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| The Great Tunnel: |
| In 1845, just five years after Williamson died, historian James Stonehouse made an attempt to explore as many of the Williamson tunnels as possible. At that time there were a lot more of the tunnels still intact than there are today and his vivid written description has long fascinated enthusiasts. Among what he reported was an extremely large tunnel at the back of the Mason Street houses. One had to drop down into it to find numerous arches within, leading in all directions. |
| In 1869, an artist called R. Magennis painted this picture of a large tunnel behind Mason Street. Note the smaller tunnel heading off on the right. |  Reproduced courtesy Liverpool City Libraries |
| Magennis also went forward a few yards, looked over the precipice and painted this intriguing picture of the inside of the Great Tunnel. The doorway at the bottom right gives an idea of the size but, then again, the roof is not visible, so the height may be far greater than we can see. |  Reproduced courtesy Liverpool City Libraries |
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| Reproduced courtesy The Head of the National Railway Museum | |
| Then came the discovery in 1998 of this fantastic and rare photo of the Great Tunnel (above), taken in the late 1800s while the railway cutting was under construction nearby. Taken from a different angle from the Magennis picture at the top of the page, it shows the tunnel's real size, especially when you zoom in (below) to the two men posing just in front of the drop down into it. | |
| Note the huge block they are on and the roughly-cut rock edge just beyond them. One can also see that same tunnel on the right, as in the Magennis picture. The original photo is of very high quality and it reveals that the stone blocks surrounding the partially bricked-up arch on the left carry the tell-tale dressed pattern seen throughout the Williamson tunnels. |  |
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A number of first-hand accounts can be had from local residents of their getting into the Great Tunnel as children in recent years. There is no access to it now, but it is firmly believed that the Great Tunnel is still intact, though probably filled with rubble, beneath what is now the Magnet store on Mason Street. If found intact and opened, it could be the most spectacular and productive of all the Williamson tunnels - no doubt leading to other parts of the labyrinth. |