Underground Liverpool

[snappel]

Well, Kev asked if I had any pictures of tunnels, underground locations, etc, in Liverpool, so I've selected the best ones. I expect most of these are reasonably well known, but interesting all the same I hope.

Waterloo/Victoria Tunnels

The former rail link from Edge Hill to the north docks and Riverside Station, this tunnel stretches a couple of miles under the city. I walked it a couple of years ago, the torch running out just as we reached the end. Luckily there was a way out, otherwise we'd have had to walk back in the pitch dark!! Most of my pictures of this are crap, as the camera I had only did 2s max exposures.

Looking up one of the ventilation shafts


Discarded trolley wheelset


Victorian brick-lined sewer running underneath the tunnel


The exit, piled high with tyres

Fairly recently I went back to explore the old arch that carries the Northern Line over what would have been the LNWR line running out of the Waterloo tunnel. This was interesting as we found a second arch buried under the embankment, and also a network of passages and vaulted tunnels actually inside the main brick arch structure.

Inside the brick structure, which is hollow!


The buried tunnel, just about accessible

Woolton Quarry Tunnel

This one was short, but quite interesting. A tunnel cut into the sandstone quarry face of a quarry in Woolton, most of which has now been built on. The tunnel curves into the rock, then meets another tunnel at 90 degrees, which is blocked after a few yards. Perhaps this was once used to move stones up to the top of the hill? I can't find much info on this one...

The entrance


The tunnel curves uphill


The top section is brick-lined

Bramley-Moore Dock Tunnel

On the west side of Bramley-Moore Dock is a reasonably modern tunnel running underneath the quayside. Not sure what it's for, but it runs across the dock drainage system, with a hole at one point that enters the tidal drain. There was lots of junk in there, and what looked like rails for some kind of hopper wagon or movable machinery. There were no shafts leading into it from above, just two side entrances.

Shaft down into the drain

The drainage system beneath the dock is interesting. Part of it would have been used to control the depth of water in the dock. Evidence of this is a big sluice gate that connects to the drain which could have been used to equalise the depth of water in the dock with that of the river.

A drain runs right along the length of the quayside, and at some points there are access points such as the one pictured below. Further exploration wasn't possible as the tide was only halfway out and the steps disappeared into murky water. I'm guessing entry here would allow passage to the sluice about 300 yards round the dock and perhaps the workings of other hydraulic machinery, but I'm not sure I'm that brave!!

Prince's Landing Stage Tunnel

This short tunnel was exposed when work began clearing the site for the new development. The tunnel lead from the inner dockside down to the lower level of the landing stage. The walls and roof were lined with glazed bricks, and the tunnel has subsequently been backfilled or destroyed.

Looking towards the landing stage


Landing stage lower level


Entrance to the tunnel - clearly the tunnel once ran a bit further

Queensway Tunnel

I expect we've all been through here on numerous occasions. These photos are taken from a recent tour I went on. Very interesting, especially getting into the lower section of the tunnel.

One of the huge fans


Looking up the ventilation shaft


Steps down to the road tunnel


The underneath of the road deck, where is was proposed to run a tramway

Georges Dock

When the Three Graces were built, Georges Dock was used as a foundation. The Cunard Building was built in one section of the dock, and the Georges Dock Ventilation Station for the Queensway Tunnel was built next door. From the ventilation station it is possible to access one of the original arches in the bridge across the dock. Subsequent arches run in the direction of the river, and apparently in one of them is an old boat. These arches I think are liable to flooding, hence the basement of the Cunard Building having water pumping facilities.

In some parts of the Cunard Building basement, the original dock wall can be found.

Georges Dock bridge arch


Georges Dock wall, Cunard Building basement


Pumping equipment, Cunard Building basement

Royal Insurance Building Shelter

During the Second World War, parts of the (currently empty) Royal Insurance Building's basement were converted for use as an air-raid shelter. These rooms were probably coal stores originally, but were cleared out so that local workers could take shelter from the bombing raids. I knew nothing of these rooms until I explored the building (don't worry, I didn't break in!).

Below the lower ground floor we entered the basement and found strange escape hatches. Some appeared to lead into what looked like coal chutes - others went from room to room. All had 'Escape' or 'No Exit' painted on them in wartime style signwriting. Also of interest was a removed staircase with paint still visible. On a later visit a friend of mine notices a typed piece of paper pasted to the wall, which cleared up the mystery - it was instructions on how to use the escapes to get out of the shelter! This would have been in the event of building collapse. Amazing that the instructions had survived.

Exits through the coal chute


Typed instructions

There's just too much stuff beneath this city...

[Paul D]

What fantastic pictures they are really something else.

[shytalk]

Fantastic!

[scouserdave]

Snappel, I always get a buzz when I view your pics.

[bobbymac]

Wow. I never knew of most of these.
Something like Seattle, there are parts of the old town buried beneath the streets that can be accessed by tunnels. Ta for the pics M8.

[shytalk]

In the 50's I knew a Mr. Elston. He was a director of a small car dealership in Mount Pleasant, so small they only kept 2 cars in the showroom, it was about halfway up the hill. He told us that when they were fixing up the basement for storage they discovered a brick built arch, they went down the tunnel behind it for quite a way and came to a collapse, they were scared of it falling more so came out and they had the arch bricked up. I have always wondered where it went, are there any other tunnels known in that area?. I mentioned it to the guide at the Williamson tunnels and he said he had never heard of it.

[Waterways]

Bramley-Moore Dock Tunnel

On the west side of Bramley-Moore Dock is a reasonably modern tunnel running underneath the quayside. Not sure what it's for, but it runs across the dock drainage system, with a hole at one point that enters the tidal drain. There was lots of junk in there, and what looked like rails for some kind of hopper wagon or movable machinery. There were no shafts leading into it from above, just two side entrances.

Shaft down into the drain

The drainage system beneath the dock is interesting. Part of it would have been used to control the depth of water in the dock. Evidence of this is a big sluice gate that connects to the drain which could have been used to equalise the depth of water in the dock with that of the river.

A drain runs right along the length of the quayside, and at some points there are access points such as the one pictured below. Further exploration wasn't possible as the tide was only halfway out and the steps disappeared into murky water. I'm guessing entry here would allow passage to the sluice about 300 yards round the dock and perhaps the workings of other hydraulic machinery, but I'm not sure I'm that brave!!

Kevin, the drainage tunnels. These I presume are on the river wall - the land at the side of river. Some docks had sluices to equalise with high tide - the highest dock level was that of the high tide, which varies throughout the year. If the water level was lower in the dock, or higher because of rain, the water went either into the river or into the dock.

I'm not sure about Bramley Moore, however some dock were impounded. That meant pumps raised the level of the docks above that of the river to get deep draught ships in. The South Ends Docks did this. This usually meant having a proper "lock", not just a gate, at the river. A ship went into the lock and the water level of the lock was raised to that of the higher dock. This was an expensive undertaking and massive pumps were needed and sometime ran 24/7 when the high tide levels were at their lowest. It was considered cheaper than draining docks and deepening them, which meant reinforcing the bottom of the quay walls. The docks were deepened at one point, but ships just kept getting bigger.

The same rule applied to dredging. It was cheaper to dredge than deepen river and bay shipping lanes. The Mersey shipping lane were deepened to 28 foot from 25 foot - low tide depth, with max 32 foot tides - in 1968, then in 1975, after the south end docks closures it went back to 25 foot. So, ships with a max draught of about 55 foot draught could enter the river. Biggest ship ever was 350,000 tons tanker at Tranmere.

In New York the container port is being deepened by blasting the harbour entrance bedrock - a very expensive undertaking. Then probably training banks are installed and constant dredging too.

New York harbour around Manhattan was only ever 17 foot average depth with 2 to 3 foot tides. A shipping lane had to be dredged to get the Queens Mary and Elizabeth in.

[Waterways]

In the 50's I knew a Mr. Elston. He was a director of a small car dealership in Mount Pleasant, so small they only kept 2 cars in the showroom, it was about halfway up the hill. He told us that when they were fixing up the basement for storage they discovered a brick built arch, they went down the tunnel behind it for quite a way and came to a collapse, they were scared of it falling more so came out and they had the arch bricked up. I have always wondered where it went, are there any other tunnels known in that area?. I mentioned it to the guide at the Williamson tunnels and he said he had never heard of it.

There was a copper mine in the Middle Ages at wait for it.....Copperas Hill. Recently a hotel being built there they discovered one of the access shafts. It is huge down there. They poured concrete in to seal it up.

[Kev]

These are fantastic pictures. In fact 'fanastic' doesn't do them justice nor the work which went into bringing these into the public eye Brilliant. If any time I need to use these for anything I can come here!!

[lindylou]

Excellent ! Thanks for sharing.

[Scousemouse]

Superb, thank you— you've certainly got more 'bottle' than me!!

[Kev]

Superb, thank you— you've certainly got more 'bottle' than me!!

Probably plenty of bottles of beer

[johnmed]

Snappel, you are a great resource. I'd love to explore more myself, but wouldn't know where to find underground attractions and would probably come unstuck if I did locate any!

Thanks for sharing this.

P.S. Would you let people (me) join you on future explorations?

[oritelad]

In the 50's I knew a Mr. Elston. He was a director of a small car dealership in Mount Pleasant, so small they only kept 2 cars in the showroom, it was about halfway up the hill. He told us that when they were fixing up the basement for storage they discovered a brick built arch, they went down the tunnel behind it for quite a way and came to a collapse, they were scared of it falling more so came out and they had the arch bricked up. I have always wondered where it went, are there any other tunnels known in that area?. I mentioned it to the guide at the Williamson tunnels and he said he had never heard of it.

where about is this buliding now i would like to go and find out but it sounds like itsthe tunnel leading to the old cathdral there ends havebeen bricked up too

[PhilipG]

I found a long tunnel.
It seemed to go for a mile.