the bunker became its reserve archive store. The complex was declared surplus to requirements two years ago. The sales particulars say the listed part needs to be used for housing. However the offices and parking could lend themselves to business use. Some land has been added which could be used to site up to 67 homes. They said: “The property lends itself to various single or multiple uses.”