Thanks Chris.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisGeorge
It is worth pointing out that this site is a gold mine about the History
of Liverpool, a lot of hard reading, but will answer most queries.
Printable View
Thanks Chris.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisGeorge
It is worth pointing out that this site is a gold mine about the History
of Liverpool, a lot of hard reading, but will answer most queries.
I know this isn't in Liverpool but it is just over the water there is the Tranmere Tunnels
Hi all
found your forum yesterday, fascinating to me since i left Liverpool some years ago.
When i was a kid growing up in Woolton Village, beside Reynolds Park, i discovered (I wasn't the first of course) a tunnel which ran for about 15 feet before turning right and running for another ten feet at which point it had been blocked off.
The tunnel is located near the base of the small quarry which can be found over a seven foot wall which runs along the left side of the entrance path from the gates on Woolton Hill Road.
i've looked for the quarry on Google Earth but it's completely obscured by a canopy of trees.
there's another oddity in Reynolds park which looks almost like a concealed entrance at the top of the field at the Woolton Park entrance.
Anybody here know anything about this or has anybody else seen the tunnel?
wow fascinating stuff!Quote:
Originally Posted by theoc
I hope someone can shed some more light!:):unibrow:
On the Williamson Tunnels Website; it was posted a while ago but sounds interesting:
thats off http://www.williamsontunnels.co.ukQuote:
Was Joseph Williamson a Yorkshireman?
Thursday October 11th, 2007
Very little has ever been known about Joseph Williamson’s early life and what information we have had has come from the writings of the somewhat unreliable 19th century local historian James Stonehouse.
Stonehouse tells us that Joseph Williamson was born on 10th March 1769 and that he left his home in Warrington at the age of 11 to lodge with the Tate family in Liverpool who gave him employment in their tobacco & snuff manufactory.
Stonehouse also relates that Joseph married Elizabeth Tate and eventually took over the Tate business.
In May 2007 a small team from the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre, frustrated by the dearth of information about Williamson, resolved to make a concerted effort to learn more.
Since then much information has been unearthed but the most significant breakthrough came quite recently.
Senior researcher Sian Roberts has uncovered evidence that Joseph Williamson was actually born in Yorkshire and that Joseph’s father and Elizabeth Tate’s grandfather were both glassmakers in a small village near Wakefield.
It appears that following the decline of small-scale glassmaking in Yorkshire in the latter part of the 18th century several members of the Tate family moved to Liverpool and we believe that at around the same time the Williamson family moved to Warrington.
The Heritage Centre research team is still following several leads, which may lead to more information about Joseph Williamson and are planning to display their work at the Heritage Centre in due course.
I always knew that the Mole of Edge Hill was not from Liverpool but there were never any specific details (apart from one mention of Warrington). You'd think they'd write a proper book or something about him but I suppose with information so scarce it'd be hard.
Snappel did a report on this a little while ago but it may have been on a different forum. He posted up pictures though - give him a private message.Quote:
Originally Posted by theoc
I'm currently writing 'THE' book on Williamson and the Tunnels. Having been involved on the scene for 8 years, there's probably nothing I don't know about Williamson, his will, neighbours, the tunnels and I've been in every accessible section too (including the rare triple decker tunnel running underneath the Heritage Centre)Quote:
Originally Posted by fortinian
In 'A pub on every corner' regarding the Coach and Horses, Low hill. Freddy O'Connor mentions underground tunnels leading to a local bridewell. Anyone know anything about this?
Good luck with your book, mate! I'll look forward to seeing it. :PDT11Quote:
Originally Posted by Cadfael
Chris
Thank you Chris. There has been one book already on the Tunnels, which has read as little more than 'hearsay' and chinese whispers. In this book, I am including all 4 portraits of Williamson, a full copy of his will, and lots of information from around the area too. The biggest part is the 'red tape' but I'm sure I can bribe the council in some way :)Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisGeorge
The biggest problem with books like this is that people release them expecting to make a mint yet produce little more than stories, I am going to be quoting hard fact from genuine sources, Williamson's Will, Stonehouse (1846) - Hand's visit in 1926 - and so on.
I like the sound of your approach and that the book will be fact based rather than rely on myth and legend.
Chris
I was in a play about Williamson earlier this year at The Unity Theatre - The King of Edge Hill by Karen Brown. Most of the cast went down the tunnels at some point. When I went, the guide was obviously new. One of the points of interest she took great pride in bringing our attention was a 'fossilised bird's nest'. The other guides had obviously been winding her up - the thing can't have been more than a year old.
Did the happen to find the joke book I use whilst in there? ;)
When I was doing tours of the area on Heritage Weekends, I didn't give a jot of information out that I couldn't say I sourced it from and could rabble on for at least 20 mins on just that section of the tunnels. The extra parts that I am touching on are Williamson's parents, his Godson (buried in a grave in Liverpool) and the connection between Williamson and Rosewen in Cumberland of which was in his will. But if I type it all on here, I wouldn't have a book to print :)
Don't know about tunnels, but there is still a former bridewell close by.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ged
Prescot Street, opposite the Royal's chimney.
What would be the point of tunnels between a police station and a pub?
All depends on how old the surroundings are - The Masons Arms in Soho has such a thing and was built at the time when there was public hangings. If the police deemed that they would lose the prisoner with all the crowds, they shoved the prisoner down the tunnel system and along to the hanging bay.Quote:
What would be the point of tunnels between a police station and a pub
For those interested, this book...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...AL._SS500_.jpg
...was available (new) for £6.99 in the discount book shop in St Johns last time I was there. Big stack opposite the door. The shop is on the ground floor by 'Food Court'. A **** good read, and some excellent pictures too.
Yes i've got that, a good book and i've even been down the little bridewell under what was a book shop in Fazakerley street that it shows.
There are tunnels at the nook in Gateacre, one goes to Garston, one goes to the Abbey, and one goes to camp hill. Been told that the monks from the abbey used to take the booze down through the tunnel to the pub at the nook. Been a boozer there since 900 ad and it is mentioned in the dooms day book. They used to sell slaves outside the gateacre hall hotel which was built on it. they slaves were kept at the back of the hotel. They have knocked the hotel down now and built houses on top of the tunnels. I've spoke to people who have seen the three tunnels and they are genuine people.Quote:
Originally Posted by steveb
Any pics Ged?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ged
How did you get permission for that?
Slaves? Black slaves? New to me. A tunnel from the Nook to Garston? Do you know how long that is?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dafella
I didn't want to be the 1st one to say anything on that post....Tunnels to Camp Hill and presumably the Childwall Abbey too..... :rolleyes: :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterways
hi all,Quote:
Originally Posted by snappel
have just joined your site following a web search on liverpool tunnels, i have it on fairly good authority that there used to be tunnels linking the womens hosp ,the southern ,myrtle st and the ENT hospital, this would be in the late 50s early 60s, does anyone have any recollections of these?
thanks in anticipation
ian
I have heard that tunnels connected some of the hospitals with a small railtrack to send hospital laundry to the main laundry room at the Royal?
There is a lot of fascinating material about Joseph Williamson in chapters 9 and 10 of 'Recollections of Old Liverpool by a Nonegenarian' (1863) which may be read and downloaded here-
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21324...-h/21324-h.htm
Good link!:PDT_Piratz_26:Quote:
Originally Posted by knowhowe
Most hospitals have service tunnels for heating/maintenance. It's possible that those hospitals you mentioned were linked. The womens hospital was, back then, on Catherine Street wasn't it? It's now Agnes Jones halls of residence. ENT I'm guessing is the Symphony building, and then there was the maternity hospital behind. They may well have been linked, possibly all fed from one boiler house.Quote:
Originally Posted by alfie80
You are right. They would pipe steam from building to building.Quote:
Originally Posted by snappel
Came accross this thread by accident.
Thought you might like to know.
There is a deep well like entrance in Mossley Hill at the back Linwood House.Used to belong to the Holts of Sudley house.The tunnel shaft goes straight down and is about 6 ft in Diameter.It has thick Iron railings over it put there years ago and the last owner put rather placed an iron plate over it.The grass has grown around it quite high and it is now hard to spot.
The owner of the property (20 yrs ago) said that it was connected to garston docks !!! and was a smuggling tunnel that the Holts (shipping) family used.I dont know how true this is but it IS there.The house is being renovated after sitting empty for a number of years and it might be worthwhile someone going along and asking some questions if thats you thing.
Ah, on the corner of Park Avenue. That's one hell of a distance from Garston Docks but I think i'll have a shufty all the same. Thanks.
The Holts did not need to smuggle, they were rich enough from shipping. I doubt it goes to Garston Docks. The South End docks are nearer. There was a small Dock at Otterspool but disappeared just before WW2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ged
I'll bring me ladder and drop a paper chase in case I get lost.
Anyone know how deep it goes?
Have contacted the developer - see if I get anything from them.
There are certainly a number of tunnels under Queen Buildings/Queen Avenue at the other end of Castle St - they are contemporary with the building and I have been led to believe they were built by French POW's (Napoleonic). Most of them have been bricked up now, but some are still accessible through a door in the arcade - you would have to get permission from Bruntwood (who own the building) and arrange for someone to show you around.Quote:
Originally Posted by knowhowe
Sounds like an idea for the meetup thread
well if you do, then do pop in and see me, I'm in the gallery opposite the door to the tunnels.Quote:
Originally Posted by Broliv
cool
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lydia
A family friend while working to install new drains in the basement of a building in Sweeting St, unearthed a tunnel. A light was used to investigate, but the tunnel was longer than the beam of the light could probe. The tunnel went Towards the Town Hall in one direction and disappeared into the darkness in the opposite direction. I have no more information other than this, but the story is genuine.
In another story on tunnels, I also help out occasionally with The Friends of Williamson’s Tunnels. At a recent event at the Anglican Cathedral, an elderly gent told me he had heard a story of a tunnel somewhere below Water St, which contained a number of skeletons from a long time ago. The council investigated but decided to leave well alone and closed it up.
Yup, that's the Queen Buildings tunnelsQuote:
Originally Posted by Samp