Overview

• Francis Proctor, 76, hand-dug the 20-foot-deep tunnel network with spades and shovels after envisioning a single underground room inspired by the Blue John Cavern.
• The house sits on sand dunes near Ainsdale Beach, and underpinning during a home extension plus Barbara Proctor’s calculations enabled the ambitious excavation.
• The subterranean space features passages, a bridge, a waterfall, antique candelabras and a skeleton prop salvaged from a Hollywood film set.
• The site is listed under the National Garden Scheme and opens to visitors, attracting people from across Britain.
• Proctor dedicated the caverns to his late wife with a “Barbara’s Garden” plaque and a re-dedicated 1922 Southport Hospital foundation stone, and the project was featured on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces.