The Lost Village beneath Liverpool City Centre by Tom Slemen.

[MissInformed]

The Lost Village beneath Liverpool City Centre by Tom Slemen.
Taken from Haunted Liverpool 4. (page 24)

“In 1934, the two and a half mile long Queensway Tunnel- the one which passes under the Pier Head- was finally completed. During the excavations to create the mouth of the tunnel near Manchester Street and Dale Street, the excavators made a strange discovery. They found the ruins of an ancient village, situated approximately 130 feet underground. The houses which made up this village seemed to date back to Tudor times but what was particularly weird, was the diminutive size of the buildings. The villagers who had once lived there must have been minute, because most of the doorways in the houses were only four feet in height. Unbelievable as it sounds, the village was not investigated further, because the authorities in Liverpool and Birkenhead had to finish the tunnel in time for the King and Queen to open it.
So, beneath the streets of Liverpool City Centre, there is a mysterious village still unexplored. There were later claims that this village extended beneath the Lime St cuttings, and that part of the little town was exposed by a deep bomb crater near Copperas Hill during the second world war……”

Anyone have any ideas/comments etc?

[Ged]

Having researched old maps of the city centre and the fact Liverpool is not that old in relative terms to other towns and cities, it is highly unlikely that this story holds much water. The timing for the opening in the King and Queens calendar wouldn't have been an issue during early excavations either, as they opened the East Lancs Road, a library and Birkenhead park too on the same day so that all still had to be fitted in. I'm sure such a finding would have warranted further exploration and if further parts of this 'village' were exposed later on as Tom says then there was no King or Queen visit to prevent further exploration then was there? Still, this is a myth and folklore thread :)

[PhilipG]

Does Tom Slemen ever give any reliable sources for these incredible stories?

It's not just an underground village, but one inhabited by tiny people??!!. :)

I know he's your cousin, Carrie, and I don't want to upset you, but really! :eek:

[MissInformed]

Does Tom Slemen ever give any reliable sources for these incredible stories?

It's not just an underground village, but one inhabited by tiny people??!!. :)

I know he's your cousin, Carrie, and I don't want to upset you, but really! :eek:


hi philip
don't be silly...:) i was just putting it out there, as I was re-reading the book at lunchtime.
I find it hard to fathom myself...
But, he was appealing at the end of the story for more info...

But I really wish he would put a bibliography in his books, or a few sources at least, so we could follow it up...:)

[SteveFaragher]

the main reason there's no sources is most of the stuff in his books are either made up, retold rubbish, or made up.......it would be nice if there was a miniature town under liverpool, but let's face it if you can't check something you can make up any old crap and make a handsome living on it by the look of things.

[theninesisters]

I have to say that when reading HL2 again (or it could be no 1), Slemen talked about a bomb falling on Edge Hill and that lots of rats could be seen on Mason Street.

Although I really enjoy his stories, not only was he 20 years too late when giving a birthdate of Williamson but it would be virtually impossible for any amount of rats to run down Mason Street from the tunnels as no entrances were at ground level. Smithdown Lane I could understand but I think I can put this one as a 'fictional' story!

[SteveFaragher]

cockney rhyming porky pies, we used have name for a tall tale teller.Tom Pepper/Slemen.

[lindylou]

[QUOTE=SteveFaragher;41369]the main reason there's no sources is most of the stuff in his books are either made up, retold rubbish, or made up.......it would be nice if there was a miniature town under liverpool,


It could be the Jam buttie mines inhabited by the diddy men. :D

[Ged]

They could form a football team and take over the 'small club' mantle from the blues lol.

[SteveFaragher]

maybe it could be a middle earth based tourist attraction. hobbitpool

[lierbag]

I've only just got round to reading my first Tom Slemen book ('Haunted Liverpool 1'), but got bored about halfway through. Tales with verifiable facts, quickly start giving way to formulaic nonsense, where the protagonists can't be named, locations aren't specific, and the reported 'dialogues' could only have been accurate if CCTV and recording equipment had been in situ.

Written in 1997, Tom seems to have been fortunate that his readership of the time didn't have access to the myriad electronic records now easily accessible via the internet. A simple trawl through the census returns - cross-referenced with the complete births, marriages and deaths records, from 1837 onwards, reveal that individuals alluded to (in those stories were any sort of personal information is supplied at all) seem never to have existed. Why am I not surprised?

File under: 'harmless fictional entertainment'.

[Gerard]

Something in one of his books I believe about a Giant snake in the Bin Chutes of Gerard Gardens...
I was in and out of Gerard Gardens all my Life as my Mams family moved in when they opened and I Lived there myself from 1977 till 1986 when they closed..
I have never heard that tale in my life and the blaggard Slemen should be locked up under some descriptions act..
Very naughty Tom Lad... :Colorz_Grey_PDT_24: :Colorz_Grey_PDT_24: :Colorz_Grey_PDT_24:

[theninesisters]

I've been looking in to the 'Rats down Mason Street' story for some time now and firstly it is totally untrue for one reason - before I stumbed upon the 'real' story! No rats or animals have ever been found in the Tunnels, simply because there is no food there. Rats do not go where there is no food.

However, doing some research on the school on the corner of Chatham Place and Overbury street, this was struck by a bomb in WW2 and local residents (one who worked for the Liverpool Echo - and told the story) said that rats that were under the school (food/warmth) ran over Chatham Place and down the hill in their droves.

Tom Slemen simply takes stories like these and spins em around I'm afraid.

[naked lilac]

:unibrow: Curiousity caught the cat!!!!
I read the first post, which caught my sense of wonder... :handclap: Well, ya might say, maybe these inhabitants were Trolls? lol
Now a days, ya must take things and do your own investigating.. cause there is just tooo much shannagans going on in peoples words... but, when something keeps you guessing.. Like the Loc Ness Monster; Big Foot; Lost Cities, etc.. it is a great writers imagination that is behind it..and curiousity that thrives on it... :PDT_Aliboronz_24: