Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Bidston Hill Underground Tunnels Part 1

Mike, the more I look at it, the more I think it's the tunnel to Woodside. As you say, the first video is useless, but the next shows the metal fencing & RSJ over; (compare with the link I posted from subbrit). Also, at 3 seconds in, is that a hint of the Monks Ferry tunnel on the right? The third video in the sequence shows the fencing from the inside, but, importantly, seems to show a wide, twin track, tunnel.
Thoughts?
Cheers, Chris.

Mmmm. Maybe it's my monitor (needs a new wick !) but I can't make anything out. Just the same black cat in the coal cellar at midnight ! Can't see anything at 3 secs in.

From what you say in your prev. post I must agree with you.

Have sent you an email re: DVD R'ferry-Chester.

Cheers,
Mike

The best way into the caves was via the ventilation shaft, in 1979 when I was 17 prompted by stories about the cave a friend and I found the shaft, it was covered with a brick building which had a huge concrete roof, the building’s door and ventilation openings had long been bricked up and it just had the appearance of disused sub station

We returned the next day armed with bolster chisels and lump hammers and climbed onto the roof, leaning over we took turns removing the mortar around one brick until we could remove it other bricks came out more easily until there was a large enough opening to crawl into, after going through two courses we went home

The next day we went back with torches to start exploring, now when we leaned inside from the roof and shone the torch in we could see a steel ladder bolted to the wall on the other side and by luck rather than judgement an iron girder stretched from the entrance we had made directly to the ladder so we crawled in and clinging on to the girder for dear life shimmied our way to the ladder once on the ladder we climbed down about 50ft until we reached a concrete landing when we shone the torch up we could see the daylight on the girder and it became clear that it was previously used as a hoist to lower things down the shaft because when we shone the torch down we cold see tat the landing only covered about a third of the shaft and space in the middle was just a huge void.

We climbed down another 3 ladders until we reached the bottom when we reached the bottom in front of the shaft was a wall with an array of electrical switch gear on it, to the side of the wall was an opening and when we walked through it we were in the caves.

It is hard to describe the caves except to say that they are immense they are more like brick lined tunnels there are about 2-3 inches of water all over the floor so most of the time you are wading through it there are tunnels off tunnels that lead to closed steel doors three are toilets in them that had long been vandalised and you can actually find your way to the main entrance which has been sealed up with concrete.

Believe it or not we got lost down there for hours, we could not find our way out because everywhere looks the same the batteries ran out on our torches and we found ourselves walking along the wall on our right hand side searching for the opening to the ventilation shaft, we were honestly scared shitless because it was so dark that we could not even see each other but we eventually found the opening and climbed up, shimmying across the girder was nerve wracking because we knew there was a 200ft drop below us, but we got out and went home.

The word got out that we had got in and the next day about five lads went with my mate, I stayed at home, to save having to go across the girder my mate took the lump hammer and the chisel back to make a hole in the wall near the ladder leaning off the roof as he was chipping out the mortar the police turned up and everybody scampered leaving my mate on the roof instead of coming down he crawled through the hole and went across the girder and stayed in there for hours but when he came out the police were still waiting for him and he was charged with criminal damage to government property.

Believe it or not he was sentenced to 3 month Detention centre for a first offence because they wanted to make an example of him, shortly afterwards the building was demolished and the concrete roof was used to seal the shaft.

I am sure that a bit of exploration on top of the hill would unearth the concrete slab but to get in now you would have to dig a hole next to the slab until you came across the brick wall of the shaft and then go through the wall my advise though for what it is worth is to leave it alone it was sealed up for a reason and that is because it is dangerous

is this area close to the cock pit

Hmmm very interesting, we found a randomly placed concrete slab not far from where we believe to be the shaft location, although it is about 20 metres maybe a bit more away.

Probably nearer the "cock pit" then the believed shaft location.

I went back to the believe shaft location the other day, I still rekon its the location, were the walls of the shaft building knocked in on themselves when they demolished it?

in the woods about 20 yds west of the mound pictured on here with the crutch .there is a concrete slab bedded in to the ground with a lot of red brick and there is also something similar downn the hill toward bidston hall ????

This is what we believe to be the remains of the shaft/shaft building (these were taken in summer, it has changed a bit but not much), are these were you believe it could be (looking back on it in retrospect, they could be a bit too far away?):

Just had to raid through 2000+ photos to find them haha!

yeah thats the one further down the wood but our first pic is actually about 20 mtrs east of that ..hmmmm

Did you notice a big concrete slab a few metres away from the cock pit? Even with the stregnth and might of Jonah and Whelan we couldnt lift it, but it is a bit suspiciously placed.

yep we took a pic but for some reason its just a blur .but im takin the dogs up there in about half n hour so i will have another scout around

Hmmm, just had a thought, if it weighs less then 4 tonnes, when the summer comes, a couple of trolley jacks could reveal its secrets... im starting to think this could be the area now since Broad posted that?

Thats great fella, it may help Broad to recognise it

when i was there the other day i dug down a little with a walking stick an kept hitting concrete .so im not sure if thats just a primary cap and there is another slab below but its gotta be worth a try.not sure i wanna go to a detention centre though ..LOL

Will post them later on today then

Cheers mate