Beneath the Edge Hill neighborhood in east central Liverpool lies a vast network of domed brick tunnels that lead nowhere and serve no apparent purpose. They are called the Williamson Tunnels, in honor of their financier Joseph Williamson, a prosperous 19th-century merchant and developer who spent the last 30 years of his life overseeing the ambitious, innovative project. This .
Forgotten and neglected for 150 years after Mr. Williamson’s death in 1840, the tunnels have now been cleared, cleared and revived. They are quickly emerging as one of Liverpool’s top tourist attractions.
Joseph Williamson never revealed why he built his tunnel. He left no diaries or letters explaining himself, and his last will and testament contained no instructions on how to use the tunnel.
Williamson’s pet project seems to have emerged organically from his activities as a builder and designer of new homes and gardens in the Edge Hill area. But he never explained to anyone (or at least anyone who spoke) why he chose to expand his architectural efforts in a downward direction.
The life and times of Joseph Williamson
Young Joe Williamson left home as a child to find work on the Liverpool docks. He was soon hired by Richard Tate, owner of a successful cigarette importing business.
Previously, it was reported that Williamson migrated to Liverpool because his family was poor and could not afford to raise him. But later research discovered a connection between the Williamson and Tate families.
In the late 18th century, the Tate family ran a large glassworks in Gawber, an area of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, where Richard Tate worked as a glassmaker with Joseph Williamson’s father and uncle. Seeking to make a career for himself, Tate eventually moved to Liverpool and found fame and fortune in the cigarette importing business. When young Joe Williamson left for the big city, it seems some arrangement was made to ensure he would be employed and watched over by Mr. Tate.
In any event, Joseph Williamson achieved great success with the Tate tobacco company. He cemented his position in the business—and in the Tate family—when he married Richard Tate’s daughter Elizabeth in 1802, when he was 33 years old. Soon after, Williamson purchased control of the tobacco company, which he incorporated with his own business interests. to form one of Liverpool’s more prosperous corporations.
Joseph Williamson, creator of the Williamson Tunnel. (Peter I. Vardy / Public Domain)
To celebrate their success, Joseph and Elizabeth moved to a mansion in the expensive Edge Hill area of Liverpool in 1805. At this time Edge Hill was still sparsely populated and Williamson saw an opportunity to increase his fortune. through land speculation and real estate development. He bought lots of land in Edge Hill, where he built elaborate houses with large gardens to attract more wealthy Liverpudlians to the area.
At some point, for reasons that remain unclear, Williamson decided to add an underground aspect to his land development projects. He employed scores of diggers, masons, carpenters and various support staff to build a vast network of soaring vaulted tunnels directly beneath the new houses he commissioned.
Why Williamson’s thinking turned in this direction is anyone’s guess. But once they did, his hobby of going underground became an unquenchable obsession.
For three decades, he continued to finance this project, building tunnels branching in all directions. His efforts only ended when he died in 1840. To this day, no one knows how far the Williamson Tunnel extended, or how far Williamson would extend. them if he lived a few more years.
Williamson Tunnel: Theory and Speculation
There has been much speculation as to why Joseph Williamson chose to invest a significant portion of his personal fortune in an ever-expanding tunnel project. No one knows for sure what prompted his efforts, as he never made any public statements explaining himself. But that doesn’t stop people from trying to figure it out for themselves.
Below are some of the theories that have been put forward.
The Williamson Tunnel was built as a shelter in anticipation of the end times
Britain in the early 18th century was a hotbed of religious fervor, creating fertile ground for millennial or apocalyptic cults. Often inspired by literal interpretations of the Book of Revelation, these sects often predict that the End Times are near. They plan strategies to survive the earthquakes, fires, floods, and cosmic lightning that will soon turn the earth to ash.
Was the Williamson Tunnel built for the End Times? (Friends of the Williamson Tunnel/Facebook)
Williamson regularly attended services at St. Thomas of Liverpool, openly adhered to the traditional faith of the Church of England. But some claim he may secretly belong to a millennial cult, while also choosing to keep it a secret to protect his reputation as a stubborn businessman.
Or, he may simply believe that the End Times may come soon and that it is reasonable to be cautious. Either way, Williamson may have been trying to create an underground safe haven where friends, family members, and fellow believers could hide while all hell was breaking loose on the surface .
The Tunnel Project is Williamson’s Personal Economic Stimulus Package
Williamson once boasted to an observer that his tunnel was responsible for putting more people in Liverpool to work than any other business. And indeed, nearly half of all able-bodied men in the Edge Hill area were involved in the construction of the Williamson Tunnel at some point. This underlines the extent to which the project has helped stimulate a local economy that was struggling to find work for people, following the depression that Britain experienced following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816.
Because the tunnel has no clear purpose, some have theorized that helping the local economy was Williamson’s ultimate motivation. Perhaps Williamson was initially genuinely interested in creating underground space for some practical reason but continued to spend money on the project when he realized the positive benefits that workers would enjoy by spending money on the project. waste your money.
The tunnels are a reflection of Williamson’s obsessive-compulsive personality
There was no such thing as a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the early 19th century. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist, and who’s to say Williamson didn’t have it.
Men and women with obsessive-compulsive disorder have an uncontrollable need to repeat certain actions over and over again, no matter how irrational or meaningless their activities may seem to others. with other people. Williamson’s relentless tunneling might fit the definition of such behavior, especially given his lack of clear statement about the true purpose of the tunnel.
Is Williamson’s Tunnel a reflection of Williamson’s obsessive-compulsive personality? (Friends of the Williamson Tunnel/Facebook)
One characteristic of obsessive-compulsive behavior is its ability to be triggered by stressful circumstances. Joseph Williamson’s tunnel construction appears to have begun after his wife Elizabeth died in 1822, and his passion for the project may have been a coping mechanism to help him cope with pain and sense of loss.
Williamson is aiming to build his own underground city
Civilizations have built underground cities since ancient times. Countries that regularly face invasion often build settlements below the earth’s surface as a way to hide from foreign conquerors.
At the time Williamson began building his tunnels, Great Britain was still embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars. Looking to the future, Williamson probably feared an invasion from outside, if not from France then from some other conquering power. If he was concerned about the sanctity and safety of Liverpool, he might have wanted to create a large underground space that could be used for long periods of time in case of emergency.
The Williamson Tunnel may have once been a city without ground. (Cheekablue / CC BY-SA 2.0 )
Alternatively, Williamson might want to build his own underground city just because he thinks it’s a fun thing to do. The ongoing nature of the project will be necessary to scale his tunnel system to a suitable size if his underground city is one day to be home to thousands of people.
Joseph Williamson is searching for hidden treasures or buried treasure
Of course this is pure speculation. But what if Williamson had some reason to believe there was treasure hidden somewhere beneath the city of Liverpool?
As a seaport, Liverpool may have been visited by pirates looking for a place to hide their loot at some point in the past. Somehow, Williamson may have come into possession of a map revealing the presence of such a bounty somewhere beneath the surface of Edge Hill.
Or, perhaps Williamson had heard rumors that the Templars had stopped by Liverpool on their way to Scotland and buried their treasure there, rather than beneath Rossyln Chapel as many writers and researchers have suggested. before (most famously as Dan Brown in The Da Vinci). Code ). It’s also possible that Williamson was looking for artifacts left behind by the Romans or Celts from more ancient times.
Such notions may seem fanciful. But for someone as seemingly eccentric and obsessed as Williamson, just a whispered rumor or discovery of a secret could be enough to drive him crazy, frantic and without any clear purpose or purpose. any.
Williamson built the tunnel as a temple to God
People who have visited the Williamson Tunnel frequently comment on its cathedral-like atmosphere. Like other religious symbols, the tunnels were apparently constructed with great care and attention to architectural precision and detail, which has led some to suggest that they were designed to use for sacred ceremonies or holy celebrations.
Huge stone archway in Williamson Tunnel. Source : Friends of the Williamson Tunnel
Supporters of this theory note that Williamson was very religious, attended services every Sunday and was both married and buried at St. Thomas in Liverpool. In contrast to those who suspected Williamson of secretly belonging to a millennial cult, proponents of the temple theory argued that his public religious activities were sincere and sincere and not a cover for a something more apocalyptic.
They see his great underground construction project as a natural outgrowth of his desire to leave something profound and inspiring behind, to create a contemplative space where visitors can feel close to closer to God and the creative energy of the universe.
Rediscovery and redevelopment of the Williamson tunnel
After Joseph Williamson’s death, work on the Williamson Tunnel was stopped. Over the decades, some of his tunnels were demolished while many others were filled with discarded material from old buildings demolished to make way for new construction projects. Development at Edge Hill occurred at an impressive pace during the 19th and 20th centuries, rendering Williamson Tunnel obsolete.
But while historical memory may be repressed, it never truly dies. At the end of the 20th century, there was renewed interest in the tunnels—they are now considered a unique architectural achievement, representing a colorful chapter in Liverpool’s history, making them worthy of respect. dignity and salvation.
Initial explorations of the tunnel began in 1995, when a local geology student conducted an archaeological dig to discover what might be hidden beneath the debris and rubble. Ultimately, responsibility for excavation was assigned to the Joseph Williamson Society, established to promote and restore this forgotten architectural wonder. The association hired a surveying company called Parkman to clear out as many tunnels as possible, beginning a process that continues to this day.
FoWT volunteers digging in the newly discovered area of the Williamson Tunnel, May 2019. (CaptainBiscuitbeard/CC BY-SA 4.0)
So far, about 5,000 tons of debris have been removed from the tunnel. During these excavations, a great deal of material goods and artifacts were removed, dating from the time of tunnel construction in some cases and revealing the remains of old, demolished buildings. destruction is dumped into the tunnel in other cases. Artifacts found include a wide variety of bottles, jars, bowls, clay pipes, bed warmers, chamber pots, ceramic dolls, children’s toys and other fascinating objects dating back to the period. Georgia and Victoria.
Artifacts such as countless bottles have been excavated from the Williamson Tunnel. (Cheekablue / CC BY-SA 2.0 )
As excavations continue, there are restoration efforts. A 984-foot (300-meter) underground section of the Williamson Tunnel’s many branches is now open to visitors thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Williamson Tunnel and the Joseph Williamson Association to keep them clean and well maintained. safe to explore. Haunted tours to look for ghosts are sometimes offered on weekend nights, although tourists are free to look for ghosts any time they want to visit.
Visitors to the Williamson Tunnel have reported strange smells, strange shadows, and even a mysterious man in a long coat who would follow the tours but eventually mysteriously disappear. understand. Is this the spirit of Joseph Williamson himself, prowling through the tunnels he devoted so many years of his life to building?
Whether Williamson is still around or not, after more than 150 years, his magnificent work is finally getting the attention it deserves. The Williamson Tunnel is a testament to what people can achieve when they pursue their dreams and visions, no matter how confusing or incomprehensible they may seem to others. There is a certain majesty in such a freewheeling approach to life, and the soaring majesty of Joe Williamson’s Tunnels is responsible for their growing popularity as a must-see tourist destination.
