The Underground 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.

Nature's Symphony

Breathtaking colors of our planet
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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 transparency and information in mind - a sustainable, family business, built to advise and share knowledge passed throughout the generations.


His absolute favourite part of the job is meeting all of the dogs.


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:

2024 Aga Cooker Reporting!

by Steven Williams • 29 January 2025
Hello! Its the end of January as I write this, so I'm a tad late in our 'end of year' reporting, but December is our crazy month so things ran away from me. I've just finished our company reports for 2024 and I thought they'd be quite interesting for you to see (if you find charts and spreadsheets interesting like me).

Aga Oven Temperature Guide

by Steven Johnson • 25 January 2025
Wondering how hot your aga should be? We've got typical temperatures, which oven is which, and diagrams! Find your optimum aga temperature and how to identify the current temperature of your aga cooker.

How to light an Oil Aga Cooker

22 September 2024
Looking for Lighting Instructions for Oil Aga Cookers? Just follow the steps below.
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