UK Cave systems
Virtual Trip through the Mersey Tunnel
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Underground Boat rides
- Labyrinth - Sail along an underground river, through the great waterfall, and into King Arthur’s Labyrinth.
- Canal Tunnel trip - Travel by boat through Islington tunnel on the Regent's Canal for approximately three quarters of a mile. When the tunnel first opened boats had to be pushed through by a process of "legging" where men lay on the boat and pushed against the walls with their legs.
Underground Bunkers
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The Mersey Tunnels - Liverpool, UK
Liverpool has two road tunnels under the river Mersey, Liverpool to Birkenhead and Liverpool to Wallasey. The first tunnel to be created was the Birkenhead
tunnel which was mainly constructed by hand. Both tunnels are similar in that they are circular in cross section. The main difference is the position
of the road in relation to the tunnel. In the Birkenhead tunnel the road sits at the mid point whereas the road in the Wallasey tunnel sits
near the bottom of the circle. The change of position in the Wallasey tunnel was to allow taller vehicles to pass through the tunnel. However, when the Birkenhead
tunnel was planned they hoped to have a second lane for trams under the main roadway.
Merseyside Council have organised tours of the Birkenhead tunnel for parties up to 22 people. The cost is approximately £3 per person ( Correct Nov 07 )
and the tour lasts for approximately two and a half hours. The tour starts in a main ventilation shaft, visits the control room, and the walk continues with a tour
of the infrastructure behind the scenes including a visit to the evacuation areas and the tunnel below the road. The tours take place on Tues, Wed and Thursday
evenings and Saturday Morning. To book a place call 0151 236 8602 Extension 206 during Office hours Monday - Friday.
The constant airflow from the huge ventilation fans
makes the tour a 'cold one' with lots of stair climbs and areas that are dusty and dirty. I'm not sure whether it is suitable for the disabled although I did notice
a number of lifts and I know the council are keen to make things available for everyone. The tour is great value for the money.
Mersey Tunnel Control Room
The Mystery of the Williamson Tunnels - Liverpool, UK
Liverpool has a labyrinth of tunnels in the Edge Hill area of the city. The tunnels were funded by Joseph Williamson
and constructed over a period of 35 years using local unskilled labour. The reason for the construction is unknown and if there were any
plans or maps of the network they remain undiscovered.
The most popular theory is that Joseph Williamson
was providing employment for soldiers returning from the Napoleonic war. Some have suggested that the tunnels were training grounds
for Builders, Miners or Railway engineers.
The tunnels are in 3 clusters and the search is on to find the linking tunnels. The tunnels are strange in
nature and pass through the Red Sandstone bedrock of Liverpool. The tunnels have brick built arched ceilings
and are stacked 3 high in places. In places one arch sits on top of another arch which in turn sits on another
arch. The tunnels vary in size and shape, traveling out in all directions. The
walls have niche's and holes were supports for beams and winch system were previously fitted.
Work on the tunnel system was very secretive. On one occasion, while engineers were constructing the main rail link into
Liverpool's Lime Street station they accidentally discovered the tunnel system. A cutting was made through the Sandstone and
this cut straight across one of the main
tunnels. Railway workers were alarmed to discover men underground 'in the rock' and thought that they had stumbled across Hell.
Afterwards, many of the tunnel workers were offered jobs constructing the railway.
After the
death of Williamson the tunnels became the property of the local council. The tunnels were
filled with rubbish and waste from local factories. Local people excavated 'waste shoots'
into the tunnels smashing through the roof of the arches. A number of the tunnels have collapsed
as a result.
A project was started in 2002 to excavate the tunnel system. The tunnels have featured on a number of TV programs
as the 'Friends of Williamson's Tunnels' try to raise awareness and urgently seek help. Volunteer's are needed to help dig out the
tunnels - on my visit I think they had 6. In my opinion they probably need 200 but there probably isn't room. Equipment may be
of use to the team. A conveyer system would be particularly useful in moving the soil from the lower levels to the surface.
Funding is also a problem. Two applications for Lottery support have been turned down ? If you would like to help
fund this project please contact them, I'm sure they will be delighted. Joining the society is another method of
helping and you will receive details of forth coming events.
For safety reasons only a very small section of the tunnel system is open to the general public. However, members of the society
are often invited to the 'Closed sections' on special days. For more information please visit their web site. DW.
more on the mysterious Williamson Tunnels
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