Wartime bunker unearthed at primary
school

The U-shaped bunker at Hensall Primary School, near Goole, consists of three long tunnels, each with toilets at either end, and still contains some of its original furniture.

The village was sited near a wartime airfield and was in the flightpath of German bombers as they headed to attack targets across the North.

Work on a new classroom has been halted after North Yorkshire County Council contractors discovered the extensive underground shelter while clearing the site last week.

Although there was some local knowledge of a former school air raid shelter, its existence and scale had been largely forgotten.

The bunker’s entrance was found under an overgrown fenced-off garden at the back of the old schoolmaster’s house.

Hensall’s schoolmaster’s house and old school is a Grade II listed building and council bosses now face a wait to see if the bunker will be listed and further consent needed to create an extra classroom to cope with growing pupil numbers.

County councillor Arthur Barker, executive member for schools, said: “While the bunker is an exciting find and is of obvious historic interest, it leaves the county council with a tricky problem to solve.”