Tunnel under Bothwell St???

[james73]

£800m plan to expand city's subway network

New routes could operate in a network of unused tunnels which run under the city or be created by digging tunnels under city roads which would then be re-instated once work is complete.

Intersting...

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1057&start=130

It's probably referring to unused railway tunnels, I'd imagine.


James H

[Vladimir]

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1057&start=130

Did any of these tunnels actually exist or were they all just plans

[james73]

Just plans.



James H

[Vladimir]

Pity, the other ring looks like a good idea. To use the entire circuit just hop on and off at the connecting stations A larger ring than the one there would be even better to take in more population.

[caine]

on my way to work this morning i was stuck behind a big ole truck from a copmany called UIS(underground inspection service).

maybe some one should get a job with them and put all this to rest!

[possilonian]

Hi All Take it as read that the highly Decorated Fly Postered Building on Castle St is definitely not a Pumping station for the Forth and Clyde Canal,but there is a Monitoring Hut stationed at Port Dundas where it Monitors flow of water into Canal,which is operated by twin sluices at Calderbank into Monkland Canal,then down Monkland pipelines and out at Port Dundas Cheers Possilonian

[Ratcatcher]

You are all so niave my kittens. The tunnels under Glasgow pre-date NATO etc etc.

Think Red Clydesiders - tanks in George Square early 20th Century.

Think Irish Fenian activists pre Prov IRA blowing up gasometers in Glasgow and escaping from Prison Vans in Glasgow High Street in the early 20th Century and late 19th Century.

Think of Winston Churchill - then a Cabinet Minister thinking how do we keep these Red Jocks and their Irish cousins down?

Tunnels - bit like urban trenches but only covered they protected early telecoms / telegraphs systems in the city and were also excellent for getting from A to B.

Been down a few of them myself RATTING i think you will find if you look closely enough that there are a lot more of them tunnels than you have found so far.

MEEEEAAAAAWWWW.

[Socceroo]

The following is taken from the book “From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest” by James Cowan :

BENEATH ALBION STREET (December 1935)

At the south – east corner of Bell Street and Albion Street the passer – by may notice four large iron gratings set end to end at the edge of the pavement, and at the Trongate end the same arrangement may be found.

As gratings in such a position are not common in the city, the observant pedestrian will naturally wonder for what purpose they are put there. The opportunity to find out came to me when I was passing down Albion Street with a friend.

At the Trongate end a brown canvas shelter was erected over one of the gratings. We looked in, and saw a small iron ladder leading down to somewhere beneath the street, and as there seemed to be nobody about we decided to go down and investigate.

At the bottom we found ourselves in a space of about 15 feet square, and with plenty of head room. Immediately behind us another man had descended the ladder, and, though possibly wondering what we were doing there, he asked no questions, but passed round a corner into a tunnel, which ran across the western side of the compartment in which we stood.

Looking along this tunnel we judged that it must be exactly below the middle of Albion Street, and if we cared to follow it northwards we would, no doubt, have come to another large square compartment at the Bell Street end ; but there was no temptation to do this, because we had no light, and in any case we felt sure the scenery all the way would be just the same as where we stood.

This consisted of a collection of iron pipes of various sizes, and some electric cables. The tunnel was quite roomy, and well ventilated, being fully seven feet high and equally wide.

We now turned our attention behind, to where the man who had come down after us was talking to another two men, who sat in a small canvas hut brilliantly lit by an electric bulb. They had earphones on, and were busy testing wires which they selected from among enormous bunches which protruded from the open end of the cables.

Two of these cable we were told, contained 625 wires each, and another 217 wires. The pipes running along the sides of the tunnel were water pipes, both high and low pressure.

The tunnel was constructed at the time the present buildings were erected in the street, the idea being that the pipes and cables it contains can be attended to when anything goes wrong, without the necessity of lifting the street. Here and there, at intervals on both sides little branch passages could be seen, through which, we gathered, tappings from the main pipes could be led to either side of the street where required.

It is easy to understand that if all Glasgow’s water – pipes and electric cables could be accommodated in such tunnels the advantage would enormous. The day may come when the system will be largely extended ; but meantime, I think Albion Street is the only one in the city to have a subway of this kind for its pipes and cables.

[AMcD]

Meant to post these a while ago.

The GPO cable tunnel vents have had a make-over. Now a fetching green colour, they stand out more than the grey paint.



Anyone spotted any?

[JayKay]

Likewise.

Here's the one on Hope Street post Linda Barker.



Incidentally, spoke to a work colleague who actually worked down the tunnels whe he was an engineer for the Post Office (as was at the time) It was before the installation of the cables, and he says even then it was pretty claustrophobic, and imagines in places it will be very narrow now. One of his more delightful jobs was pumping out the water that would flood in pretty regularly and fixing the lights that would all too often go out.

Will try to get more information and post it here once I've had a longer chat with him.

[tommytank]

So did you get any more info from him? enthralled reading this, want to know how it ends!

[JayKay]

So did you get any more info from him? enthralled reading this, want to know how it ends!

Not had the chance to chat with him, been off a couple of weeks.

[curious]

Hello all

Don't know about Dial House or the little building on North Hannover/Cathedral St, but I know there may be alot more under the old GPO building than a room for NATO. My mate worked back there in the late Eighties and he told me there was a Shooting Club in the Post Office - yes that's right, a SHOOTING CLUB, for POSTMEN!!

Anyway, it seems there was rifle range under the building and alot more besides as the GPO used to have one of those "Pals Regiments" that went off to fight in the First World War.

So if they can excavate a rifle range...

[pjs77]

Hi Everybody (as Dr Nick would say),

been reading the posts over past few days (great photos generally on site too) and the oddest thing happened....

Was out for a few last night (as you do) and stopped off in the College Bar (High St) with the girlfirend before going home - happened to mention to the barmaid how old the pub was (established 1810) and she starting telling how old they think it really is and about 'the tunnels' underneath - completely unprompted by me. Odd because I had been boring my better half earlier about all the stuff I had read on here about tunnels... (!?)

So apparently these tunnels are under the pub and go all the way to the Royal Infirmary up the hill. By that point, after closing time, I was so taken aback the bar staff were telling me about this that I never even asked what they thought they were for or anything else really - never would make a detective after all. She did come out the pub and show us architectural details of the building next to it which had (apparently) been moved up from the trongate area and was used on a structure for hanging people times gone by. (Last public hanging in Glasgow 1865).

It was said as mater of fact (the tunnel stuff) and I also believe that the bar staff have seen or been in them that I have no reason to disbelieve (one, I believe, was either the manager or owner). Certainly thinking of going back and asking more but don't really want to hassle people at work either.

I do know that all around that area (east and top of Merchant City) body snatchers were a common(ish) occurrence for use in medical training. Whether there is any connection in body snatching of old and tunnels to the hospital area is purely speculative by me. Most of the reported body snatching was for use at Glasgow University which was in High St at that time (across the road from the College Bar, oddly enough).

Anyway, fascinating stuff, especially when it lands in your lap like this. I have a friend who works in regeneration within the Merchant City so I'll annoy him later with tunnel questions. He might know nothing but may know of folk who do....

Keep looking down - the truth is out there

[scaryman2u]

hi people i do`nt know who to reply to what an education !!!!! brill site. i work in demolition & was involved in the demolition of high st goods station about 1983/4 & there were numerous tunnels underneath, i got lost once or twice (whew). but some locals at the time told me they go all over glasgow. makes you wonder... going on a lucy box hunt ramorra...


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if a jobs worth doing
its worth doing right

john