Liverpool’s Williamson Tunnels to stay open after £23k raised

An under-threat heritage centre dedicated to preserving a mysterious labyrinth of tunnels in Liverpool has raised cash to help secure its future after its rent was unexpectedly hiked up.

The city’s Williamson Tunnels were built in the early 19th century for eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson and rediscovered by volunteers in the 1990s before opening to the public in 2002.

But last week, the Joseph Williamson Society, which manages access to the tunnels, revealed its annual ground rent was set to rise from a nominal fee to a commercial rate of £20,000 which was completely “beyond the means” of the charity.

Manager David Bridson said the society now had “breathing space” after a fund-raising campaign gathered £23,000 – more than enough to pay for a further 12 months.

The charity now wants to raise £275,000 to buy the freehold outright and secure its future.

“We are over the first financial hurdle,” Mr Bridson said.

“We’ve got some security for 12 months which hopefully gives us the time to raise the money to purchase the freehold.

“In the long term, the only way to ensure that the centre continues is to purchase the freehold on the site so we need to keep up the fundraising effort and try to reach the £275,000 asking price.”

The history of the tunnels is surrounded in mystery. Joseph Williamson was a rich tobacco merchant who lived in Liverpool in the early 19th century.

When he retired at 49 he spent a huge part of his fortune building tunnels in the Edge Hill district of Liverpool.

There are many theories surrounding why the tunnels were built, from simply a way of giving unemployed people a day’s wages to creating arches over existing quarry pits to enable land above to be built on.

Other suggestions include that they were originally created by the Knights Templar, due to their chapel-like structures, or they were a huge shelter to escape an oncoming disaster. Nobody knows for certain.

After Williamson died in 1840, work on the tunnels stopped and they fell into disrepair. And, after being used as rubbish dumps, the local authority filled them in during the 1860s.

In the 1990s, a group of volunteers set about excavating the tunnels and the Joseph Williamson Society was created.