An Aga Cooker inside a Bunker?!

In Aberdeenshire, an inconspicuous house sits on top of a secret underground bunker - with a lovely aga cooker inside!

One of our meticulously refurbished traditional models looks right at home inside the bunker. The 'Military Grey' shade of enamel blends into the Cold War style of the surroundings. Originally built in the 1950's as part of the RAF's secret intelligence program, the bunker spans a massive 10,000 sq ft of space and includes a library, kitchen, plant room, operations room, living room and a few bedrooms!


I made the trip to the bunker (I couldn't help myself!), to assist with the build, and ferrying lumps of cast iron down the windy tunnel and through the multiple blast doors. We were lucky enough to have an interesting tour around the bunker by the owner, who is currently restoring the bunker to it's original state, whilst incorporating some unique artistic projects.

Once all of the cast iron had been taken underground, the build could start.


After a thorough consultation, the 'always on' 13amp aga cooker was identified as the winner for this project. The ambient air temperature is rather chilly in the bunker, at 9c, because of the thick concrete walls and the depth underground. The owner wanted a traditional piece of history to occupy the space in the kitchen, and something to give the space a welcoming warmth. Since install, the room temperature is a cosy 20c!

George the cat was a lovely companion during the build and he took the opportunity for a nice cat nap inside the hotcupboard (before it was installed of course!). Steve and I completed the build with only a few setbacks - which is fairly normal when working with these much older models of aga cooker. Each one is unique and has a whole history behind it. This model would have been originally run by anthracite (coal), then converted to oil by a customer in the Scottish Highlands. We completely stripped it down, refurbished it, replaced some odd and broken parts then it was ready for it's new home!

About The Author:


Steven has been working with Aga Cookers since he was helping his father from the ripe old age of 10 years old! He created SALTIRECOOKERS with longevity and information in mind - a sustainable, family business, built to inform and be passed throughout the generations. His favourite parts of the job is meeting all of the dogs and seeing a good before/after.


About The Author:


Steven has been working with Aga Cookers since he was helping his father from the ripe old age of 10 years old! He created SALTIRECOOKERS with longevity in mind - a sustainable, family business, built to last throughout the generations. His favourite part of the job is meeting the dogs, seeing a good before/after and hearing great feedback.

Some Further Reading:

2023 Summary

28 Dec, 2023
What a year! I've been diving into reporting and End-of-Year stats for all of the spreadsheet goodness.

A Solid Fuel Aga Cooker Conversion

19 Dec, 2023
One of our more challenging Aga Cooker conversions, but 100% worth it.

Money Saving Tips for your Aga Cooker

04 Sept, 2023
Aga Cooker owners across the UK are looking at ways to reduce their energy usage when it comes to their AGA Cooker. We've put together a list of 10 hints and tips from Aga Cooker Owners to help you cut costs and save money.
Load More Posts...
Share by: