yodude64 Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Can anyone tell me if there is or were tunnels linking up the academy to either the cottage or the parish church. I remember someone telling me that that they were there from Oliver Cromwell’s days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Welcome to the forum. I’ve heard these tales including one that said there was a tunnel right up to Winwick church but I think I also recall hearing that they were just stories. Back in those days it was quite common to have priest holes where people could hide out but escape tunnels of these lengths would need a lot more effort. There’ll be someone here no doubt that may have some better answers. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Several years ago I posted a topic on Cromwell's cave at Winwick. Also posted in the Guardian. There was various talk but nothing worth quoting arose, and similarly about the other caves mentioned. The one at Winwick was directly opposite the main gates to the hospital. We used to play inside it as children, but it was blocked off a few yards inside and later blocked off altogether. An older friend told me that they had travelled further into the cave but had turned back when it got too dark and scary. (the cave allegedly went to the Academy in Bridge street, but people thought it more likely it went to Winwick church although my memory says it headed off townwards. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 I am sure our friends in the Academy would have found it by now if there was one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Still think this is a good subject for an article. (buried treasure therein?) There may be other oldies, my friend is 85, who remember the cave, or any other caves/ tunnels. Certainly the one at Winwick was dug for a purpose and obviously went some way. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 I am sure our friends in the Academy would have found it by now if there was one! No they wouldn't Gary as that 'academy' is not the original one. The original was where the road is and was moved backwards in a rather remarkable feat of engineering to make way for the road widening etc , only to then be demolished and rebuilt in it new place. I was always under the impression that Cromwell did indeed have a series of tunnels from the original academy to the church and his cottage and elsewhere, infact my mum often spoke about them but alas I never really listened at the time. Call me cynical but I recon if they did actually exist they would have been unlikely to have been excavated or recorded and/or classed as being of importance at the time as they may well have stood in the way of the towns development plans. Chester/Chesire archives and/or archaeological department may 'know' but it is again doubtful that anything will be recorded in the public domain or accessible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Ooops sorry yodude64... I forgot to say a very warm welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Ooops sorry yodude64... I forgot to say a very warm welcome to the forum Welcome yodude. :grin: Whatever town or city you live in there will always be tales about tunnels connecting churches to somewhere else, not really practicable, think about the logistics of tunnelling for more than a few hundred feet, apart from removing the spoil that would require trucks on a small railway, the tunnellers from way back would only have basic hand tools, timber props would be required to support the roof, the tunnel unless driven through a hillside would have to descend down an incline to prevent collapse then rise again to where it's projected point of arrival was, so called secret tunnels would not remain secret for long, so as far as I am concerned most of these stories are exactly that - stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Pretty true Algy, but I assure you there was one at Winwick. Blocked off 5 or 6 yards along, but my friend assures me it went as deep as they were prepared to go. We spent a lot of time up there during the war rationing years and the story was that that stick licorice came from the roots of trees at Winwick Delph. Now that was a myth. ( and not as good as a mile in case some lisping poster reads it). Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=231691558405&topic=13090 A few tunnels mentioned on there but none have been confirmed 100% apart from people knowing about them or seeing a few. I wonder if your friend is one of the young chaps mentioned by one poster Harry re the Winwick ones. One suggestion is that some tunnels may have been basements of earlier buildings. Not much help sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Saw my friend today. He said they ventured about 30 yards into the Winwick tunnel before becoming scared and retreating. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 What a whimp (only kidding) Wonder where yodude64 has disappeared too after their initial post and question ? Hope he/she isn't stuck down a tunnel somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 The tale i heard was that a tunnel ran from Winwick church to the old Delph where a hospital was later built (part of Winwick) which is now a nursing home i believe & the location of Winwick Club. You would expect it to have been discovered during the building of the hospital & Winwick link though ! Another tale is from Winwick church to near the Plough at Houghton Green ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wireboy Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 It's fascinating stuff. I too heard several stories over the years and it would be great if it were true. However, with all the "modernising" Warrington has under gone in the last 60 years you would think it would have been discovered. Then WBC would have destroyed it like everything else. Maybe it is best that if it does exist it remains undiscovered as to protect it from developers/travellers/WBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 The tale i heard was that a tunnel ran from Winwick church to the old Delph where a hospital was later built (part of Winwick) which is now a nursing home i believe & the location of Winwick Club. You would expect it to have been discovered during the building of the hospital & Winwick link though ! Another tale is from Winwick church to near the Plough at Houghton Green ! It was constructed by patients escaping from the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Good joke, but if true, they had already escaped. It was outside the hospital and going the wrong way. Someone, somewhere - library or Winwick council - must have the 'low down' on the tunnel I assume it must have been the Winwick part of Lancashire council who had it blocked off circa 1944. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Good joke, but if true, they had already escaped. It was outside the hospital and going the wrong way. Someone, somewhere - library or Winwick council - must have the 'low down' on the tunnel I assume it must have been the Winwick part of Lancashire council who had it blocked off circa 1944. Happy days I didn't think minors were allowed in Winwick Hospital, thought it was for adult patients only. :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Very deep Algy. happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOUSANDYARDSTARE Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Growing up in Orford we had a neighbour called Mrs. P. She was originally from Winwick and she would often tell me of how; when she was a young girl; she and her friends used to go into Warrington via a tunnel. I can't remember where she said the Winwick side of the tunnel was but I do remember her saying that it came out somewhere near the parish church. In order to try and work out when this may have been, I've traced Mrs. P's birth record to 1916 and her marriage to 1941 so that kind of narrows down when the tunnel 'may' have been in existance. Adios Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint87 Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 my grandad often tells me of stories of a tunnel, his fathers farther was a rat chatcher in the 1920's an got paid per tail he cut off, and he told of a tunnel from the river mersey at the 1980's widerspool crossing bridge that was supposed to got the parish church. dont know if any truth in it but my grandad said his father was adiment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 I really believe that all these tales about caves and tunnels under Warrington are a result of childhood fantasies and sense of adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 I don't and I really believe there were (or still are) tunnels from everything people have said on here and elsewhere. My mum often used to talk about one from the Academy building and the Parish Church and she had a wealth of knowledge about old Warrington. If only I had listened better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin blease Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 cromwells mystery cave ! the tunnels are real and are many linking ones one of the main ways in is protected by law one wont mention any locations .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Those look some of my early attempts with a polaroid camera when the flash cube didn't work properly. (four flash cube and guaranteed at least one would not fire) Remember the instructions for the camera well. 1.Pull tab firmly and evenly. 2. Wait sixty seconds. in cold weather conditions place film in between metal plates and place under arm for sixty seconds. 3. carefully peel apart to reveal picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin blease Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Those look some of my early attempts with a polaroid camera when the flash cube didn't work properly. (four flash cube and guaranteed at least one would not fire) Remember the instructions for the camera well. 1.Pull tab firmly and evenly. 2. Wait sixty seconds. in cold weather conditions place film in between metal plates and place under arm for sixty seconds. 3. carefully peel apart to reveal picture. the pics were took no more than 2 months ago on a crappy nokia 2700c is all i have and it was day time when they were took , guess i need better camera something which shows time and date , all i do know is theirs a reason i knew were to find it without effort was like id been their before but i haven't i just heard stories as a child , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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