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Print
by Robert Irving Barrow from 1830.
Courtesy of Mike Faulkner. |
There are 3 tunnels leading into (or out of) the cemetery.
1)
The Pedestrian walkway
2)
The Quarryman's Tunnel
3)
The Hearse Tunnel
Although
there is no definite evidence to confirm the uses of the tunnels
these are the widely held views: -
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The
Pedestrian Walkway
10 feet wide and 12 feet high it follows a downward slope
from the left of the main Cathedral entrance.
It
has been called a 'natural arch' by some Ordnance Survey maps
but chisel marks are plainly evident on the walls and roof
point to the fact that this tunnel has been 'worked'. Today
the tunnel walls are decorated by gravestones which were moved
during the transformation
to a public garden.
It is possible to see find the initials of long dead stonemasons
carved into the sandstone, together with the dates.
Look out for J.F.P 1856.
Because of the winding nature of the path leading to this
tunnel, it is unlikely to have been used for little else than
pedestrian traffic.
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The
Quarrymen's Tunnel
This tunnel is some 4 metres wide suggesting that it was used
for the transportation of heavy, difficult loads. Possibly
this was the early Quarrymen's route out of the Quarry with
their loads of stone. It caused a problem during the 1960's
when the Anglican Cathedral was nearing completion.
In his book The Building of Liverpool Cathedral, Peter Kennerly
writes;
"The preparation of the foundations for the West Front
was hampered by the presence underground of an old collapsed
tunnel, which had been excavated in the eighteenth century
to give access to the quarry."
Just to the right of this there is a very concentrated amount
of early 19th century graffiti. This could this indicate that
the workers of the day spent idle time here.
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The
Hearse Tunnel
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| Image
courtesy of Marc Williams |
Almost
facing the quarrymen's tunnel, hidden among trees and ivy,
lies another tunnel.
Currently it is bricked off with blocks of distinctive yellow
sandstone, there is a small gap at the top and through this
we can see how the roof is very well dressed.
It
emerged at the junction of Rodney St, St. James St and Duke
St. Close to the home of a Dr. Gill.
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