Make sure they know you're coming - they have to do a check for harmful gases before they let you down there. There's not a lot of it to see, but it's definitely worth seeing in my opinion. Apparently, you can also see part of the wooden castle through a little 'window' in the floor, but the glass was so mucky we couldn't see anything.

I have some photos I took of the castle remains when I went down about a year or so ago, if you'd like me to upload them?

I think that would be very useful Jen.

I think that would be very useful Jen.

Agreed, I'd love to see the photos, too, please!

Apart from the fact it was in the way no one had any interest in it, my thoughts at the time were, it was probably a part of the main sewage system, but strange no one knew of it on the plans.

Fair enough, something similar happened to us in Portland, unfortunately I was in San Fran at the time and our guys dumped a 100 yard of concrete on it before I could have a gander.

Two years later another builder on the next lot found the same structure and broke into it, there were 14 miles of tunnels previously undiscovered down there that have since been on TV about a hundred times, ho hum.

Just out of interest are there any photographs of the castle in existance or was it demolished before the existance of cameras? I've seen the artist impressions.

It was demolished in 1648....not sure when cameras were invented ;):D

I think that would be very useful Jen.

I uploaded them, they're on the page before :)

I'm a builder as well and can tell you that if I found something strange that could cost me big time I might just cover it up and tell later when my contract was up and paid for.

Sounds as though you'd be more at home in Texas with the other cowboys rather than San Fran! Ignore the contract docs. at your own peril, mate!

And when are you going to believe that tunnels and Mary Q of S. are all baloney? You do go on!

I uploaded them, they're on the page before :)

Thanks.....

If anyones interested.

http://www.oregon.com/trips/pdx_shanghai.cfm

after reading this very interesting thread i note some posters have said tunnels wouldnt exist or would be a security risk etc, i found this article today relating to old tunnels under glastonbury abbey dating from the 14 00's http://www.isleofavalon.co.uk/history/tunnels.html

there seems to be documented proof of their existance,so it could be possible that there once were tunnels in the sheffield area,and its around the same period,not particularly under the sheffield castle due to the bedrock,but around certain houses and abby's, its still possible that there could have been a tunnel or two

this is a very interesting thread and one i return to every day,being curious i found this
http://jimsdesk.co.uk/history.html

under seige of sheffield castle it says the parlimentary general set local miners to work digging a tunnel to drain the moat,they came upon solid rock and could not continue

now if these lads couldnt get through solid rock,even when doing it openly i doubt any plotters would have managed any better doing it secretly,i would have liked to have seen a tunnel ,but it seems it wasnt possible due to the bedrock on which the castle once stood on

The fault I find with this one is where were they thinking of draining the water to, as the moat would presumably have been formed from the river, and can you imagine being the bloke who broke through the tunnel, he'd have been fired up to the cathedral :D

I'm not sure about the wisdom of posting this - it will likely serve only to comfort the credulous and encourage the myth-mongers. I was sure I'd seen it somewhere and after spending most of Sunday rummaging through boxes in the attic I finally found it.

The text below is a footnote on page 146 of J.D Leader's book, Mary Queen of Scots In Captivity, published in 1880 by Leader & Sons of Sheffield.

In carrying out the works connected with the main drainage of Sheffield, it was found necessary to drive a drift right through the Castle Hill. The tunnel was at a considerable depth below the present level, being 18 ft. 6 in. below Waingate, and probably 40 ft. below Messrs. C. Chambers & Co.'s yard. It passed under the river Sheaf a little above the weir, at the back of the Alexandra Music Hall, and went obliquely across Castle hill to the end of Bridge street. Having tunnelled under the river, the workmen bored through a loose alluvial deposit, in which were found numbers of bones, the antlers of deer, and other remains.

Arrived at the Castle Hill, they came upon the rock, a fine grained bluish stone, very hard to work, and in appearance resembling the Handsworth stone. Through this the sewer was made by blasting, and to carry on the works two shafts were sunk, one in Messrs. Chambers' yard and another near to Waingate. In the first shaft a discovery was made which vindicates the authority of tradition against the incredulity of modern learning. Mr. Hunter mentions, only to dismiss as a fable, the old story of a subterranean communication between the Castle and the Manor. The excavators, in sinking on Castle hill, cut across a subterranean passage excavated out of the solid rock, and running in the direction of the Market Hall, but whether it went to the Manor we cannot tell.

It was partially obstructed with debris, but was still some four feet in height, and perfect as to its roof. It was never explored. The workmen and contractors had no time to be curious, and though an exploration was often talked of, it was never made; and when the shaft was finally filled up, a rubble wall was built across the passage to prevent the loose rock falling into it, and it was once more left to damp and darkness. In sinking the second shaft, at a depth of about 20 feet, a wall was encountered, and such portions of it as came in the line of operations were removed. An intelligent person, who watched the proceedings with much interest, says three walls were met with. The first was 12 feet in thickness, and may be assumed to have been an outer one. The next was 4 feet, and the third 3 feet thick. Judging from the plinth stones, the original level of the ground appears to have been about 20 feet below the present surface, and sloped from the wall towards the river. My informant is of opinion that the Castle building was of large nibble with dressed quoins. The rubble, he thought, had come from the Soaphouse quarry. The dressed stone differs from that of any quarry now worked, but bears the nearest resemblance to the stone got out during the building of Mr. Reynolds' mortar mill, in Trippet lane.



Leader offers no source for his information and doesn't even put a date to the sewer excavations, which for a Fellow of the Society Antiquaries is a little careless. For all anybody now knows it could just be a private joke between him and some of his subscribers.

There should be a copy of the book in the Local Studies Library. My copy of the book is without its covers and quite battered but cost just a few shillings in a jumble sale many years ago, which is why it lives in the attic rather than on my bookshelf.

there is one from edmund rd old army barraks formerly clark and ptns leading to the town centre,,i worked there,,semi bricked up but u can see it

there is one from edmund rd old army barraks formerly clark and ptns leading to the town centre,,i worked there,,semi bricked up but u can see it

Is that the Somme Barracks?

dunno,,the old army barraks on edmund rd/lancing rd

Interesting stuff, Greybeard, all that detail of sewer excavations.... but before the keen supporters of the two-mile tunnel theory get too cocky and take comfort from it, let's
consider further............

It would be a foolish or a very knowledgeable contributor who would dispute the findings of such noted antiquarians as Hunter & Leader, or even believe, totally, everything that was printed. It is noted that Hunter is quoted as de-bunking the 2-mile theory, & Leader says it cannot be assumed that the tunnel broken into by accident goes anywhere near the Manor. That we can accept. Tunnels there maybe, tunnels there ARE according to the sewer diggers' findings, but unless the whole 2 mile length can be explored there must be doubt that it ever existed. And was that particular tunnel going into the castle, or coming out? If the two are connected, I reckon it's either a short length of escape passage in case of siege or, maybe, part of the failed attempt to mine under the walls.

I'll make reference myself........ Anthony Burton, who has written some books on ancient industrial practices, and did some series on TV in the 1980's, has penned a bit on excavations at Grimes Graves, in Norfolk which are stone age, & go back around 5000 years. They go down 35 ft. and were dug with deer antler picks & animal shoulder blades, he says. Very impressive, but not quite like digging through the hard rock subsoil around Sheff. Anyone who has dug a slit trench or gunpit in the Stan ford PTA, and army training area close by Grimes Graves will know the stuff there is chalk, a wee bit softer, but it's still commendable. They were digging for flint deposits, and Burton says the gallerys at the bottom of the shafts only extended for 4 yards. Why? Excessive spoil to get rid of. Because of the limited width (like a passage) he says there'd be one digging & four muck shifting. For just 4 yards, mind you..... but it's a theory, don't believe it just because it's in print.

I've raised the question of where the spoil went in our tunnels before. And not only spoil, what about lighting, where are the vent shafts for 2-milers? Just imagine the conversation....... "We've done us stint for today, old lad. Just nip back t'tentrance, Thomas, and gerrus a bucket for't muck. Tha'd best bring a couple of candles an' all. This lot we brought wi'ius is damn near spent. An' I know it's reight 'ot down 'ere.... Think on! I'm gaggin' an' all, so don't hang about in't Queen's 'ead. We'll 'ave a couple when we've finished down 'ere".

Tunnels? Certainly! 2-milers? No way!

The Norfolk Barracks were at Edmund Road, they were for the Royal Artillery. Somme Barracks are on West Street & were built & occupied, until recently, by Royal Engineers.
They were both erected after the Haldane reforms around the turn of the 19th century. Any association with earlier underground activity is unlikely.

Tunnels? Certainly! 2-milers? No way!

Have to agree :)

The tunnel found was heading towards the market hall - this would be the Norfolk Hall market that stood betwen Exchange street and Dixon lane. I suspect it may have been a way to get water into the castle from the moat on the west side.

We don't know for certain how this moat was filled. The 1927-30 survey found the bottom of it to be 33 feet below the surface of Exchange street and it was possibly supplied via a weir and sluice on the Sheaf. Perhaps the same weir that later supplied water to the Simon Wheel in Castle orchards, which is the weir that Leader mentions.

The relationship of weir to the castle is clear on this map

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/Taidi/Ponds.jpg

I'll try to find the time to look at the excvation report on Saturday.

i worked in the bankers draft pub in sheffield, the weatherspoons pub near primark, the building was huge, and definately had tunnels underneath it..on my induction i was taken down into the 'dungeon' area below ground level where there is the entrance to a very long tunnel, some stables, and a huge old lift shaft which actually plumeted deeper to a floor below!.when the building was previously a bank they used the tunnels to transport goods safely under the city. my colleague said she and a friend walked down the tunnel, it was so long that after a while they could no longer see the light behind them from where they had come, and could see no sign of the tunnel ending ahead of them..so they turned back!
i really wanted to explore the tunnels, well i think every1 there did!
these tunnels could have been built with the castle, and adopted years later to serve a different purpose.

No photos = no proof.

The bankers draft is in hartshead square, where there are pictures of the tunnels on picturesheffield and goldenfleece has attested to some being in the dove and rainbow too...

Old banks do have cavernous basements (well at least the old midland bank on Church street does) but that doesn't neccesarily mean it's tunnels.

I know of a bloke on Millhouses lane who had his garden collapse many years ago. It turned out that there was an underground tunnel but no one was about to risk finding where it went.

Also bodies ended up in the cellars of the Acorn Public house on Shalesmore (just about next to the Ship). They had washed along tunnels from the river during the great flood...hence the rumours that club 60 was haunted.

I know this has been mentioned before but do they actually exist and does anyone know where they are

There's already a long running thread about tunnels under Sheffield (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=13360&highlight=tunnels)on the forum,
so it's not very wise to have started another.
Is it
:confused:

Mod note: Threads merged

Hiya, I know the thread is regarding Sheffield, but in Liverpool one man 200 years ago had built loads of tunnels ,And if that is your thing you can go and have a look around some of them check this link.( I have been its worth a look )
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2342183.stm

I lived in nottingham for a few years , under part of the city centre there is another town built into the sandstone , a special trip was organised for us , i can honestly say i have never seen something so amazing

I lived in nottingham for a few years , under part of the city centre there is another town built into the sandstone , a special trip was organised for us , i can honestly say i have never seen something so amazing

You mean the tunnels under the castle. I know one of the guides.

I lived in nottingham for a few years , under part of the city centre there is another town built into the sandstone , a special trip was organised for us , i can honestly say i have never seen something so amazing

Park Tunnel, perchance?

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/whatnall1928/images/park_tunnel.jpg

interesting snippet from todays star newspaper

http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/Secret-tunnels-found-beneath-city.4227308.jp

interesting snippet from todays star newspaper

http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/Secret-tunnels-found-beneath-city.4227308.jp

Shush shush, they don't exist:suspect:

Shush shush, they don't exist:suspect:oops.sorry...;)

There is a world of difference between a vaulted cellar underneath a Victorian fire station and an early medieval tunnel hewn out of bed rock running for miles under rivers up hill and down dale to connect a house to a pub. ;)

I've heard rumours of tunnels leading from the Ponderosa under Crookes Valley Road to the park. Reputedly, they were used to store barrage balloons in WW1.

Anybody have any further knowledge of these?

if you go into crookes valley park from the main road entrance at mushroom lane bottom and walk down to the bowling green, hidden in the trees is a large concrete disc with a grating in the centre, i've looked down it and it appears quite deep, it maybe connected to the sewer system or something to do with the tunnels you speak of or alternatively it may be a connection to both, anyone from the parks department on here that may be able to shed some light?.

I also have read the article in the Star. These Sheffield tunnels are even more mysteriously interesting now! Would love to see them.

Park Tunnel, perchance?

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/whatnall1928/images/park_tunnel.jpg

Nope , they are acctually under the Bridalsmithgate shopping area , well and truly mind blowing

if you go into crookes valley park from the main road entrance at mushroom lane bottom and walk down to the bowling green, hidden in the trees is a large concrete disc with a grating in the centre, i've looked down it and it appears quite deep, it maybe connected to the sewer system or something to do with the tunnels you speak of or alternatively it may be a connection to both, anyone from the parks department on here that may be able to shed some light?. i thought that was the entrance to the inspection tunnel for the dam wall..

That's far too dull depoix :D

That's far too dull depoix :Dstop lurkin ya bugger !!!!..:hihi::hihi:

I am sure I was told of a tunnel that ran from the cellar of what used to be the Royal Hotel on the corner of London Road and Abbeydale Road cant remember where it was supposed to run to though lol

Something intresting I came across. http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s09545

Initials and date cut deep into the rock walls of an old tunnel, discovered by workmen in 1935, below the offices of The Star newspaper at Hartshead. Explored by Frank Brindley who concluded that it was the missing tunnel to Sheffield Castle.

Initials and date cut deep into the rock walls of an old tunnel, discovered by workmen in 1935, below the offices of The Star newspaper at Hartshead. Explored by Frank Brindley who concluded that it was the missing tunnel to Sheffield Castle.As the link says.:confused:

< Founder, Frederick James Brindley

Founded in 1864 this company became specialists in the manufacture of high quality forgings. Over the years Brindley's have moved on, manufacturing Steel Grinding Balls for the Mining Industry and Wrought Iron Components for the Fabricating Industry.

Under the leadership of the late Frederick James Brindley this reputation for quality grew. A fine craftsman himself, he was also the solver of many forging problems.

One such problem arose at the time when the ball and tube mill was being developed for the grinding and pulverising of cement, mineral ores, etc. This problem was to forge a steel ball accurately under a power hammer to give all the advantages of a fully upset forging at a price competitive with a casting or stamping.

With the aid of his sons the problem was solved and even today, with all their modern equipment and controls the same basic method is used. Brindley's are still the only Ball Forge in the UK to 'hand forge' Steel Balls up to 150 mm diameter, and more recently Wrought Iron Components.

After the death of F. J. Brindley in 1929 the business was carried on by the sons mentioned above and included, as General Manager, the late Mr. Frank H. Brindley who was also so well known as a Geologist and Photographer of the City's Telegraph and Independent newspapers.

Centenary Year was celebrated by a move to new and larger premises. Output was increased threefold and is still rising. Thousands of tons are shipped to all parts of the world.

The company is still a family concern and the Board of Directors today consists of members of the third and fourth generation. Third generation directors of the Company are Mr. Keith G. Brindley (Chairman) Mr. James L. Brindley (Managing Director ) Mr. Ronald V. Brindley and the fourth generation Mr. Alan J. Brindley (Works Director and Company Secretary), Mr James W. Brindley (Director).


If you have any suggestions or comments please email us at:
sales@brindley-steel-forging.co.uk.
Central Hammer Works
Acres Hill Lane
Darnall
Tel No : +44 (0)114 2449663
Fax :+44 (0)114 2435112
Email :sales@brindley-steel-forging.co.uk
www.brindley-steel-forging.co.uk

My guess is the family would have retained info on this tunnel and its exploration.

Beauchief abbey and surrounding golf course have a series of tunnels used by monks way back in the day.

Used by monks for what?

i think escape routes mate, its not really my area of knowledge, all i can remember is storys of my dad falling down one as a kid, and they used to go up and explore it with tobacco tin torches, some where on the golf course, but 'apparently' the abbey covered a very large area and you can still find remains of this if you follow the train track through the woods towards totley.

hi all ive just had a read of all 28 page,s of this topic it sounds very intresting

What about Conisburgh Tunnel, has anyone heard of it or know where they are

Beauchief Abbey derived income from small-scale coal & iron-ore mining & quarrying, all expanded after the Reformation, & later on there were several brick-yards round Beauchief & Bradway: plenty of holes & tunnels, without romantic tales of secret passages.
Geoffrey.

try here for any info on all tunnels in this country if these guys know they will tell you

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php

i worked in the bankers draft pub in sheffield, the weatherspoons pub near primark, the building was huge, and definately had tunnels underneath it..on my induction i was taken down into the 'dungeon' area below ground level where there is the entrance to a very long tunnel, some stables, and a huge old lift shaft which actually plumeted deeper to a floor below!.when the building was previously a bank they used the tunnels to transport goods safely under the city. my colleague said she and a friend walked down the tunnel, it was so long that after a while they could no longer see the light behind them from where they had come, and could see no sign of the tunnel ending ahead of them..so they turned back!
i really wanted to explore the tunnels, well i think every1 there did!
these tunnels could have been built with the castle, and adopted years later to serve a different purpose.

Ok many years ago i worked in the Lazer Quest that was the first occupants after the bank moved out, during the training period we got to explore all around the bank and the vaults as it was still being converted at the time, indeed the builders were living on site on the upper floors of what i believe were the offices that were once occupied by Hallam F.M. anyways i digress, so down in the vaults of the bank we were directed to what were the escape routes in case of fire/emergency, as these were below ground level we were pointed to a series of "tunnel" entrances, now these tunnels actually would lead (after say 50 yards) to the old hole in the road.

from what we were told there were other tunnels that lead to the hole in the road from other sites, now i dont know if there remains any of these tunnels after they filled in the hole in the road, i often thought in retrospect if any tunnels led to the old marples hotel.

Now construction of tunnels, now this was nearly twenty years ago now but from memory they appeared to be VERY OLD brickwork, red brick.

Hopes that this is a help!

Lazer quest and Radio Hallam were in two completely different buildings. They are on opposite sides of the alleyway by Pizza Hut that leads to the Dove and Rainbow and the old Quaker Meeting House, on Hartshead.

Lazer quest and Radio Hallam were in two completely different buildings. They are on opposite sides of the alleyway by Pizza Hut that leads to the Dove and Rainbow and the old Quaker Meeting House, on Hartshead.

Jeez louise, i only said that i thought so, no need to break my balls! I was only trying to be helpfull!

Tunnels of old red brick are more than likely the remains of the 19th century sewage system. A big one - about five feet high by four feet wide was exposed when they were first digging out the 'Hole in the Road', and another smaller one emerged from under the bank on the corner.

Tunnels of old red brick are more than likely the remains of the 19th century sewage system. A big one - about five feet high by four feet wide was exposed when they were first digging out the 'Hole in the Road', and another smaller one emerged from under the bank on the corner.interesting, but would the bank use old sewage tunnels as corridors i wonder? if tony-santos has been inside them they must have served the purpose he says they were for,although,i do remember hearing about the sewage tunnels when,as you say,excavations were made to start the hole in the road, very puzzling

Jeez louise, i only said that i thought so, no need to break my balls! I was only trying to be helpfull!

me? a ball breaker? since when?

As i said i dont know if the bank used them, they were about 6/7 foot in height, like i said we were only shown them and taken into them the once.

When you booked in to play you were taken into the basement where you were given a briefing and had your packs turned on, you got to run around the old bank vaults themselves, thinking about it now there was one that was close to the front, near the hole in the rd and then there was another one (that we were shown but never taken into) to the rear at the right, close to under where the little square is with the pub, like i said this was when i was but a teen, working on memory here! :)

Also with regard to tunnels in Sheff as a whole dont you think that maybe the powers that be want to keep this kind of stuff (as in locations and what not) covered up?! Not only on safety but on security grounds as well! Think of this disruption/damage that could be caused!

interesting, but would the bank use old sewage tunnels as corridors i wonder?

Most likely used as a foundation as a typical Victorian jerry building cost cutting measure.

I've been in the ones in the old Court House, near Castle Market. Well, like many people on this thread, I've been about five metres down it, then decided that (ahem) there were many more pressing issues to attend to and I'd come back when I had more time. Not that I was scared or anything, you understand. So for all I know, it could have ended in a big sign saying 'get back to work', but there was a slight draft and an echo, so it seemed like a tunnel to me.

The tunnel was near the old cells, at the bottom of a flight of steps and was blocked off by a sheet of board. It had a red brick interior, clearly not attended to in any way for at least a hundred years. There were no doors leading off; it was exactly like the corridors in the court buildings in terms of construction (same size bricks, arched roof etc), apart from the lack of paint/whitewash. Next to the entrance was a room containing records of financial court cases from the 1890s, which hadn't been looked at since they were shelved there...

my dad was the celler man at the manor castle pub there was a tunnel in the celler
leading down to the old queens head in pond street .it was belived that mary queen of scotts used the tunnel to escape .my dad said one day he was going to go and take a walk in the tunnel but he never did . maybe some of you know him for he worked there for many years (little joe)

my dad was the celler man at the manor castle pub there was a tunnel in the celler
leading down to the old queens head in pond street .it was belived that mary queen of scotts used the tunnel to escape .my dad said one day he was going to go and take a walk in the tunnel but he never did . maybe some of you know him for he worked there for many years (little joe)

Erm, except Mary Queen of Scots didn't escape from Sheffield?

Erm, except Mary Queen of Scots didn't escape from Sheffield?:) she never came for another visit, :hihi:
was the manor castle pub actually built at that time ?

:) she never came for another visit, :hihi:
was the manor castle pub actually built at that time ?

Of course, why didn't any of us think of it? The tunnel was for her secret visits to the pub! Well done depoix, sorted at last:thumbsup:

I can confirm that there is at least one tunnel leading from the old Manor Lodge to Castle Market. This was open many years ago, quite possible the 60's where u could travel through, but was sealed due to safety issues.

If anyone is interested a new tunnel leading from the old West Bar Police Station to the Fire Station has been discovered, if i remember correctly people are currently petitioning (I dont know how to add yourself to it) to stop the new owner of the Fire Station from completely sealing it before its been investigated

Erm, except Mary Queen of Scots didn't escape from Sheffield?

trying to be funny never said that she escaped from there but it was a route and any what do you know . ive been down in the basement and seen the tunnel my self have you clever clogs .
check the archives .

[QUOTE=richmond111;3831554]trying to be funny never said that she escaped from there but it was a route [QUOTE=richmond111;3831554]

no, just stating a fact. Try reading you own post again, I could have sworn you said
it was belived that mary queen of scotts used the tunnel to escape

Which archives did you have in mind?

dear algy here are some facts on m q of scotts and the tunnels
in 1569 mary was sent to sheffield in the custody of george the 6th earl of shrewsbury . there she remained for 14 yrs under imprisonment in sheffield castle
her supporters plotted her escape by building a underground tunnel from sheffield castle to manor castle the tunnel passed from beneath the hawle in the pondes in 1583 mary escaped from sheffield castle with her supporters she tuck refuge in the hawle in the pondes before escaping further down the tunnel where she found freedom i think this means she did escape from sheffield .granted she was recaptured but it does mean she did escape from sheffield ..to find out where you read on go to this web site www.sheffield oldest pubs sheffield old queens head review

Richmond, that linky just takes me to a site about Florida and air flights.

As for a tunnel passing under the Old Queens Head it'd be a bit difficult with the slope of the hillside, and the fact of the rivers sheaf, porter and don having a confluence in the area.

It'd be hard to tunnel under the river (as pointed out by many of us, in many previous posts on this thread).

If MQoS supporters had achieved the greatest political coup of the 16th Century by means of the greatest engineering feat of the 16th Century we might have the odd document about it. There are none.

i was told as a youngster that there was a tunnel underneath the shakespear pub in heeley and old war relics were found.

hmmmmm
i keep peeking back at this thread as its interesting
BUT!!!!

its still all rumour and hearsay theres been NO PROOF as yet

Yes, where is the proof? If there are tunnels under the city then they will be documented somewhere officially. Unless someone can provide that evidence then I remain sceptical.

I expect that somebody will post a link to a grainy black and white photo from the 1930's with a few blokes crouched in a hole and a caption about tunnels underneath Hartshead. ;)

i can rememeber a tunnel where the gpo buildings now stand on maltravers road

It has been proven (photo evidence provided) that a tunnel does exist underneath the streets of Sheffield.....

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_DI5wzbZU4eE/R93AUTXmGJI/AAAAAAAAAVI/T-V1TzoYDZQ/RiverSheaf_049.jpg

.... of course, it is the one that the Sheaf flows through :roll:

i can rememeber a tunnel where the gpo buildings now stand on maltravers road

That area is riddled with old coal workings, some of them 400 years old.

There were reports of people striking coal when they were digging out for the Anderson shelters at the beginning of the war.

i used to go in a tunnel that went under beaver hill road (just below the end of the badger)
that was scary and it was only like 30 foot long lol
mind u i get claustophobic

It's not nearly as romantic as Mary Queen of Scots doing a midnight flit though ;)

Here's an explanation of coal seam outcrops (http://www.j31.co.uk/geology.htm) around Sheffield. It's easy to see how the seams are just below the surface, or actually outcropping around Sheffield. This is why the city is riddled with shallow drifts / adits (http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/DEPUTATE/MINRES/Districts/homepage/California/Underground/PA%20Mining%20History/DRIFT_MINE.jpg), and bell pits (http://www.haggerleases.co.uk/history_1/bell.jpg).

The idea of secret monastic escape tunnels soon fades when you consider the huge demand in Sheffield for furnace coal.

That area is riddled with old coal workings, some of them 400 years old.

There were reports of people striking coal when they were digging out for the Anderson shelters at the beginning of the war.
this tunnel was brick lined ive no idea what it was for

this tunnel was brick lined ive no idea what it was for

The GPO/BT Maltravers depot was built on the site of an old quarry, - perhaps there was a tramway in a tunnel to the brickworks over the hill.

The GPO/BT Maltravers depot was built on the site of an old quarry, - perhaps there was a tramway in a tunnel to the brickworks over the hill.
it makes you wonder .how would one go about finding this info

it makes you wonder .how would one go about finding this info

I've been searching for months and cannot find any reference to any at all, I have even spoke to someone in the archives at the town hall and they cannot find and reference to them.

it makes you wonder .how would one go about finding this info

Old maps can sometimes help, but in this case there's nothing to see on the OS map of 1905 except that there was a quarry there....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/Taidi/Quarry.jpg

The Park Brickworks were behind the baths at the top of Duke street and possibly linked to Hyde Park quarry but we can't be sure the quarry on Maltravers road was used by the brickworks.

Can you identify from the map where you saw the tunnel entrance ? It may just have been a powder magazine dug into the back face of the quarry.

There is a tramway emerging from the south of the brickworks but I don't have the section of map that continues on.

At the rear of castle market in town loading bay area, there is a big blue door with a plaque stating it leads to the manor castle, its the loading bay which faces the parkway i seen it yeeears ogo im sure,,,

i don't like to carry on all these rumours but i have a few stories to add.

after reading the thread i spoke to my dad (from Barnsley) who said he used to play down the tunnels in barnsley. they were used to store barrage balloons but were abandoned when he went down them. he said they were full of gas masks and tin hats etc...he was quite sketchy on the details but said the tunnels were just open shafts in the middle of fields.

he is adamant there are tunnels of exactly the same nature in sheffield and says it was a well known fact in his day. the only reason he can think of it being a bit of a secret these days is the MOD.

i work at the bankers draft on castle gate and have been down into the foundations of the building (where the old stables were) and there is indeed bricked up tunnel entrances. i'm not suggesting people go down any tunnels, but it would be an excellent place to start if you were interested. ;)

as for the building on the outskirts of town that people think may be a nuclear base, he says that is a huge processing centre for all credit card transactions in the UK. he went in there for some "trivial things" years ago and says he has never been searched more. he said there were many levels of security and if you had even the slightest thing wrong with your documents you were arrested at gunpoint. the place i am referring to is on the left hand side of the road as you drive towards tankersely manor from the roundabout. it is easier to see in autumn when the leaves have fallen off the trees.

AND, on a tangent...he used to work testing fire alarms and had to work at a military base in suffolk temporarily. as it turns out this base is the UK's nuclear headquarters and he had two armed guards following him round all day...they even had to watch him go to the toilet (and i mean watch him). all doors were made from very thick steel and manually operated. he said he went into rooms that were bigger than any room he had ever seen and they had thousands of bunk beds in each room. that may be comforting to some, but he said if there was a nuclear attack there is no way in hell we would all get to the base in time. he also said there was a picture of the a US stealth fighter bomber on the wall with a caption written on it saying "we can see you". this was because the US airforce claimed they had made an aircraft undetectable on radar...and we felt it necessary to disprove this theory...haha.

I know this has been mentioned before but do they actually exist and does anyone know where they are
--------------------
sean30982, if you want any help on sheffield markets tunnels
and others around, i am leaving you 2 names to ring.
peter and john-- 0114/ 2736245, and any other person looking in on
thread. address--development, environment & leisure.
their office is upstairs in the markets.
p,s, i am not sure they take parties down them tunnels anymore,
i think there unsafe but check out. >> o.k. <<

I contacted them a while ago and they told me they wouldn't be taking anyone down for a while as they were damaged in the floods last year.

Cath x

Here we go again...
Those who do believe the tunnels are there can't (or won't) prove it, whilst those who don't believe just pour scorn over any suggestion that there may be.

We need proper pictures, evidence, not just hear say!

At the rear of castle market in town loading bay area, there is a big blue door with a plaque stating it leads to the manor castle, its the loading bay which faces the parkway i seen it yeeears ogo im sure,,,
-------------------- some,
sheffield markets now demolished and new hotels now built around
the site.
---------------
there are tunnels leading up to manor castle
some passages lead up to the old cockaynes arcade,
also pond hill pond street. and to old midland station<< railway>>
----------
they were 2 oak chairs-table-and 2 tumblers
a long sword 3ft long, seen in the tunnels,
passages to glossop road had old coal mines
in 1925 a mrs jenkins was to have seen an old man running
through 6 feet high tunnels.

theyl never find my secret lair muhuhahhahaha

if you go into crookes valley park from the main road entrance at mushroom lane bottom and walk down to the bowling green, hidden in the trees is a large concrete disc with a grating in the centre, i've looked down it and it appears quite deep, it maybe connected to the sewer system or something to do with the tunnels you speak of or alternatively it may be a connection to both, anyone from the parks department on here that may be able to shed some light?.

Oh this one definately exists, and that concrete disc is sort of the access. The actually tunnel runs off to the right under crookes valley road. Not sure what the 'disc' is actually used for, but it is just a straight down hole with tunnels running off. It could be connected to the water works in some way, since there are pipes in there, but the 'disc' is different from the tunnel which runs off it; a lot newer in places. I reckon it's about 40/50ft down the 'disc' and the tunnel off it runs for maybe 100metres and looks to be wartime. Not unlike some air raid shelters in the city - in terms of light fixtures and blast doors.

Nicknamed the Charlton Tunnel, i visited it earlier this year (please don't try and go down that hole near the bowling green, the drop will kill you, and every tunnel needs two entrances. The second entrance for this one is a manhole with Charlton Ironworks on it. It's halfway up / down the hill on the other side of crookes valley road, heading down towards the ponderosa. )

Pictures: http://www.urbx.info/wp-content/gallery/charltontunnel/

At the rear of castle market in town loading bay area, there is a big blue door with a plaque stating it leads to the manor castle, its the loading bay which faces the parkway i seen it yeeears ogo im sure,,,

If we're thinking of the same door, it leads down to a little room with the Sheffield Castle remains inside (is that what you meant? Or do you mean Manor Lodge?)

Oh this one definately exists, and that concrete disc is sort of the access. The actually tunnel runs off to the right under crookes valley road. Not sure what the 'disc' is actually used for, but it is just a straight down hole with tunnels running off. It could be connected to the water works in some way, since there are pipes in there, but the 'disc' is different from the tunnel which runs off it; a lot newer in places. I reckon it's about 40/50ft down the 'disc' and the tunnel off it runs for maybe 100metres and looks to be wartime. Not unlike some air raid shelters in the city - in terms of light fixtures and blast doors.

Nicknamed the Charlton Tunnel, i visited it earlier this year (please don't try and go down that hole near the bowling green, the drop will kill you, and every tunnel needs two entrances. The second entrance for this one is a manhole with Charlton Ironworks on it. It's halfway up / down the hill on the other side of crookes valley road, heading down towards the ponderosa. )

Pictures: http://www.urbx.info/wp-content/gallery/charltontunnel/

Back in the 50's, when I was a kid, the second entrance to this tuneel appeared onto a street (memeory fades but I think it was Bromley Street?). It was nearly always closed off with huge green gates, but I remember one time the gates were open and some men were working in there - all I can remember is seeing this long tunnel, which at 5 or 6 years old looked like the chasm from hell. The street was subsequently earthed over - hence the Charlton Ironworks manhole cover. I think this tunnel is mentioned in more detail on the Sheffield History site - apparantly it was used in WW2 to store barrage balloons etc.

The vertical shaft at other end in the park, used to be protecected by a large surrounding wall - too high for kids to climb, but a 'parkie' told us that we would be killed if we ever did manage to climb it and fall over the other side, "because it was a bottomless pit" :)

I have not been in the park for over 30 years so I can only presume during that time that the wall has been demolished and the disc put in its place - hence some of the work appearing to be 'newer'

Every city has drainage pipes, thats nothing odd. What would be more interesting is if Sheffield has / had tunnels of the sort found in Nottingham.
Everybody says there is but nobody can prove it!

Docmel, that would definately make sense, and confirm the barrage balloon story. I couldn't quite work out why the access to the tunnel was down a manhole, but that would make perfect sense if the entrance was originally gated, and would account for the differing ages in the construction.

The parkie wasn't lying if it was only a wall protecting that drop. If you managed to climb over the other side, the height would almost certainly kill you. HSE would have a fit nowadays haha.

My dad lived near the hundred steps at the crookesmoor end of fawcett street, near the church, I'll have to ask him what he knows about the Bromley Street construction.

I STR him and my grandpa saying there were lots of ducts under that hillside, which were to do with the shedloads of dams and reservoirs coming down from Crookes. (there's the dam at the CV park, and one under the sports ground opposite the Weston Park Hospital, and at least one other, up on Crookes just below the Lydgate lane junction.)

it makes you wonder .how would one go about finding this info
hang em and flog em brigade eh???where do i sign up???

Although i agree, there would be ducts around there, this particular one is definately wartime.

Doh ....Shame about tunnels, If there any it is unlikely we will be able to go down.


There is some sort of old war bunker in Beauchief woods, anybody know anything about this?

The mystery goes on............

Yes, I know what you mean! I've seen it myself. It's on one of the highest hills in the woods, near Beauchief Hall (except it's not exactly in the woods - more in the tall grass overlooking the Hall). You can see it quite clearly from the path that goes around the edge of the Hall grounds. It has a sign next to it, explaining what it is. Quite intriguing.

Shefftyke

A few years ago my wife was doing a school project on the area at Tankersley where the underground building is opposite from the Tankersley Manor Pub.

She researched the geology records which were drawn before the buildings were built , these surveys were carried out to check for old Bell Pits which were common in the area.

She even got permission to visit the underground building.

I can confirm the security is very tight and search procedures were carried out before entry. She was only allowed to see certain areas.

The following week we went onto the back road behind the complex to take some photographs for the project.

It wasn't long before the security were on to us and sent a security vehicle to check us out although at no time were we trespassing or breaking the law.

We didn't need the hassle and so we moved on before there was a fuss.

Happy Days! PopT

Shefftyke

A few years ago my wife was doing a school project on the area at Tankersley where the underground building is opposite from the Tankersley Manor Pub.

{snip rest}



If it's the one I think you're talking about, it's a HSBC data-centre. Details in another thread on the forum. Can't post a direct URL (this is post 3 or 4 and the forum needs me to have posted 5 times before I can throw links about), but it's the thread entitled Tellytubby place A61 Tankersley. What is it?, dated April 2005.

If it's the one I think you're talking about, it's a HSBC data-centre. Details in another thread on the forum. Can't post a direct URL (this is post 3 or 4 and the forum needs me to have posted 5 times before I can throw links about), but it's the thread entitled Tellytubby place A61 Tankersley. What is it?, dated April 2005.

Oh - apparently that was my 5th post, so let's try a direct link:
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37739

just joined forum so not read much of the postings..my nan lived in stafford lane they
were very old cottages as one large building divided into four dwellings, these stood
some 10ft. below the edge of city road.as a youngster I was told that behind the 10ft.
wall was a tunnel that led to the Manor Castle, I think the cottages very old they was
a part of the Duke of Norfolk estate..and approximately half way [diagonally ] between
the Manor Castle and Sheffield Castle

if you go into crookes valley park from the main road entrance at mushroom lane bottom and walk down to the bowling green, hidden in the trees is a large concrete disc with a grating in the centre, i've looked down it and it appears quite deep, it maybe connected to the sewer system or something to do with the tunnels you speak of or alternatively it may be a connection to both, anyone from the parks department on here that may be able to shed some light?.


when i was about 14/15, i courted a girl from crookes that led me into those trees/bushes, i thought my luck was in!! but she showed a a circular wall which had a palate leaning against it, she told me to climb the palate which i did, i peered over the wall and there was a massive drop, it was a circular brick wall all the way down with a door at the very bottom, to me at the time, it appeared to be about a hundred feet deep, there was no concrete on it and someone could have been killed climbing it.
i went back a few years ago looking for the trees and the hole but couldn't remember where it was (it was around 35 years ago that i was shown it:o))
i even asked on the urban exploration site 28 days later and no one on there knew of it so i'm really glad you posted this argente as i thought i'd imagined it all:D:D:D


john:)

Hi, it's the WW2 barrage balloon store. There are some images from inside here: http://www.urbx.info/wp-content/gallery/charltontunnel/

It used to have an entrance the other side of crookes vallery road which is now blocked by a manhole, but this used to be (so i hear) just a grate at the end of a street that has now been knocked down. The concrete 'disc' is now securely gated, and I'd say your estimate of 100ft isn't too far off.

Dan

Hi, it's the WW2 barrage balloon store. There are some images from inside here: http://www.urbx.info/wp-content/gallery/charltontunnel/

It used to have an entrance the other side of crookes vallery road which is now blocked by a manhole, but this used to be (so i hear) just a grate at the end of a street that has now been knocked down. The concrete 'disc' is now securely gated, and I'd say your estimate of 100ft isn't too far off.

Dan

thanks dan;)


john:):)