History Teacher in need of expert help

[Delyth Jones]

Hello, My name is Miss Delyth Jones and I am a History teacher in a secondary school in Croydon.

This year we have made a Dig for Victory garden to show children what life was like in England during WWII. We have a vegetable plot, a compost heap and we are building a chicken coup.

The one thing we are missing is an Anderson shelter. I have tried to buy one online and I asked people who make pig shelters but they could not help.

The structure I need is described on Wikipedia as:

Anderson shelters were designed to accommodate up to six people. The main principle of protection was based on curved and straight galvanised corrugated steel panels. Six curved panels were bolted together at the top, so forming the main body of the shelter, three straight sheets on either side, and two more straight panels were fixed to each end, one containing the door—a total of fourteen panels. A small drainage sump was often incorporated in the floor to collect rainwater seeping into the shelter. The shelters were 6 ft (1.8 m) high, 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m) wide, and 6 ft 6 in (2 m) long. They were buried 4 ft (1.2 m) deep in the soil and then covered with a minimum of 15 in (0.4 m) of soil above the roof.

If any of you know a steel manufacturer who could make such a thing I have a team of enthusiastic (but not yet skilled) construction students who would love to build it.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Miss Delyth Jones

 

[rtbcomp]

I think you'll find the sections are standard and it's the way they're fixed together that makes the shelter, rather than buying an Anderson shelter as such.

A Quick Google found :

http://www.southernsheeting.co.uk/

http://www.steelroofsheets.co.uk/steeltypes.htm

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&safe=off&newwindow=1&q=corrugated+steel+roof+sheets&revid=1394984475&ei=5ZY2SpP2KKCQjAeDtOiACg&sa=X&oi=revisions_inline&resnum=0&ct=broad-revision&cd=1

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&safe=off&newwindow=1&q=corrugated+iron&revid=1394984475&ei=5ZY2SpP2KKCQjAeDtOiACg&sa=X&oi=revisions_inline&resnum=0&ct=broad-revision&cd=4

http://www.cladco.co.uk/

 

[Hitch]

Welcome to the forum.
Hopefully we will be able to help you and your students.

I think a lot of the small domestic ones were made from one piece, side and curve,all in one, just bolt them together. Finding someone who can supply them like that off the shelf might be a challenge.
Plenty of supplies will have straight and curved sheets in stock though, might be worth making the curve one piece, and the sides bolted on.

Perhaps someone here might be able to point you in the direction of a few surplus sheets....

 

[zardoz]

You mentioning Anderson shelters is probably hurting the brains of these dimbos. Just tell them its for a curved barn roof. Or even better take in a picture to point at and go "ug"

But yeah theres still plenty of that curved corrugated sheeting being used in barn roofs, farm out buildings etc. Should be easy to make once you have found a supplier. Sounds quite an interesting little project, good luck with it.

 

[Hitch]

Just done a google, hopefully this picture will show you how its constructed.

 

[zardoz]

there were two main ways of construction. One was shaped like the ones in hitches pic. The others had 3 curved pieces going right across the top, with straight pieces for the sides and lastly some straight pieces cut to shape for the back and entrance.

 

[michael1703]

try

Alpha Welding
2 Bensham Lane,
Croydon, Surrey, CR0 2RQ
020-8684-3811

a very helpful and good engineering company

 

[bigbadbugga]

I have an original one sat at the bottom of my garden. It is fully above ground and bolted together.

If you want to make an expedition of it and come and dismantle it you can take it away free of charge

I will even supply tea and biscuits.

I am near St Helens, Merseyside.

here it is

 

[chunkolini]

Fantastic stuff!!!
I can remember smoking fags in these things, I am only 47. I wonder what else went on in them.
bigbadbugga, that is damn generous giving away a shed. Top bloke.

One thought, how effective were these things? I suppose in a direct hit ther weren't much cop, but in a near miss they might have done done the job. Yes I know they were buried under lots of earth.

Miss Jones, on a historical note I can remember my pa reminiscing about what great sledges the steel roofs used to make after the war.

Delyth Jones, you are a shining example of what school teachers should be like, I doff my hat, why are my Boy's teachers not like this.

Keep it up.

Chunko'.
have sent you a pm

 

[Welderpaul]

Good to see it still in use! I wonder how many more there are around the country...

 

[bigbadbugga]

Fantastic stuff!!!
I can remember smoking fags in these things, I am only 47. I wonder what else went on in them.
bigbadbugga, that is damn generous giving away a shed. Top bloke.



Chunko'.
have sent you a pm

It is coming down soon anyway soon to make way for a bigger shed, I was a bit apprehensive about just scrapping it due to its history, this seems like a perfect solution.

I thought that by dismantling it they would learn a little about how it was put together, and they would also have all the fixings to rebuild it too.

 

[chunkolini]

Sounds like a mission in the making. A long range one, but what a great idea, to get a real life 1940's air raid shelter into the grounds of a 21st Century school.
It has to be done. I'm sure sponsorship could be raised if neccessary.

Chunko',

 

[Tigman]

Ive got a few pictures of an Anderson shelter its in Whippendel Road Watford , fully buried with concrete steps , took these shots in 2004 , sorry have to look in my photo album !

 

[Tigman]

I now trade as W.H.Hannaford , started working for mr Hannaford 30 years ago anyway his father was the main contractor in the area during the war , to supply anderson shelters , have some old receipts somewhere I`ll try and dig them out and post them up !

 

[rtbcomp]

I've seen a few on allotments. We had a shelter in the garden of a house in Wakefield, it was semi buried and always flooded. I'm not sure if it was an Anderson shelter, it was a long time ago!

If you Google "Anderson Shelter" and click on Images there's loads of stuff, including plans.