The Great Escape! Man inspired by iconic war film spends £35,000 building his own Second World War-style bunker, which is accessed via an old shaft and 35ft tunnel

A fan of the classic Second World War film The Great Escape has spent almost £35,000 building his own bunker in his backyard.

Dave Billings, 43, is following his childhood dream by paying tribute to one of the most famous prison escapes in history, immortalized by Steve McQueen in the classic 1963 film The Great Escape.

He decided to build his own underground bunker and tunnel in his backyard, similar to that used by Allied prisoners of war who escaped from Stalag Luft III.

Billings, from Derbyshire, said: ‘I always wanted to find a bunker on the estate but when I didn’t I thought about building one myself.

“It’s kind of a childhood dream, actually.”

David Billings pictured inside his World War II-style bunker inspired by the Great Escape

The extensive project involves a tunnel that extends 35 feet from the small bunker to a new 320-foot (25 m²) habitable bunker.

Billings meticulously built the tunnel by hand and plans to line it with wood to replicate the original.

Richard Attenborough and Steve McQueen portrayed in the iconic film The Great Escape

Mr. Billings’ massive DIY project began 11 years ago when he built a small bunker on his property.

The site originally had nothing but an old well, so he built stairs that now lead to his 13 m² bunker.

Last year, he embarked on the next phase of his project, a larger bunker that is connected to the first bunker via a 35-foot-long tunnel.

Inspired by the iconic World War II prison camp escape tunnel, Mr. Billings meticulously created the tunnel by hand and plans to line it with wood to replicate the original.

The extensive project involves a tunnel that extends 35 feet from the small bunker to a new 320-foot (25 m²) habitable bunker.

Although it is not yet connected to his home, Mr. Billings plans to extend his home closer to the bunker and create a secret door inside his home that will lead directly to the bunker.

Your long-term goal is to create a fully connected underground network linking your home, the tunnel, and a new habitable bunker.

Billings said: ‘I want to be able to walk through the house, down to the bunker, through the tunnel and out of the well in the garden.

Billings even built a ‘beer elevator’ disguised as a keg to transport drinks to the bunker

The site originally had nothing but an old well, so he built stairs that now lead to his 13 m² bunker.

‘It’s like a secret passage.

‘Plus, if I have friends, they can use the tunnel without bothering my wife!’

Billings even built a “beer elevator” disguised as a keg to transport drinks to the bunker.

He said: ‘I made a keg lift because stairs are tricky for carrying things like beer.

“So now I can just send them off in style.”

Bilings has spent £30,000 on his new bunker so far and estimates the final cost to be around £35,000.

Dave said: ‘I spent around £4,000 on bricks and then other materials like concrete, waterproofing and insulation.

‘Because I’m building everything myself, I’ve been able to cut costs on a lot of things.’

Bilings has spent £30,000 on its new bunker so far and estimates the final cost to be around £35,000

Once completed, the bunker will feature a projector, a gaming simulator and many high-tech gadgets, making it the ultimate man cave

Billings aims to complete the new bunker by Christmas, with plans to fill it with quirky gadgets including a remote-controlled fridge.

He added: ‘I’m just doing silly things. I want a remote-controlled fridge that comes to you with a beer.

‘But I didn’t think about how I would turn this dream into reality.

‘I designed everything in computer-aided design, but I have a structural engineer checking the specifications.’

Once completed, the bunker will feature a projector, a gaming simulator and many high-tech gadgets, making it the ultimate man cave.

Dave continued: ‘It will never be fully finished.

‘I will always be adding new inventions and maybe even another tunnel.’