Williamson Tunnels

Williamson Tunnels consist of a labyrinth of tunnels in the Edge Hill area of Liverpool, England (gbmapping|SJ362902) which were built under the direction of the eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson between the early 1800s and 1840. They remained derelict, filled with rubble and refuse, until archaeological investigations were carried out in 1995. Since then excavations have been carried out and part of the labyrinth of tunnels has been opened to the public as a heritage centre.

History

In 1805 Joseph Williamson acquired an area of land in Mason Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool, which was then a largely undeveloped outcrop of sandstone. He started to build houses on the site. These houses were eccentric in design "of the strangest description" without any rational plans. The ground behind the houses dropped sharply and in order to provide large gardens, which was the fashion at the time, Williamson built arched terraces over which the gardens could be extended. When these were complete he continued to employ his workmen, sometimes to carry out apparently pointless tasks, such as moving rubble from one place to another, then back again. His major project was to build a labyrinth of brick-arched tunnels in various directions and over various lengths within the sandstone. This tunnel-building continued until Williamson's death in 1840.Murden, Jon, 'Williamson, Joseph (1769-1840)', "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, online edn, October 2006 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/74852] , accessed 30 July 2008.] In August 1867 the "Liverpool Porcupine" described the tunnels as being "a great nuisance" because drains ran straight into them, in one place creating a cess pool full of offensive water convert|15|ft|m|0 deep, and they were being used for dumping refuse. [Moore, p. 80.]

Investigations and archaeology

In the early 1900s soldiers from the West Lancashire Territorial Forces Association explored the tunnels. Their drill hall in Mason Street stood on top of one of the tunnels. In 1907 the Association produced a map of the tunnels, which was incomplete because many of them were filled with rubble. The map also showed the course of the London and North Western Railway cutting between Edge Hill and Lime Street stations which ran through the area of the Williamson tunnels. [Moore, p. 79–80.] In 1995 a geology student from Liverpool University carried out a micro-gravity survey of the site. Some of his findings were ambiguous because of the rubble filling the tunnels and not all of his findings corresponded with those of the Forces Association. Later that year a professional firm, Parkman, carried out a survey on behalf of the Joseph Williamson Society. [Moore, p. 81.] Since then further investigations and excavations have been carried out.

The tunnels

The tunnels are in an area to the east of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in a rectangle bordered by Mason Street, Grinfield Street, Smithdown Lane and Paddington. Their full extent is not known and many of them are still blocked by rubble. They vary in size from the "banqueting hall", which is about convert|70|ft|m|0 long, between convert|20|ft|m|0 and convert|25|ft|m|0 wide and convert|20|ft|m|0 high, while the smaller tunnels are convert|4|ft|m|0 wide and convert|6|ft|m|0 high. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/faq.htm |title=FAQ |accessdate=2008-08-04 |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels ] [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/virtour.htm |title=Virtual Tour |accessdate=2008-08-04 |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels ]

Purpose of the tunnels

The reasons for building the tunnels have been widely discussed. According to Stonehouse, Williamson was secretive about his motives. This has led to speculation that he was a member of an extremist religious sect fearing that the end of the world was near and that the tunnels were built to provide refuge from himself and his friends.cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/story.htm |title=The Story |accessdate=2008-07-31 |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels ] However the most likely explanation is Williamson's own, that his workers "all received a weekly wage and were thus enabled to enjoy the blessing of charity without the attendant curse of stifled self respect", his prime motive being "the employment of the poor". [Quoted in Whittington-Egan, p. 9.]

Heritage centre

The Joseph Williamson Society was founded in 1989. It was incorporated as a private limited company in 1996 and acquired charitable status in 1997. Its aim is to promote interest in the life and philanthropic achievements of Joseph Williamson. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/view.php?page=about |title=About the Centre |accessdate=2008-08-04 |publisher=The Joseph Williamson Society ] In autumn 2002, after much excavation, removal of rubble and renovation, one of the three sections of the site, the Stable Yard section, was opened to the public as the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre under the trusteeship of the Joseph Williamson Society. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/about.htm |title=About FoWT |accessdate=2008-08-04 |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels ] Visitors are taken on a guided tour which includes the south tunnel and the double tunnel and various artefacts are on view including some of the items which have been uncovered in the excavations. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/visit.htm |title= Come and see the Tunnels!|accessdate=2008-08-04 |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels ] A programme of events and entertainments is organised on the site. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/view.php?page=news |title=Latest News |accessdate=2008-08-05 |publisher=The Joseph Williamson Society ] [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/view.php?page=events |title=Calendar of Events |accessdate=2008-08-05 |publisher=The Joseph Williamson Society ] The entry to the heritage centre was formerly part of the Lord Mayor's Stable Yard which closed in 1993. [Clark, Edward, 'The Cart Horse and the Quay', Countryside Publications] The stable became the home for a horse again when "Pop" arrived in 2003. [cite web |url=http://www.williamsontunnels.com/news.htm |title=New arrival at Stables |accessdate=2008-08-05 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2003-10-29 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Friends of Williamson's Tunnels |pages= ]

The Friends of Williamson's Tunnels

The Friends of Williamson's Tunnels were formed in 1996 and are a group of enthusiasts dedicated 'To advance the education of the general public in all matters relating to Joseph Williamson in particular to preserve... the works and any associated structures either above or below ground that can be accessed from the tunnel entrance at Williamson Student village, No 1 Paddington, Edge Hill'. It received charitable status in 2001. [cite web |url=http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/showcharity.asp?regno=1087822&submit=Run+Search |title=Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales |accessdate=2008-08-06 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Charity Commission of England and Wales |pages= ]

References

Notes

Bibliography

*cite book | last =Moore | first =Jim | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Underground Liverpool: Joseph Williamson - The King of Edge Hill |edition= | publisher =The Bluecoat Press | year = 1998| location =Liverpool | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =1 872568 43 2
*cite book | last =Whittington-Egan | first =Richard | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Liverpool Characters and Eccentrics |edition= | publisher =The Gallery Press | year =1985 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =978-0900389221

Further reading

*cite book | last =Stonehouse | first =James| authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Recollections of Old Liverpool |edition= | publisher =J. F. Hughes | year =1863 | location =Liverpool | pages = | url =http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21324/21324-h/21324-h.htm#startoftext | doi = | id = | isbn =
*cite book | last =Stonehouse | first =James| authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Streets of Liverpool |edition= | publisher =Edward Howell | year =1869 | location =Liverpool | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =
*cite book | last =Hand | first =Charles | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire|edition= | publisher = | year =1916 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =
*cite book | last =Hand | first =Charles | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire|edition= | publisher = | year =1927 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =
*cite book | last =Clensy | first =David | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Mole of Edge Hill: The World of Williamson's Tunnels |edition= | publisher =Lulu.com | year =2006 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =978-1411617926

External links

* [http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/ Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre]
* [http://www.williamsontunnels.com/index.htm Friends of Williamson tunnels]
* [http://www.smithdownlane.com The Stable Yard and Tunnels]