Williamson Tunnels

[Kev]

Report:



I entered the Williamson Tunnels public bit which contained the famous double tunnels, bar/ snack area and was met by Ian who has been working on the tunnels for many years and began speaking passionately about them including the planning permission they had just applied for to begin excavasion of The Paddington Tunnels, a mile of more tunnels under the Bears Pub area (Click here for map). Ian gave me his actual sausage roll as they had none left, a nice gesture and very kind of him.



I've highlited the approximate area in red to show you the limited area that was open to us, plus the other tunnel locations that are known and have been identified and explored by members of the Williamson Tunnels.



Various artifacts have been found and are on display in the entrance area plus around the tunnel route.



After we all paid, plus a little bit extra to help the Tunnels organisation stay afloat, we were given hard hats and met our guide. He assembled us in front of these large 'stable' type doors and began his talk, in which he spoke with passion and enthusiasm about The Mole of Edge Hill, where he was born plus more background history of the great man himself.



The doors were opened and we were greeted by an excavated area of the tunnels. The area on the right used to be a floor laid by the Williamson Tunnel people until they discovered that there were more tunnels underneath, so the floor came up! It was truely amazing to listen to the history of the area and how the tunnels were used and abused over the years, they were filled in at one stage by ash from the houses above.

Everywhere we turned there were tunnels 'here, there and everywhere'.


The Kebab

Various bore holes were made over the years by workman above at ground level, these were drilled and filled with concrete and nothing to do with Joseph Williamson and his men. The stayed and this one was affectionately called The Kebab .



We had completed a full circuit of the section opened to the public which took 40 minutes. The end brought us back to the 'double tunnel' just above the bar area. Our guide explained that any artifact that was found undamaged was taken to the museum, on display here were many broken examples of pottery etc.

We were taken back down the stairs and into the entrance area were the talk continued. He was recruiting volunteers to dig out more holes so if you fancy it give them a ring!

This tour comes highly recommended. View the other pictures here. You may also be interested in the videos (dark but lots of information) here and here.

Next, it was off to Coopers for a beer and to meet up with Doug Roberts and Woody.

[Paul D]

Thanks for taking time out to do that Kev it was a great day out all round and those tunnels are great.Here's a couple of my pictures taken on the tour.

[Waterways]

Williamson was obnviously a cuckoo. He was a philanthopist for sure. But there are better ways to spend your money and keep people employed than pointless tunnels. He could have built larger better homes for the poor or a hospital or whatever. Things that would improve people's livies for years to come.

The tunnels were assessed by the army in WW2 for military or air-raid use, but rejected as requiring too much work to get into service.

[lindylou]

That was a good report on the tunnels.

[victorialush]

Williamson was obnviously a cuckoo. He was a philanthopist for sure. But there are better ways to spend your money and keep people employed than pointless tunnels. He could have built larger better homes for the poor or a hospital or whatever. Things that would improve people's livies for years to come.

The tunnels were assessed by the army in WW2 for military or air-raid use, but rejected as requiring too much work to get into service.

Wow, you take my breath away with your sheer negativity on this website!

Them photos are great Kev, and thanks for the update!

[Brenda]

Brilliant pics Kev and Paul, and the report was really interesting, I find this type of thing about the tunnels fascinating and the ferry trip takes me back to when I was a kid going to New Brighton.....Ahhhh them were the days eh?.

[Waterways]

Wow, you take my breath away with your sheer negativity on this website!

Nice pics. Everyone is trying to make out these tunnels are something wonderful. They are not. They are as about as useful as the pyramids (tombs). Interesting yes. I may even visit myself.

Williamson was a warped philanthropist. Building tunnels was just utterly pointless. That is not negative, it is just how it is.

I saw on the web pics of men who walked, illegaly, the Wapping and Waterloo tunnels. Great. Rail tunnels that served the docks and did something very useful, and may be back in commission again.

[Kev]

A fantastic day was had by all involved.

@Waterways - behave yourself mate Being underground and seeing the tunnels being lovingly uncovered by the hardwork of volunteers was impressive, the progress they had made, the tunnels that went knowhere, the triple decker tunnels just found. Facinating. The man also employed his men to begin building the collumns around the Albert Dock. If you look closely at the collumns, 2 of them in the corner are white, the rest red.

Williamson's men built 2 out of stone and were not in a rush, the iron red ones were produced for speed.

The man was a crank, no doubt.

[Louis]

one of the stories of why he built the tunnels was that he thought the end of the world was near so the tunnels would provide a habitat for people to live underground or something along those lines

[FKoE]

one of the stories of why he built the tunnels was that he thought the end of the world was near so the tunnels would provide a habitat for people to live underground or something along those lines

Yeah yeah!! Louis, He beleived the apocolypse was upon us, But he provided much needed jobs to the poorest quarters in this city while it had some of the poorest boroughs in the devoloped world, and the highest infant mortality rate in the entire world .

[Waterways]

The man also employed his men to begin building the collumns around the Albert Dock. If you look closely at the collumns, 2 of them in the corner are white, the rest red.

Williamson's men built 2 out of stone and were not in a rush, the iron red ones were produced for speed.

The man was a crank, no doubt.

3 stone pillars in fact. Are you saying the Albert Dock was supposed to have stone pillars all around, but they went to cast iron to speed up the job because Williamson's men were too slow?

A large tobacco warehouse was were Albert Dock is now. Williamson was into tobacco and may have had something to do with the warehosue and hence Albert Dock.

[Kev]

they went to cast iron to speed up the job because Williamson's men were too slow?

that bit

[FKoE]

Nice pics. Everyone is trying to make out these tunnels are something wonderful. They are not. They are as about as useful as the pyramids (tombs). Interesting yes. I may even visit myself.

Williamson was a warped philanthropist. Building tunnels was just utterly pointless. That is not negative, it is just how it is.

I saw on the web pics of men who walked, illegaly, the Wapping and Waterloo tunnels. Great. Rail tunnels that served the docks and did something very useful, and may be back in commission again.

Its a homegrown history, and a massive tourist attraction.

And the Waterloo tunnel ?....... illegally walked ?....... where was it illegal, was it due to H&S issues perchance?

And was'nt the tunnel once considered in regards as a new through-fare into the city centre...

And who is going to re-open this tunnel?, British Rail ?

[Waterways]

And the Waterloo tunnel ?....... illegally walked ?....... where was it illegal, was it due to H&S issues perchance?

It's private property

And was'nt the tunnel once considered in regards as a new through-fare into the city centre...

It was

And who is going to re-open this tunnel?, British Rail ?

[/QUOTE]

The Wapping Tunnel emerges opposite Queens Dock from Edge Hill. It crosses the tunnel from Garston to Central Station at Gt Georges St/Duke St - only feet between them

There was proposals to join the two so trains can head east to Edge Hill and West to Queens Dock, and dig out a station at the University.

There was also a proposal that trains would emerge from the tunnel and rise on an elevated bridge over the Dock Road and into Kings Dock.

Another was trains emerging from the tunnel and travel on a new Overhead along the same route and join the northern line further up around the Waterloo Tunnel entrance. An over head tarion gantry would spoil views, so I don't like this one.

The Waterloo Tunnel was proposed to take trains on the Northern line to Edge Hill and beyond. Trains emerging could go north or south and a station there for Central Docks. Also a station could be cut into the tunnel at any point along its length. One was proposed near to Everton and have EFCs stadium on the park. The park is a desolate open space – an after thought.

Any ideas?

[FKoE]

Any Idea's ?

Yeah, that took you the last half hour too google that.....


My suggestion is we should'nt have trashed Edge Lane, when there was a perfect route into the city-centre already laying under our feet.