Found A tunnel

[fuggs]

Hi guys
In light of the craziness going on around us I wondered what prep. I could make. Then just found a ice house (damaged) in my garden, about 5ft down, but off the side of that looks like a long tunnel.
The house is 1680, so I suspect it goes to another house nearby.

Has anyone knowledge etc of using underground garden tunnels as a refuge?

[Brambles]

A chap in Scotland built something akin to an ice house for prep storage out of sight so it's definitely worth investigating further, It might even be worth restoring the ice house as you would have some wonderful cold storage.

HOWEVER. Be very careful who you tell and who you show.... the local CPRE's would just love to get their grubby little hands on something like that and slap a preservation order on it before you could blink. It could end up costing you fortunes if they force you to 'preserve' it. Having seen what these people can do I would urge caution and secrecy. But it wouldn't hurt to treat such history with a bit of TLC either

[sniper 55]

As someone whos done a bit of tunnel bashing over the years I'd suggest care when exploring the tunnel, fumes my be present, you really should have a meter to test air quality for safety. Failing that make sure you have someone at the top when you explore with instructions not to follow you if it goes pear shaped but to get trained help. Sadly in the past the rescuers have died as well as the person they were trying to help. You ne BA's for that sort of rescue.
Sorry if I sound like your dad, it's just I've seen what happens when it's gone wrong. Stay safe mate.

[fuggs]

Thanks for the info guys, all really sound advice. I am pretty ok working in small areas as my job involves void workings so we have some pretty tight procedures foir that along with remote rescue gear..Ropes...but you are so right about it. and the CPRE's, never thought about those. Good advice.
Thanks

[preparedsurrey]

Wow, I'm jealous would love to discover something like that on my property, I haven't seen anything interesting turn up in the building sites I've been on for a couple if years now and even then it was just the walls of the original house that was bombed in the war.

[Plymtom]

Any chance of some pictures? without giving away a location or anything, I'm fascinated

[Arzosah]

TLC for the history definitely a very good idea. 1680 ... hmmm, if its a tunnel, and dates from the same time as the house, then it's probably a priesthole/priest escape. Was there an earlier house built on the same spot? Priest holes would have been even more important in Tudor times, when priests could expect imprisonment or death. But even 1680, the scars of the civil war weren't healed, and anti-Catholic feeling was still very high (the "glorious revolution" was yet to come, in 1688). And the last invasion of England, from Scotland, wasn't until 1745 - they got down as far as Lancashire (one set of my ancestors were Catholics living in Lancashire, must have been very "interesting times" for them).

As Plymtom says, please take care with too much identifiable info, but as much detail as you feel comfortable giving would be fab

No experience whatsoever with using tunnels as refuges but the stories of sheltering from the Blitz give you some idea of what's possible. The tube goes very deep though!

[gamekeeper752]

How far are you from a church or the sea could be a smugglers route

[fuggs]

It seems the tunnel starts from the side of the buried (remains) ice house. Somewhere in the victorian era they dropped a well shaft down through the roof of the ice house, because it saved a lot of digging. The well is about 6/7 foot across and double bond brick. I couldnt get to the bottom of the well shaft with the digger as it went too deep, but the well was made from old hand made red bricks. 8ft down on one side was a curved stone, about 8 by 4 inches, and that turned out to be the top lintel to the tunnel I found when I dug under it. The tunnel appears to go across the garden toward where a large Grange type house is, so I suspect it may have been an escape tunnel. Its now all back filled but could come out easily enough. I was prompted as to the possibility of its future use in case of world disasters if you know what I mean (USA/NK etc.). A couple of days would have it exposed again.

Its a shame they dropped the well through the ice house top as that would have been a good sized room, and the stone was about 2/3 foot thick, like a stone igloo, and had descending stairs from a low part of the house, through an outside wall. Unfortunately I didnt take pics, although definitely would next time.

We are nowhere near the coast but a rural location.

[Jamesey1981]

I wish I had a tunnel in my garden, the only things I ever find while I'm digging it are broken pegs, one armed and partially chewed action figures and cat poo.