Williamson's Tunnels

The following information was sent by a reader named Lara, who first learned of this mysterious site while living overseas. Thanks again, Lara!

Beneath Liverpool, England, lie miles of underground passages, chambers and caverns hacked out of solid sandstone. They were built in the 19th century by Joseph Williamson (1769-1840), a rich and eccentric tobacco merchant who was known to Liverpudlians as the "Mole of Edge Hill" or the "King of Edge Hill."

Located in the Edge Hill district in Liverpool, the tunnels were started in 1806. By the time work ended following Williamson's death, the passages featured highly crafted arches lined with intricate brickwork, buttresses and spiral staircases cut out of stone.

No one knows why Williamson built the tunnels. The most plausible explanation is that he wanted to create jobs for unemployed veterans of the Napoleonic wars. But many people don't believe that the answer could be so simple. Some have suggested that Williamson was preparing for Armageddon. Others think the mysterious passageways were used for secret activities. And there are a few who claim that the eccentric Mr. Williamson merely built them as follies. A more recent theory suggests that the tunnels served the purpose of land reclamation.

Williamson's tunnels lay largely untouched and forgotten for over 150 years. But now the "largest subterranean folly in the world" is open to the public. However, discoveries continue to be made. Recently, a "Triple Decker Tunnel" was uncovered, and no one knows what might lie inside the tunnels and chambers that remain filled with Victorian rubble.

The FoWT ( Friends of Williamson's Tunnels) are trying to rescue and renovate this fantastic and mysterious underground world. You can visit their website for more information and a virtual tour!

(Below: Mr. Williamson himself.)