Tunnels

Bolton Arms 📍

83 New Bridge Street.

Rumoured to have a passageway to Victoria Station, and possibly the cathedral.

Deansgate Tunnel 📍

Described as the Roman tunnel, this rumoured passageway is said to be large enough for a small bus to pass through, and 70 feet below ground. Sources about the tunnel are almost entirely anecdotal memories, and the route is very vaguely described. Specific locations said to be along the route include Manchester Cathedral, Wagstaff’s Piano Shop and the Old Deanery.

There are some photos in Ojay’s blog article about an urban exploration visit, where access to a tunnel assumed / calculated to be the Deansgate Tunnel is documented.

Long Millgate Tunnel 📍

During Picc-Vic text excavations tunnels were found between Long Millgate at the front of Victoria Station and the siding known as the Fish Dock.

Old Deanery 📍

The Old Deanery stood at 66 Deansgate (now the site of 90 Deansgate, pictured). The cellars had a small door which led down to the Deansgate tunnel via steps.

Old Manchester Evening News office tunnel 📍

Between the two Manchester Evening News offices, which were demolished to make way for Spinningfields. The Hardman Street building had three levels of basement which were linked by a further tunnel to Northcliffe House.

Passage to Smith Hill & Co on Cannon Street 📍

See Underground Manchester (Warrender, 2007:85)

Possible route of the Deansgate Tunnel 📍

According to Manchester Underground (Warrender, 2007:98) workers discovered a tunnel believed to run under Deansgate when excavating the railway tunnel here.

Route of the Deansgate Tunnel 📍

According to Manchester Underground (Warrender, 2007:99) the tunnel was entered through a door under houses on Silver Street.

Rumoured Bolton Arms tunnel 📍

From Bolton Arms, 83 New Bridge Street Victoria Station, and possibly the Cathedral, although this seems unlikely taking the Irk culvert into account.

Rumoured Chetham’s Tunnel 📍

Reported in the City News, 1915 that a passageway was discovered around 1842 between Chetham’s Well and the Cathedral.

Rumoured Cumberland Street Tunnel 📍

Suggested to exist under the route of Cumberland Street, due to a story about a man on the run disappearing into a house and not exiting. See Manchester Underground (Warrender, 2007:94).

Rumoured Moston Cottage tunnel 📍

A tunnel is remembered to exist in this area, beneath Moston Cottage (built 1713), and accessed through other properties. Rumoured to extend to the Cathedral and used as transport for catholics during persecution.

Rumoured Tunnel between the ‘Castle and Falcon’ pub and the Cathedral. 📍

This tunnel is mentioned in Underground Manchester.

Rumoured tunnel from ‘Ye Olde Rovers Return’ pub to the Cathedral 📍

This rumoured tunnel between the Cathedral and test Ye Olde Rovers Return is mentioned in Underground Manchester. The pub was demolished in 1958, but inspired the Rovers Return Inn from Coronation Street which was first broadcast in 1960.

Silver Street 📍

Silver Street, as it was up to at least 1960.

Trafford Hall Lodge 📍

According to Manchester Underground (Warrender, 2007:99) there existed a shaft in the Trafford Hall Lodge with a rope ladder heading down to the Deansgate tunnel.

Tunnels under Deanwater Close / Skerry Close 📍

24ft high, 45ft long 15ft wide chamber with arched roof discovered in 1964, accessed through a 5' shaft found as part of a sewer collapse. Dates back to early 1800s. No houses built above as precaution. See Manchester Underground (Warrender, 2007:108).

Underground Skittle Alley and tunnel 📍

This was the site of a tunnel which was at times used as an underground skittle alley, and by Goulburn’s food shop who used the tunnel space as a cheese store. It seems to have connected up to various parts of the old market place here.

Wagstaff’s Piano Shop 📍

Albert Wagstaff’s Piano shop at 1–3 St Mary’s Gate is referenced a number of times in relation to the Deansgate tunnel. It has been claimed that two flights of stairs led down to the tunnel which was used for storage. See Underground Manchester (Warrender, 2007:96).

Walkers Croft tunnel 📍

Walkers Croft tunnel leads beyond metal gates along the route of the original road by the side of the River Irk. Walkers Croft itself was a cemetery and chapel linked with the Manchester Union Workhouse. The route is connected to Long Millgate by the wooden bridge.

UMIST Tunnels 📍

This tunnel network underneath Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester Institude of Biotechnology and the School of Mechanical Aerospace and Civil Engineering predates the university. It is notable for its layout—not a straight line from ‘A’ to ‘B’, but sprawling to connect the whole area. With four shafts, its layout was mapped and modelled extensively around 1969, and the detailed plans can be found on the John Rylands University Library Image Collections.

Photographs from the survey (as marked as plates on the plans) can be seen on the UMIST Campus History site.
Read more…

Grocers’ Warehouse / Bridgewater Tunnel 📍

Built in 1765 many imagine this tunnel at the bottom of Pioneer Quay to be part of the Rochdale Canal to which it is currently linked. It was in fact part of the lower Bridgewater canal, built to take canal boats underneath the Duke of Bridgewater's warehouse on Bridgewater street. The lower level of the Bridgewater explains why there does not appear to be enough room to enter in a boat.

Co-op Subway Tunnels 📍

The old Co-op buildings around Balloon Street were all connected by subway tunnels under the road, to allow movement of staff and deliveries without having to deal with traffic.

Co-op Subway Tunnels 📍

The new Co-op building ‘One Angel Square’ has a network of tunnels beneath it to regulate temperature, using the heat differential to hear or cool depending on conditions.

Tib Lane Cellar Tunnels 📍

Anecdotal tunnels leading off a cellar on the southern corner of Tib Lane and Cross Street.

Kendal Milne tunnel under Deansgate 📍

An old tunnel opened in 1920 linked ‘Kendal, Milne & Faulkner’ buildings (aka Kendals, now House of Fraser Manchester) on opposite sides of Deansgate. The rebuilding of the current listed building on the west side of Deansgate was completed in 1940 and the site was actually the extension to the original store on the east side (itself rebuilt after the street widening in 1873, and now Waterstones).

The tunnel is fondly remembered by many workers and visitors to the department store. Talking to some present staff there are tales of five or six other tunnels heading in different directions from the store.

Store Street tunnel under the Ashton Canal 📍

This was a tunnel from Store Street under the Ashton Canal which formed a basin here. I spotted this tunnel in around 2008, but the area has now been levelled as a car park. You can see the same tunnel on this 1977 photo of Store Street from Manchester Archives (catalogue page).

Disley Rail Tunnel 📍

Disley Tunnel is 3.5km long and was built in 1902 by the Midland Railway. It now serves the Hope Valley Line and has a number of ventilation shafts visible on the surface as stone chimneys shown by markers on the map. You can read more about it on Grace’s Guide and on Wikipedia.

Nell Lane Tunnel 📍

Keith Warrender has referred to a subway under Nell Lane, and news stories show that a 2009 explosion was caused by a severed gas pipe in a tunnel at this location.

1 New York Street RBS Tunnel 📍

During the construction of 1 New York Street a tunnel was visible linking the site with the Royal Bank of Scotland, under Mosley Street. You can see photos of it on Michael Ashton’s Flickr page and warhead’s Flickr page (reproduced below).

Read more in The Art Of Science At City Tower on the Skyliner blog.

Barlow Hall to Hough End Hall Tunnel (rumoured) 📍

RNCM Steam Tunnel 📍

Apparently the Royal Northern College of Music has a tunnel to another building carrying a steam pipe, presumably into the UMIST steam powered central heating system. You can see a picture of the entrance to the tunnel in the Tunnel Inspector’s album of photos from an RNCM backstage tour.

Pomona Docks Tunnels 📍

Somewhere on Pomona Island there are tunnels apparently following the route of old tram lines which ran around the docks, shown on Rail Map Online. It is believed they carried cables for the trams due to cable fixings on the walls. Visits were made in 2008, 2011 and 2013.

Manchester Town Hall Princess Street Tunnel 📍

In an interesting article about the renovation of Manchester Town Hall, the Manchester Evening News stated that a tunnel had been discovered leading from the town hall underneath Princess Street. It’s not clear whether there was an entrance from the staircase discovered in the Lord Mayor’s chambers. I’ve placed the pin close to that corner of the building though, as a guess.

Hidden Manchester Map

Tunnels, rivers, mines & subterranean spaces of Hidden Manchester

Tunnels

Bolton Arms 📍

Deansgate Tunnel 📍

Long Millgate Tunnel 📍

Old Deanery 📍

Old Manchester Evening News office tunnel 📍

Passage to Smith Hill & Co on Cannon Street 📍

Possible route of the Deansgate Tunnel 📍

Route of the Deansgate Tunnel 📍

Rumoured Bolton Arms tunnel 📍

Rumoured Chetham’s Tunnel 📍

Rumoured Cumberland Street Tunnel 📍

Rumoured Moston Cottage tunnel 📍

Rumoured Tunnel between the ‘Castle and Falcon’ pub and the Cathedral. 📍

Rumoured tunnel from ‘Ye Olde Rovers Return’ pub to the Cathedral 📍

Silver Street 📍

Trafford Hall Lodge 📍

Tunnels under Deanwater Close / Skerry Close 📍

Underground Skittle Alley and tunnel 📍

Wagstaff’s Piano Shop 📍

Walkers Croft tunnel 📍

UMIST Tunnels 📍

Grocers’ Warehouse / Bridgewater Tunnel 📍

Co-op Subway Tunnels 📍

Co-op Subway Tunnels 📍

Tib Lane Cellar Tunnels 📍

Kendal Milne tunnel under Deansgate 📍

Store Street tunnel under the Ashton Canal 📍

Disley Rail Tunnel 📍

Nell Lane Tunnel 📍

1 New York Street RBS Tunnel 📍

Barlow Hall to Hough End Hall Tunnel (rumoured) 📍

RNCM Steam Tunnel 📍

Pomona Docks Tunnels 📍

Manchester Town Hall Princess Street Tunnel 📍