He Dug Beneath His Home for 30 Years and Built a Secret World in His Backyard
In the UK, the backyard of an ordinary-looking house transformed into a secret underground world after years of extraordinary work. Francis Proctor, a retired photographer, spent roughly 30 years constructing a labyrinth of tunnels, rooms, and passages beneath his garden using nothing but a shovel and pickaxe.
The idea originated from a small underground room.
The idea for Francis Proctor's underground labyrinth emerged after his visit to the Blue John Cavern in Derbyshire. Initially, Proctor intended to create a small underground room accessible only from the garden, but over the years, he expanded this idea into a much larger structure.
However, the fact that the house was built on sand dunes made the excavation work quite challenging. Due to the risk of collapse when digging in sandy soil, the project required much more careful planning than a regular hobby project.
It was her husband's calculations that ensured the structure remained upright.
According to Proctor, the key figure who made the project possible was his wife, Barbara, who had a background in mathematics and statistics. Barbara calculated how the excavation could progress on sandy ground and determined that the walls needed to be supported from top to bottom.
Thanks to these calculations, the underground structure was reinforced with concrete support walls approximately 1.5 meters thick. Proctor continued to dig for years using simple hand tools like shovels and pickaxes. The resulting space evolved into an underground labyrinth, consisting not just of a single room, but a complex of rooms, passages, bridges, and details reminiscent of small stage sets.
It's referred to as "Barbara's Garden".
Following the passing of Barbara Proctor, the entrance to the underground garden began to be referred to as 'Barbara’s Garden' in her memory. Proctor stated that without her husband's calculations, it would have been impossible for this structure to stand on its sandy ground.
Today, this unique space can be visited by appointment during certain periods under the National Garden Scheme. However, it's not an everyday tourist spot; it maintains its private property status and visits are conducted with limited groups. This seemingly ordinary house from the outside continues to draw attention with the hidden world concealed beneath its backyard.
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