When I was first born(35 years ago) up until the age of three I used to live in an old priory in Watergate Lane in Woolton it was called St. Bennets Priory. My Mum and Dad told me of the subterranean passage that began in the cellar of the house. They found the entrance (which was partially blocked) while checking the electric meter. As I was too young to remember very much at all about the Priory I did a bit of research and found the following.....
St. Bennet's Priory.
After the Reformation, the Catholic families of Great Britain practiced their Faith in secret. Those Manorial buildings, which remained to Catholic owners, were furnished with secret rooms, passages, and exits for the safety of priests, who crept there, in disguise, to attend to the spiritual needs of the family and all the inhabitants of the Manor.
For many generations the Norris family at Speke Hall played a great part in preserving the Roman Catholic Faith in South West Lancashire. Speke Hall, which is about two miles from Woolton, contains hiding places for priests. Entrances and exits were often affected by means of subterranean passages leading from the Hall to the banks of the Mersey. In 1586, we read that a certain priest named Richard Brittain "remayneth now at the house of Mr. Norris of the Speke." This Mr. Norris later became Sir William Norris, and his descendants remained true to the old Faith.
Here's a link to the full article...
RootsWeb: ENG-LANCS-WOOLTON-MUCH-L [ENG-LANCS-WOOLTON-MUCH] Woolton History 19
Moreover, when the priory was knocked down to build houses the builders, working on the Watergate Lane site, unearthed the remains of a tunnel.
It was a really spooky place to live, I remember clearly the tomb stone in the garden and the graves. They have now been removed and put in St Mary's Church in Woolton. My Mum told me of the time she was hanging out the washing one day only to slip and twist her ankle on one of the graves that was badly damaged and falling in. She said the place was haunted!
I'd love to live in a place like that. How did your parents come to live in such a place?
I don't know if this has been posted somewhere else, but if not it's well worth a read. Williamson' tunnels are mentioned in Chapter X.
Recollections of Old Liverpool by A Nonagenarian - Project Gutenberg
Love the way he writes.
Dave.
Thanks Davec, it has been posted before but is well worth a reminder.
You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.
Winston Churchill
They had just got married and it was their first house together (one that they could afford) They were renting it at the time quite cheaply apparently -probably because nobody else wanted a graveyard in their garden! I have memories of my Mum lifting me up onto the tomb/vault to tie my shoe laces
sounds an interesting place AnMe08
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Hi,
I have just stumbled across this site as I was searching for info on the old priory at watergate lane in woolton (there is very little info on the web about it).
I live on Watergate Lane and my daughters go to Much Woolton Catholic primary (this was built on the site of the old priory). My daughter told me that there is supposedly a grave under one of the buildings on the school grounds and as an old St Julies pupil (top of watergate lane), I remember girls talking about the old graveyard that was once there.
I only started St Julies once Much Woolton primary had already been built and would love to know if anyone has any more info on the priory, or an old well that was supposed to be near to the priory but most importantly, the tunnel that apparently goes under my street from Woolton Hall to the old priory.
Cheers,
Cat
You sure about the priory?
If anyone knows I bet Cad would. He does a lot of Woolton stuff. PM him and see.
EDIT: If you've done a websearch you probably have seen this click here.
Last edited by fortinian; 09-10-2008 at 12:39 PM.
As this is a thread about tunnels, what are all the openings in the walls of the edge hill cutting? You can see them from the train, but they're too high up to be anything to do with the railway.
The Williamson Tunnels do not actually open onto the railway but they are there if you look. You will see that the walls change from natural sandstone to shaped sandstone blocks - this is where the so-called 'Triple Decker' Tunnel originally ran and was cut through my Stevensons LMR tunnel in the 1830s. I have even seen the plans that were drawn by the engineers of the LMR tunnel that show Mr Williamsons tunnel cutting into the railway.
Part of the triple decker still survives underneath the Williamson Tunnels Centre on Smithdown lane and is still accessable today! (Pics Beneath used with permission)
The 'hole' in the railway wall that you mention is probably the original chamber that housed 'Ramsbottoms Chimney' which was a huge venilator fan to allow the smoke and steam from locomotives to escape.
You might not be aware that the railway was originally a tunnel and only opened out into a cutting in the 1880s, so a good vent system would be in place. Ramsbottom was the chief engineer or designer I think. The yard where the chimney stood is still on Smithdown Lane (I think it's just used as storage now). There have been, however suggestions that Ramsbottom used a pre-existant Williamson Tunnel to house his fan, although I have yet to see proof.
EDIT: If anyone has an old skyline of Liverpool from pre-1970s you may be able to see the chimney as it was absolutely massive and would have easily shown up.
Last edited by fortinian; 09-10-2008 at 08:33 PM.
Spot on Fortinian.
Williamson and Stephenson met several times over their 'time'. The triple Decker Tunnel used to run from Grinfield Street all the way to the back of Williamson's House but when the railway came along, it was cut in half. Williamson wanted to keep a link so built a tunnel under the cutting as we know it now - I'll get some pictures posted up of the exact part that the tunnels were bricked up. The only other part as you say is Ramsbottoms Chimney. Demolished in the 1960's, it took a tunnel that Williamson built as part of the ventilation process before the cutting was a cutting and it was an enclosed tunnel.
I'll load up some pics tonight or tomorrow as I've got a load of the Chimney
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