Friday 14 August 2009

How do you lose a tunnel?
















Newport has a rich underground life with cellars, many interconnected stretching from street to street.

None of these cellars, basements and tunnels are as yet inhabited by werewolves, vampires or ghouls but the premises are there, desirable and vacant to let.

One of the more interesting and persistent legends are those focused on the supposed secret passages in and around Newport Castle. One went under the river Usk to the parish of Christchurch. Who built it, or why is not explained, nor has the tunnel been found.

One tunnel was, however, and then subsequently lost. Only in Newport could you lose a tunnel.
Between 1890 and 1899 Newport castle was a Lloyd and Yorath brewery. Its water came from an old well in the old castle grounds but by 1891 its water had all but disappeared.

Harry Jones, the brewery foreman, went down the well to investigate, and there he discovered a stone-walled tunnel heading in the direction of Shaftsbury Street. With only a candle to guide them, Jones and another man explored the tunnel, wading through a fast flowing stream to its source at a well in Thomas Street.

In 1901 the last of the town’s wells (Baneswell) was closed and sealed. The water would have had a meaty taste because the well was clogged with dead rats. Rats not ghouls infested Newport’s underground. In 1920 16,000 rats were trapped or killed in the town. Three years later several babies were bitten in their prams by rats, probably in revenge.

But that didn’t stop the search for the ‘lost tunnel’.

In 1931 an employee of the Borough Engineers Department rediscovered the tunnel whilst draining an overfull well. His tunnel forked, with one branch going on to Thomas Street and the other going left towards the Old Green Hotel which then stood on the corner of High Street and Dock Street.

Again, who built the tunnels and why, have never been discovered, but at this point the question becomes academic because the tunnels were once again mislaid. Busy roads now surround the castle, but during their building no tunnels were found. In 1951 eighty five year old Harry Jones was asked to relocate the tunnels, but too old perhaps, he failed.
For those interested, Haydn Davis has written several interesting chronicles on Newport's history, all available in Newport Library. But my brief survey has now ended, probably not before time. Its only validity in what is essentially a record of one baffled spirit is that History is a consuming interest, along with the arcane. In Newport you have both.



Find the tunnel!

16 comments:

Gypsy Tala said...

Facinating..i have lived in Newport all my life and didn't know about these mysterious tunnels..Great posting.

Mike Keyton said...

Hi,thanks for the comment. I hope you found the other Newport related stuff interesting too.
Mike.

PS Like your site

big bad baz said...

A school teacher once told me and other classmates about the tunnel under newport castle in the early 80s this is first time I've seen anything written down about it

Mike Keyton said...

Newport is a seedy and magical city, Baz. Tunnels are only the half of it : )

Unknown said...

Take a visit to the Newport market cellers. Truly amazing

Mike Keyton said...

Thanks for the tip, Andrew. How accessible are they? Who do you ask?

Anonymous said...

My father always r old me there was a tunnel that went from Newport castle to caerleon,and one from murengers to castle,a smugglers tunnel

Anonymous said...

The old lloyds now tesco in cambrian rd had tunnels, n the carpenters High streets cellar got them aswell never ventured 2 far in though as they r scary

Steve said...

They must be blocked off???

Steve said...

They are used as storage for the traders. I believe They were used as prison cells at one time and they look that way also, small arched rooms with bars on the front.

Steve said...

They are used as storage for the traders. I believe They were used as prison cells at one time and they look that way also, small arched rooms with bars on the front.

Mike Keyton said...

Anon, I can believe one may have led to the Murenger, Caerleon though is a bit of a stretch - in every sense of the word. : ) Thanks for the extra info ref Cambrian road.

Mike Keyton said...

Steve, are you referring to the tunnels under the market?

Anonymous said...

My grandparents lived on Victoria Avenue and they once discovered a tunnel in their back garden.
They didn’t go in to see where it led and filled it in but to this day there is a dip in the garden where the entrance to the tunnel is.

Mike Keyton said...

Anon, Damnit to hell. Now you've got me wanting to investigate strange back gardens. An arrestable offence, no doubt. : ) Seriously, thank you for the info. If it wasn't an old air raid shelter and they were having you on, I wonder where it could have possible led to.

David Jones said...

I was told there are tunnels under spring lane stow hill which go under st Woolos hospital and beyond