Lancashire At War.co.uk
Exploring the hidden history of War sites in Lancashire
Levenshulme air raid shelters, Manchester
Before we discovered LevyBoy.com, we thought that all the surface shelters around Lancashire had been dropped. However, George Nixon's site had photos of three surface air raid shelters still extant in 2007. So we went in 2015 to see if they were still there. Thankfully, they are.
It is hard to imagine now how locals would have feared German bombers overhead coming to bomb Manchester's industry, railways, and ultimately, their civilians. British domestic life became a target for the Luftwaffe - indiscriminate bombing, including the terror weapon, incendiary bombs, were used on British cities and their suburbs, such as Manchester. The locals would hide in private shelters in their own gardens, or public shelters. Levenshulme still has examples of both!
Above & Left: This public air raid shelter is around the back of the old town hall in Levenshulme. It is in the car park for what is now an excellent antiques centre - so it is easy to see and access. There are internal photos on the Levy Boy website.
Another public air raid shelter remains on Back Chapel Street - see the three photos Below.
Below Left and Below Right - the entrance was on the narrower end of the building - it is just about visible behind the fence. It is currently someone's garage.
More photos of these shelters and other wartime relics on Levy Boy's Wartime Page
A private air raid shelter
I found this shelter when looking for the one on Levy Boy's website around the back of Cardus Street. When I found this one - I thought I had found it. When I compare my photos to his - I realise it is a different one!
It is round the back of a house on Rostron Street. I presume it is a shelter as most outside toilets or coal stores do not have reinforced concrete roofs!
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