Pictures have emerged offering a previously unseen glimpse into a hidden subterranean world that lies beneath the bustling streets of the city’s business district
Pictures have emerged of a mysterious underground ‘lake’ hidden beneath a bustling city-centre street.
Pictures shared with our sister publication, the Liverpool Echo, offer a previously unseen glimpse into a hidden subterranean world that lies beneath the city’s business district. The seldom-visited lake was snapped by an engineering worker who had been sent down into the tunnels to carry out work for Liverpool City Council when he paused to take a picture of the eerie space.
The picture shows what appears to be a hidden vault, which seems to go back for some distance, with stone arches which stand below street level. It is understood that access to the uncanny underground chamber can only be gained via a small tunnel, which opens up to reveal the huge vaulted area filled with water.
The ‘lake’ is located below ground level on the town side of Liverpool’s Pier Head, towards Water Street, with the picture showing what looks like clean water filling the space. The underground vault is regularly inspected by engineers, reports the Echo, with the mysterious space is just one of the many tunnels and underground areas below Liverpool’s streets.
Some of the city’s underground spaces are more well-used, like the Merseyrail loop line and the road and rail tunnels that head under the Mersey. However others are almost forgotten, with the city home to several disused railway tunnels, including the Wapping tunnel below Chinatown and the Victoria tunnels heading to the docks.
The city’s Williamson Tunnels at Edge Hill, described as a mysterious underground city have been the subject of much interest over the years. The labyrinthine complex was created by Joseph Williamson, though why he created it remains a mystery. Dedicated volunteers have been working for years to clear waste from the tunnels to reveal their full extent. Back in 2017, the cavernous Banqueting Hall was finally revealed.
And there are reports of several other tunnels in the city centre, including a tunnel in James Street dating back to the time of the medieval Liverpool Castle. There is also a ‘lake’ below the old Cains brewery, from where the brewery used to get its water. The lake was so big, rumour had it that Cains workers had to use a boat, and there are even stories that coffins from the nearby cemetery had been washed down there.
