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The Williamson Tunnels are a labyrinth of tunnels and underground
caverns under the Edge Hill district of Liverpool in north-west
England. |
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They were built in the first few decades of the 1800s under the
control of a retired tobacco merchant called Joseph Williamson. |
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The purpose of their construction is not known with any certainty.
Theories range from pure philanthropy, offering work to the unemployed of the
district, to religous extremism, the tunnels being an underground haven from a
predicted Armageddon. |
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Although some of the tunnels have been lost over the years, a lot of
them still exist today, under what is now a residential area. |
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One section of the tunnels has been cleared and renovated and is open
to the public. The remaining parts of the labyrinth are closed, with many
suspected tunnels yet to be rediscovered. |
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Friends of Williamson's Tunnels is a voluntary organisation which is
trying to find and excavate the whole of the system. We are one of the biggest
local history societies in Britain. |
