Someone who has a massive knowledge of the city of Worcester is the infirmary museums curator Mark. I happened to bump into him at the Museum and Art gallery’s opening of the Jermey Deller exhibition opening.
I posed the question of is there any urban legends in Worcester, he answered with tunnels and that of the 5 mile tunnel that runs from the cathedral to norton barracks which I later found was 2.5 mile as the crow would fly. which i suppose works as 5 mile there and back.
I later made a meeting with him where he supplied me with two books Forgotten Worcester and Worcester Remembered by H A Leicester. he also gave me the locations where by I may enter the tunnels.
The Guild Hall
A Tattoo shop by Castle Walls Road
The Cathedral
Malpas Stallard (wine shop)
He also told me to visit the Guild Hall visitor centre as they could possibly give me some further information.
The Guild Hall has cells under the building itself. Speaking to the visitor centre advisor he said that the cells used to join up to the tunnels as they were used as access to the river to gain supplies, but these where now blocked off and filled with cerment.
The Tattoo shop was very interesting, in a tight small cellar they have access to one of the last remaining turrets in Worcester they had originally been in a shop further down which was now a beauty spa which had access to the tunnels. The owner of the shop allowed me to enter this tight space and film. I later visited their old shop but their tunnel had been filled in with concrete.
The Cathedral has a Cript under the building itself which did used to have tunnels I am yet to visit the cathedral but this will be one of my next steps.
Malpas Stallard has tunnels under the building which is used as their wine store the owner allowed me to see the plans of the cellar/tunnels but would not allow me in as he ‘had to be carful not to allow people in who may be competitors.’ he was also alone. He also would not allow me to take an image of the plans of his tunnels. which was a shame and ended up being a bit of a dead end.
During my day one experience i filmed and asked the public 4 questions to get some leads.
- Do you know of any urban legends in worcester?
- Have you heard of the tunnels under the city?
- what do you think happened in them?
- What do you think happens in them now?
From the first and second questions I gained a few leads worth taking up.
- Norton barracks tunnel to Cathedral (which I had heard of)
- ST Peters church in Littleworth
- Wine shop on fish street (Malpas Stallard)
- Friar Street
- White Ladies Pub
- Tunnels on Malvern Hills
- Talbot in Barbourn (possible pub?)
- Whitley court tunnel to Cathedral
The third and fourth questions gave me a few sources to consider but were not so helpful some people were not from worcester but others said.
- Nothing
- Ghosts
- Filled in with Cement
- Used to transfer goods from river to city and/or cathedral
- to escape
I filmed these episodes at times as I will be making a Documentary in view to making a film.
Images taken from the filming thus far.
