To mark the anniversary of VE Day, this post will focus on the Anderson Shelters that were constructed at Middleton Hall during the Second World War. In the 1850s the moat had been drained from the north bridge, which created a dry moat. The Anderson Shelters were constructed in the northern part of this dry moat channel. Anderson Shelters were invented in 1939 by William Patterson. He was an engineer who was tasked by Sir John Anderson to develop a small cheap bomb shelter.