Right ive started a new topic for this one as requested

I was scanning a book in the reference library called "Auld lang syne" and it was the recollections of some guy whos name slips my mind and he mentions that there was a superstition or a rumour that there was a tunnel from Bidston Hall to Leasowe Castle.

I wondered if anyone had heard of this or had any information on it.

His name was Harry Nielsen

oh lol thats right cos i joked about him being a good singer too lol

Bidston Hall to Leasowe Castle as the crow flies

When you think about Joseph Williamson and his tunnels its probably not impossible for someone to build a tunnel of this length

Thats about 1.5 miles and most of the ground is sand. It would have been a major engineering event even today.

Wouldn't it have been sandstone like the rest of the peninsula?

I read some where that there used to be a very dodgy path from Bidston to Wallasey and Leasowe that the landlord of the Ring O Bells public house used to send his smuggled goods along. apparently it was stalked by thieves and murderers .

yea i think thats true and only certain people knew the correct route to go...maybe there is no tunnel and its just the route to the castle that was secret. I know that there were supposed to be whale bones used as a bridge too.

hope it was a tunnel, crossing the m53 is awful on a monday morning

Where do you cross? Not jay walking!

tut that was your doing clown! don't lead the newbs astray!

I been inside Bidston Hall and spoke to one of the staff who help maintain the building a several years ago. They never mentioned anything about a tunnel. Plus i dont think its feasible for something like that to be built without a lot of investment and people knowning about it.

Unfortunately there are lots of rumours of tunnels around Wirral, and about 90% are not true !

Thus endeth this thread lol

He better not be walking over me!

Dr Frick has spoken

RRRRR SO THERES NO OTHER TUNNEL ???

Nope, the nearest thing is an ancient priest hole in the old house opposite, but no tunnel. Sorry.

what exactly is a priest hole? is it somewhere they hid when Henry VIII's bustards came round to 'dissolve' the monastery?

Yep, Not just from him but thats pretty much the jist of it.

Speke Hall is full of them, havnt been there since i was a kid, but remember so much about it!

Cool can we get in

If you pay your pennies to the nice lady on the kiosk matey, you can!!!!
Its open to the public, but im guessing you dont want the tour!!!!

lol yer wiv pics how much is it the williamsons ?

Bidston moss was a bog and as quite rightly stated only a few knew the way to get across it. The ship inn in Wallasey was a haunt of those who knew the way across and it is alleged that smugglers/wreckers would carry their goods across to Bidston for hiding. You have to try and imagine that Wallasey village was totally different and the beach practically came up to the base of Wallasey church. If you read the church records there are many instances of burials of people washed up from shipwrecks. I seem to remember reading that the landlord of the Ship was alleged to have killed a customs man or excise man whatever they were in those days but it couldn't be proved that he did it. Fascinating stuff!

No way could they have built a tunnel through a bog but I do know where there is a tunnel with possible links to Mother Redcaps. Relations of mine live in a very old house and when they lifted a large stone slab in their kitchen they found a room beneath with a bricked up doorway that was in the direction of Redcaps. They never opened up said doorway. If it is a tunnel then that is feasible as it is all sandstone. Perhaps we will never know.

Out of interest, where was the house?

I remember on the tithe map a place called Toad Hole - probably not at all connected. Couldn't really tell where it was situated though as tithe maps were pre-ordnance survey so scale and direction was a bit cr@p.

YOU GOT YOUR SPELL CHECK ON?

did i spell something wrong still. trancentral?
do tell

tithe map? what that?

Here - educate yourself
What's a tithe map Mum?

I AM REEDUCATED AND SORRY DONT WIPE TOO HARD!!

Wipe? I'm not really your Mum Transcentral. I don't have a boiling hot flannel to wash your face with before you go to bed...

WHAT A SHAME? GOOD JOB IT WAS WHIP NOT WIPE AS POSTED! THIS MAKES IT WORSE?

Heaps worse! (saying that before someone else does)

"No way could they have built a tunnel through a bog but I do know where there is a tunnel with possible links to Mother Redcaps. Relations of mine live in a very old house and when they lifted a large stone slab in their kitchen they found a room beneath with a bricked up doorway that was in the direction of Redcaps. They never opened up said doorway. If it is a tunnel then that is feasible as it is all sandstone. Perhaps we will never know. "

I've also been in some tunnels/caves accessed from a garden of a house in NB, from what I remember they were quite extensive and the bloke showing us round said that behind a collapsed bit there was a tunnel to Mother Redcaps. Was 25 years ago so my memory is a little hazy though!

I worked on the nursin home at mother redcaps when it woz built ....i can remember they had trouble with the footings because of tunnels or holes they found.. it ended up a far bigger job

Wellington Road? It's not the one I am talking about though.

i carnt remember ill have to have a visit it was a very big new build and took up a full block right on the front

most haunted live tonight bidston hall!

sure is!!

did not know there was a well there?

Dosnt look like there are any tunnels in the well so we can cross that off the list

the exit comes out by there!