The Vines, Lime St-Tunnels

[MissInformed]

Hi
I was just reading in Freddy o connor's book, A Pub on Every Corner, that there are underground passages under the vines in lime st that lead to the mersey, supposedly used for smuggling.
It says they are one of many in pubs around Liverpool....any ideas where the others are??

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi
I was just reading in Freddy o connor's book, A Pub on Every Corner, that there are underground passages under the vines in lime st that lead to the mersey, supposedly used for smuggling.
It says they are one of many in pubs around Liverpool....any ideas where the others are??

Hello MissInformed

These rumors of smugglers tunnels seem to be just that, local legend and lore, like the smugglers tunnels that were said to extend from Mother Redcap's at Egremont under Wallasey to the Red Noses near New Brighton. As with the distance between Lime Street and the Mersey, these are both considerable distances, so my hunch is that such tunnels never existed.

Chris

[PhilipG]

And of course, Lime Street was at the edge of town in the early days.

[theninesisters]

Been down under the Vines a few years ago, they're all blocked up now although they did once go through town down to the Docks. We had a good nose around but there wasn't a sniff of anything we could accidently knock down to gain access to more tunnels.

[MissInformed]

wow! fantastic pics jona!!!!!!!

thank you for proving me right!!!

[Kev]

Yes fantastic snaps, exciting stuff

[Waterways]

Been down under the Vines a few years ago, they're all blocked up now although they did once go through town down to the Docks. We had a good nose around but there wasn't a sniff of anything we could accidently knock down to gain access to more tunnels.

I don't believe they went to the docks at all. It is too far. If they did where would they emerge at the docks, in the docks estate? The docks were built on wooden piles into the river. It was more like they were storage tunnels - a part of the cellar.

[MissInformed]

if they didn't go to the docks, what would they be for guys?

i know alot of people think smuggling is a big myth, but I am a bit baffled as to what other uses would be.... any thoughts?

oh...and are there any others under pubs like this??

[Waterways]

if they didn't go to the docks, what would they be for guys?

i know alot of people think smuggling is a big myth, but I am a bit baffled as to what other uses would be.... any thoughts?

Forget tunnels to the docks.

[PhilipG]

if they didn't go to the docks, what would they be for guys?

i know alot of people think smuggling is a big myth, but I am a bit baffled as to what other uses would be.... any thoughts?

oh...and are there any others under pubs like this??

Cellars.

[ChrisGeorge]

if they didn't go to the docks, what would they be for guys?

i know alot of people think smuggling is a big myth, but I am a bit baffled as to what other uses would be.... any thoughts?

oh...and are there any others under pubs like this??

Cellars or storage. Too far to reach the docks, and as Waterways said, where did the tunnels come out?

[MissInformed]

but....just because we don't know about these things, doesn't mean they don't exist guys.....

[Kev]

That's why is so interesting and intriguing

[theninesisters]

When I last went, the only 'recent' addition was a bricked up wall - but we're talking possibly of about 100 years ago. We took a brick out and looked through and it was filled with rubble in a slope. It would indicate steps of some sort leading down but this appeared to be in the direction of Renshaw street rather than directly towards the River. Though it may have adjoined a set of tunnels at another point in which access to the River could have been gained.

[ChrisGeorge]

When I last went, the only 'recent' addition was a bricked up wall - but we're talking possibly of about 100 years ago. We took a brick out and looked through and it was filled with rubble in a slope. It would indicate steps of some sort leading down but this appeared to be in the direction of Renshaw street rather than directly towards the River. Though it may have adjoined a set of tunnels at another point in which access to the River could have been gained.

Okay, but you can't assume they connect to the river if you don't have proof that they did. You can't assume that they were used by smugglers without the proof that they were so used either.

Chris