He spent 1,000 hours breaking, cutting and burrowing into 70 to 80 tonnes of rock but now it has all the mod cons

He headed a recruitment company in Australia, but a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2007 made him rethink priorities


The pressures of modern life mean that most of us have probably dreamt at one time or another of fleeing to the hills.

Real-life caveman Angelo Mastropietro has made his dreams come true by transforming a 250 million year old cave in the Wyre Forest, Worcestershire, into a luxurious home outfitted with an Aga range cooker and rainfall shower head.

After £160,000 and approximately 1,000 hours breaking, cutting and burrowing through tonnes of rock, the 38-year-old can finally put away the shovels and pickaxes and bask in the comforts of wi-fi, running water and underfloor heating.

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The former head of an Australian recruitment company returned to underground living by converting a cave in the Wyre Forest, Worcestershire, into his dream home

He spent a total of £160,000 after his 2007 diagnosis made him reconsider his lifestyle. He was temporarily paralysed by the condition and said: 'I wanted to be in a place where I had a happier and healthier life'

The father-of-two excavated 70 to 80 tonnes of stone by hand before turning his dream into a reality. This is the finished dining room

Mr Mastropietro was the head of a successful recruitment company in Australia, where he lived for a decade, when a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2007 left him temporarily paralysed.

He said: 'MS was triggered by health and lifestyle and that was the catalyst I needed to remind me that I needed to be mindful of my health and be respectful of my lifestyle.

'I wanted to be in a place where I had a happier and healthier life.'

The Worcestershire native first came across the cave in 1999 when he took refuge in the space during a rainy bike ride.

The cave, which had been used as a four-bedroom house for 300 years, was abandoned in the late 1940s.

Mr Mastropietro sits in the bathtub, which was eventually changed into a shower after he realised it would be impossible to heat enough hot water to fill it

The cascading pebble wall adds a unique touch to this luxurious rainfall shower, complete with a heated towel rack

Mr Mastropietro, who designed and created this kitchen, spotted the cave when he and some friends found shelter during a rainy bike ride

He retained the cave-like feel with textured stone walls and curved, organic lines (left). Mr Mastropietro outfitted the house with modern conveniences, but remained loyal to the natural surroundings by including details like this wooden sink (right)

The father-of-two, who returned to Britain in 2010, saw the property listed more than ten years after that fateful bike ride and decided to take the plunge.

He purchased the cave, part of a row of living spaces considered to be the oldest inhabited rock houses in the whole of Europe, for £62,000.

With a budget of £100,000 he worked single-handedly to transform the space by excavating 70-80 tonnes of rock. A single doorway between two rooms took Mr Mastropietro 11 days of work to hack through 5-feet of rock.

He also cut and drilled into the hillside, and all of the fresh running water comes from Angelo’s own bore hole, which he sank 80 metres into the ground.

He fitted large glass windows to let natural sunlight into his home. Green plants cascade down the front of his home which can be appreciated from the large terrace out front

Mr Mastropietro did not need planning permission and let his imagination serve as a guide for how to convert the space. The shower is constructed with a cascading wall of large pebbles, complete with a rainfall shower head.

The sink basins in the house's bathrooms also utilise organic elements such as rock and wood, while most of the rooms retain a cave-like atmosphere with textured stone walls.

The ambitious makeover was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs in September, which sparked the fascination of thousands of viewers.

He said: “I love a challenge. Coincidentally my surname actually means Master of the Stones, so you know maybe it’s in my blood.

“The rock house came along and without a shadow of a doubt I was as passionate about that as I was about setting up my company.

Mr Mastropietro added: “I think when you’re actually here and you see it in person, you get a feel for the place. You know people have literally been in tears. So I feel incredibly happy.

“Very proud, very honoured and yeah, it’s been a very inspiring chapter I think.”

The completed home, which was featured on Grand Designs, has a huge terrace, intimate rooms and white walls to brighten it up

The cave, which was abandoned in the 1940s, is cut into 50ft high sandstone cliffs in an area which apparently inspired JRR Tolkien to create Middle Earth. Pictured left is the newly-installed chimney for Mr Mastropietro's wood-burning stoves

Mr Mastropieto did not need planning permission and single-handedly transformed the space after hacking away at stone for 1,000 hours

He told the Channel 4 show that he was scared about the effects of his illness. Despite this, he pulled off an impressive feat of manual labour to complete his dream house.

He said: 'I have literally been paralysed before and it does put the fear of God into you really.'

The cave is cut into 50ft high sandstone cliffs in an area which apparently inspired JRR Tolkien to create Middle Earth and its famous fictional creatures.

Mr Mastropieto, pictured left, transformed a 250-million-year-old cave after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This doorway, right, took him 11 days of hacking away to get through 5 feet of stone

Archaeological architects believe it was around in its earliest form nearly 800 years ago.

With the constant threat of his illness - which once left him paralysed - the extensive manual labour was a bigger consideration than usual

Pictured: Presenter Kevin McCloud helps Mr Mastropieto create a built-in wardrobe in what will eventually become one of the cave's bedrooms

But although he wanted a calm and peaceful home - and to keep the essence of the cave - Mr Mastropietro did not shun all the trappings of modern life and instead brought water and electricity to the cave house for the first time.

'I want to celebrate that it is a cave dwellings, but I want to add modern day luxuries,' he says. 'It definitely has a modern feel but hopefully retains some cave charm.'