The Williamson Tunnels are a labyrinth of tunnels in the Edge Hill area of Liverpool which were built under the direction of the eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson between 1810 and 1840. They remained derelict, filled with rubble and refuse, until archaeological investigations were carried out in 1995. Since then excavations have been carried out and part of the labyrinth of tunnels has been opened to the public as a heritage centre.
The tunnels are in an area to the east of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in a rectangle bordered by Mason Street, Grinfield Street, Smithdown Lane and Paddington. Their full extent is not known and many of them are still blocked by rubble. They vary in size from the "banqueting hall", which is about 70 feet (21 m) long, between 20 feet (6 m) and 25 feet (8 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) high, while the smaller tunnels are 4 feet (1 m) wide and 6 feet (2 m) high.
The reasons for building the tunnels have been widely discussed. According to Stonehouse, Williamson was secretive about his motives. This has led to speculation that he was a member of an extremist religious sect fearing that the end of the world was near and that the tunnels were built to provide refuge for himself and his friends, though Williamson was a practising member of the Church of England. Williamson's own explanation was reputed to be that his workers "all received a weekly wage and were thus enabled to enjoy the blessing of charity without the attendant curse of stifled self respect", his prime motive being "the employment of the poor".
The Maze:
- The maze has forty dead ends.
- There is only one way out of the maze.
- There are only left, right, straight on and turn around and go back choices. With each click, you move one square forward (ie. you never stay on the same square).
- If you bookmark, you must remember which way you were facing at the time.
- There are no loops in the design of the maze.
- The exact physical location of the cache will only be revealed by entering the correct maze coordinates into the checker.
Click the maze image to enter the tunnels.
Thanks to RedFerret for the original idea.