If, like me, you tuned into Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ on Netflix recently, you’re probably now terrified at the prospect of nuclear war. Born a little too late for the Cold War to have any impact on me, it had never really dawned on me before that mankind has enough firepower to wipe itself out in minutes.
Thankfully, there’s a Cold War bunker going up for auction on the outskirts of Bristol. Just outside the village of Hallen, situated on a ridge overlooking the Severn Estuary, hidden away in a field, you may wander across a concrete box with a steel shutter hatch and a metal ladder leading down.
Credit: David Plaister Ltd
Inside is a cosy and compact room, housing beds, a desk and wardrobe, and a rudimentary chemical WC, with battery-powered electricity and the ability to be connected to mains water. Okay, so it needs some work, but this could be your defence against the apocalypse—all for a guide price of £20,000.
Constructed in the 1960s and closed in 1991, the Hallen ROC Post is a well-preserved example of a Cold War nuclear monitoring facility. Operated by civilian volunteers, these posts measured nuclear explosions’ intensity, timing, and radioactive fallout and reported their findings to help assess strike locations and severity.
Credit: David Plaister Ltd
It’s one of approximately 1,563 underground ROC monitoring posts established during the Cold War. Instrumentation included a Bomb Power Indicator, a fixed radiation survey meter, ventilation shafts, and pipes for attachments—typical elements still visible at Hallen.
The Hallen ROC Post is ‘sold as seen’ and will go up for public auction on Tuesday, December 9, at Leigh Court and online at 7pm. You can learn more about this property by heading here.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/the-exterior-of-a-mandy-s-location-in-montreal-right-a-variety-of-mandy-s-salads.jpg?id=60148826&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=2%2C0%2C3%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Montreal's go-to salad bar is officially crossing the river.</p><p>On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-restaurants-celeb-sightings" target="_blank">Mandy's Salads</a> announced that it will open a brand new location in Brossard's Solar Uniquartier on Monday, May 19, bringing its signature salad bowls, smoothies, and café vibes to the South Shore for the first time in a permanent space.</p><p>The new restaurant, located at 310 Avenue de l’Équinoxe, sits just steps from the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/rem-montreal" target="_blank">REM</a> and Quartier DIX30, and marks a big moment in the homegrown brand's <a href="https://mandys.ca/en/locations/" target="_blank">ongoing expansion across the province</a>.</p><p>Co-founded by sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe back in 2004, Mandy's has grown from a salad counter in the back of a clothing store to a homegrown empire. This Brossard opening will be their 10th location in Quebec and 16th across Canada. According to a company press release, the South Shore has been on their radar for a while, especially after a successful pop-up in 2018 at DIX30 that left fans asking for more.</p><p>"We absolutely loved our time at DIX30, and we couldn't wait to come back for good," said Rebecca in a press release shared with MTL Blog.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHGYYpIM2Wx/?img_index=1" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHGYYpIM2Wx/?img_index=1" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>"Coming back to the South Shore has always been part of our dream," added Vanessa Fracheboud, president of Mandy's. "Solar Uniquartier checked every box."</p><p>Open seven days a week, the new location will offer Mandy's full experience — big salads, smoothies, breakfast from 8 a.m. and a space filled with the brand’s signature design touches. The restaurant's decor features porcelain tiles, tropical accents, vintage furniture, and the sisters' beloved family photo wall. </p><p>There's also a pickup wall for faster takeout.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b62da321342d96a4be8aa7c328a27022" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="994f2" loading="lazy" src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/a-generated-image-of-the-interior-of-mandy-s-newest-salad-bar.png?id=60148812&width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">A generated image of the interior of Mandy's newest salad bar.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Mandy's Salads</small></p><p><br/></p><h3>Mandy's (Brossard)</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJEgqH4R7dA/?img_index=1" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJEgqH4R7dA/?img_index=1" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Address: 310 Avenue de l’Équinoxe, Brossard, QC</p><p>Opening: May 19, 2025</p><p><a href="https://mandys.ca/en/" target="_blank">Mandy's website</a></p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>