Francis Proctor, 76, spent three decades digging out the 20ft-deep network of tunnels and caverns beneath his home in Southport, Merseyside, with the help of his late wife 'Gaze at my caves in all their glory'

A self-proclaimed "oddball" has devoted three decades to hand-excavating an extraordinary maze of subterranean chambers 20ft beneath his back garden. To the casual observer, Francis Proctor's p roperty appears utterly ordinary. ‌

Yet beneath the surface lies a remarkable underground realm of passages, grottos and whimsical features that leave guests utterly spellbound during visits to his Southport residence. Former photographer Francis, aged 76, invested 30 years completing the ambitious scheme, which he acknowledges started as a barmy notion. ‌

The entire complex

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