Tunnels under Newbury?, Tell us what you think Options

[Mark NWN]

Hello everybody, we have run two stories on the possibility of tunnels under Newbury following Mr Allen's questions, and have had a lot of feedback, everyone seems to have a different tale to tell and they have all been great fun to read.

Are there tunnels under Newbury?

People get in touch

I hope to put together another story next week, with your help, I thought I would throw it open to the forum to see if anyone here had heard any legends of tunnels running under the town.

As always you can email me any time mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk

Mark

[dannyboy]

The contractors filled it in, but it was a brick-lined tunnel.

I do hope they got planning permission.

Newbury was a Royalist Strong Hold in the English Civil War in the 1640s, and the Parliamentarians besieged the town and two battles took part in and around Newbury,” he said.
He said tunnels linking the town hall to the Corn Exchange and St Nicolas Church may have been hiding places for battle weary soldiers.

Err, when was the Corn Exchange built?

[Iommi]

If I wanted to build a secret tunnel system, I guess one that links the most prominent buildings in the town wouldn't be my first choice of location.

[Mark NWN]

The contractors filled it in, but it was a brick-lined tunnel.

I do hope they got planning permission.

Newbury was a Royalist Strong Hold in the English Civil War in the 1640s, and the Parliamentarians besieged the town and two battles took part in and around Newbury,” he said.
He said tunnels linking the town hall to the Corn Exchange and St Nicolas Church may have been hiding places for battle weary soldiers.

Err, when was the Corn Exchange built?

I think he was saying the buildings came later and are just reference points you can use to picture a series of tunnels or passageways underground in that area, not that they actually attach the rooms underneath the buildings.

Of course, it is just a bit of fun, so feel free to poke holes wherever you see fit.

[dannyboy]

I think he was saying the buildings came later and are just reference points you can use to picture a series of tunnels or passageways underground in that area, not that they actually attach the rooms underneath the buildings.

Of course, it is just a bit of fun, so feel free to poke holes wherever you see fit.

Poke Holes - Haha, good one!

[blackdog]

The contractors filled it in, but it was a brick-lined tunnel.

I do hope they got planning permission.

Newbury was a Royalist Strong Hold in the English Civil War in the 1640s, and the Parliamentarians besieged the town and two battles took part in and around Newbury,” he said.
He said tunnels linking the town hall to the Corn Exchange and St Nicolas Church may have been hiding places for battle weary soldiers.

Err, when was the Corn Exchange built?

And Newbury wasn't a Royalist stronghold in the Civil War, quite the contrary, the majority were Parliamentarians. Nor was Newbury besieged by anyone. Nor would battle weary soldiers have needed hiding places - the two battles were both one day affairs following which one side legged it away from the scene as quickly as they could.

All the talk seems to be about brick-built or brick-lined structures - it is unlikely that bricks would be used in this way in Civil War times, they did not become common-place until after that time. In the C16th and C17th bricks were only used on the very best new buildings eg Shaw House or Cowslade's house in Northbrook St (now part of Camp Hopson's).

The Corn Exchange was built about 20 years before the Town Hall and 50 years before the Town Hall offices along Mansion House Street.

“If, after the tunnels were built, traction engines were stopped because of their weight, then the date of the prohibition might give a clue to when the tunnels were built,”
If there were tunnels they would predate traction engines by many years - traction engines were more likely to be banned because of damage to the road surface or because they were hitting the Mansion House as they tried to turn into the street. The Mansion House was demolished in 1908 to allow the street to be widened.

dungeons under the town hall which were used detain prisoners up for trial at a court in Newbury, and that shackles could still be seen on the walls

I think there was a holding cell or two but not dungeons - the town gaol was elsewhere.

Market Place may have sat on top of a number of large grain stores
It's possible I suppose, but they would have been pretty inconvenient and susceptible to damp and rats. However what makes this unlikely is the lack of any documentary evidence that they existed - anything like that would have generated rents, rates etc and would have been spotted by one the many local historians who, over the years, have been through the municipal records.

[Simon Kirby]

A vacuous network of masonry propping up the town council? Who'd have thought.

[Biker1]

A vacuous network of masonry propping up the town council? Who'd have thought.

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Well if there are tunnels we'd better dig the town up for 5 years and make sure they are filled in. That would make nice change.....

[NWNREADER]

A vacuous network of masonry propping up the town council? Who'd have thought.

Do you think the price for building them was so low it was more or less free masonry?

[Darren]

I blame the Mole People.

[user23]

Looks like we can forget the Newbury Mono-Rail and start on an underground system.

[Cognosco]

Looks like we can forget the Newbury Mono-Rail and start on an underground system.

Perhaps it is a modern day Guy Fawkes? Not happy with the town council? Did I see you buying a new shovel the other day SK?

[Simon Kirby]

Perhaps it is a modern day Guy Fawkes? Not happy with the town council? Did I see you buying a new shovel the other day SK?

Hardly. Guy Fawkes had co-conspiritors.

[Turin Machine]

Now here a thought, flood em and you've got somewhere to put your Hydro electric scheme, central, won,t destroy the view, can't get vandalised, perfect !!

[Bofem]

Tunnels under Newbury?

Captain Von Luger: These men have been most successful. This man, Sgt Iommi for example. Caught in the Kennet & Avon, escaped, recaptured, escaped, recaptured. Col. NWN Reader: 11 escape attempts. He even tried to jump out of the truck coming here. Kirby, Simon: known to have participated in the digging of 11 escape tunnels. Flight Lieutenant Biker: four escape attempts. Renshaw: nine, Rosewinelover: five, dannyboy: four, Cognosco: seven. The list is almost endless. One man here has made 17 attempted escapes. Group Captain, this is close to insanity.

Group Capt. Ramsey: Quite.

Col. Von Luger: And it must stop!

[Roost]

They're not tunnels, they're giant rat-holes............

[HJD]

Tunnels under Newbury?

Captain Von Luger: These men have been most successful. This man, Sgt Iommi for example. Caught in the Kennet & Avon, escaped, recaptured, escaped, recaptured. Col. NWN Reader: 11 escape attempts. He even tried to jump out of the truck coming here. Kirby, Simon: known to have participated in the digging of 11 escape tunnels. Flight Lieutenant Biker: four escape attempts. Renshaw: nine, Rosewinelover: five, dannyboy: four, Cognosco: seven. The list is almost endless. One man here has made 17 attempted escapes. Group Captain, this is close to insanity.

Group Capt. Ramsey: Quite.

Col. Von Luger: And it must stop!

It has also been noticed that not one attempt at escape has been made by Spokesman user23, he is obviously an informer who works for the other side.

[Cognosco]

They're not tunnels, they're giant rat-holes............

No they are anti flack shelters? For when the NTC get too many complaints, more than usual that is, they hide down their until the nasty plebs have gone away and then continue as normal!!!

[JeffG]

This is probably where they came from...