Inside the Secret Underground Maze a Reclusive Man Spent 30 Years Crafting Beneath His Backyard
Ever wonder what happens when a man armed with nothing but spades, shovels, and an utterly relentless spirit decides to dig a labyrinth right in his own backyard? Meet Francis Proctor, a 76-year-old who spent a staggering thirty years slicing through stubborn sand dunes beneath his Southport home, crafting a 20-foot-deep network of caves that’s more than just a man cave—it’s a subterranean masterpiece. The twist? Francis insists that all the credit goes to his late wife, Barbara—the unheralded genius whose knack for math and engineering turned what seemed ‘almost impossible’ into a whimsically otherworldly reality. While most man caves boast mini-fridges and flat screens, Francis’ underground sanctuary features a waterfall, a bridge, and even a skeleton plucked from a Hollywood film set. It’s not your average weekend project—and it sure makes me wonder—who needs TV when you’ve got your own private cave system? Dive into the story of grit, love, and a bit of eccentric flair that turned a ‘pretty silly’ idea into a national attraction. LEARN MORE
Armed with only spades and shovels, this bloke managed to hand-dig an extraordinary underground network of caves in his back garden.
It took Francis Proctor three decades to bring his incredible vision to life 20ft below the surface of his Southport home – but he gives all the credit to his late wife Barbara.
She was the brains of the outfit who managed to find a way to build the other-worldly labyrinth of caves, despite it initially being deemed ‘almost impossible’ as the property sits on sand dunes near Ainsdale Beach.
Francis, 76, explained that they purchased the pad more than 50 years ago and he had a ‘pretty silly’ idea about creating his own man cave.
Although most rooms of this nature are filled with flatscreen TVs and mini-fridges, he simply wanted an ‘underground room that he could travel down to from the garden’.
Francis and Barbara put their heads together to bring his incredible vision to life (SWNS)
“It was pretty silly, but I got the idea from the Blue John Cavern in Derbyshire,” he explained in September last year.
But given that his and Barbara’s home sits on top of sand dunes, he realised it was probably a pipe dream – until he shared his idea with his wife.
The retired photographer recalled how his spouse, who was a mathematician and statistician, explained that it would actually be ‘quite straightforward’.
Francis said: “If you dig into sand, you can imagine what would happen – it would just collapse in on itself, so you’d think it would be almost impossible to build caves here.
“But the reason we were able to do it was because we underpinned the side of the house when we built an extension. Barbara looked at the plans and said it was quite straightforward.
“Under her direction, she explained what we needed to do.”
Although the home looks ordinary from the outside, the back of it has become a tourist attraction (SWNS)
Thankfully, Barbara really was good at number crunching and her calculations were correct. This allowed the couple to gradually dig deeper and deeper, until they had a cavern plunging 20ft underground.
The entire network was hand-dug by him using only spades and shovels, taking around 30 years in total, so it really was a labour of love.
Francis then kitted his subterranean sanctuary with a bridge, a waterfall and a series of eccentric features collected from around the world – such as a skeleton prop salvaged from a Hollywood film set in the US.
But it’s the cavern that he crafted with garden tools which is the pièce de résistance.
Tourists now flock to his garden to have a good gawp at all of Francis’ hard work, as his caves are listed under the National Garden Scheme.
Francis explained that his wife’s knowledge made the impossible, possible (SWNS)
He began the ambitious project as it was ‘something to do’ in his spare time, but ended up impressing the entire country with his handiwork.
The popularity of the Southport attraction then boomed once again after it was featured on the hit Channel 4 show, George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.
“People always say they just can’t believe what they’re seeing,” Francis said proudly. “A lot of professional gardeners have come along to have a look too.
“We had no intention of building this for anyone else’s benefit, it was just something I worked on in my spare time with the help of others.
“It was something to do that I enjoyed. It was a surprise when people started taking a lot of interest in it, and now more and more people are coming to see it.”
It took 30 years in total to complete (SWNS)
“We wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if it weren’t for the fact that Barbara worked out how we could dig into the sand,” Francis said. “It was because of her knowledge.”
In wake of Barbara’s death more than four years ago, it has since become a shrine to her – and her widower has sweetly installed a plaque inscribed with the words ‘Barbara’s Garden’ which marks the entrance.
Francis’ late wife is weaved into the fabric of the cave system, as historic foundation stone anchors the site – and it is one that Francis personally tracked down and re-dedicated to Barbara in her memory.
The stone once sat at Southport Hospital and was laid in 1922 by the Earl of Derby.
Exactly a century to the date later, it was unveiled in Francis’ back garden as a memorial to the woman who made the impossible, possible.
Cheers to Barbara!
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