St Leonards Court Air Raid Shelter Project Update!

Today excavation work began with the aid of Hirst Conservation in the raised garden area above St Leonards Court Air Raid Shelter in East Sheen. The work aims to further investigate the condition of the shelter and inform conservation work to preserve it.

When the shelter, which was built in two phases, 1938 and 1941, had its extension built to contain the night rooms what helped keep the ceiling waterproof was a layer of bitumen which coated the top of the cast concrete structure before it was covered in soil.

Today’s investigation work was looking at where this waterproofing method has failed over time and whether the construction methods used to build the shelter may have also contributed towards the damage which can be seen inside the shelter. There are a number of small areas where water is seeping through the structure which need to be stopped as soon as possible in order to protect the shelter's largely intact original war time interior. Although damage can be seen the structure is still very sound however repair work is needed to stabilise this damage.

	Damage to the ceiling of one of the day rooms as a result of water ingress.
	Digging the first test hole. Surprisingly the top surface of the shelter was only a couple of feet down.
	The first test hole complete.
	Before even cleaning up the test hole the crack in the bitumen can clearly be seen - it will be temporarily sealed with bitumastic paint until funds are raised for the major repair work to be undertaken.