I did some work years ago in Ferensway House, where Debenhams is and the old caretaker there said there were some tunnels going across to Paragon Stn from there and other places........He did look a bit like the old janitor out of scooby doo too
OLM there is a famous tunnel tour in the US that goes through the Shangahi Tunnels in Portland. You could probably model it after that if you set it up right. http://www.portlandwalkingtours.com/tours/underground-portland-shanghai-tunnels-tour/ This is a terrible video but you get the idea [video=youtube;Rsel6H6ntbc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsel6H6ntbc[/video]
I'm certain the Sailmakers Arms one exists though - my mates missus used to own it and I had been meaning to go check it out. A former Hullensian who had emigrated told me about it online, saying he'd been down it himself. Apparently you access is via the blocked up gate in the courtyard - how true it is, I'm not sure - completely forgot to go check it out before she left. This person has 4 pics on his Flickr from the Paragon St tunnels: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funky77/with/3786666922/ Also, this 'Ghost Chasers' website shows 2 pics and claims Queen Victoria did use it: http://www.ghostchasers.co.uk/hull_paranormal_station.html interesting stuff.
My grandfather and his brothers worked at Hammonds and he told of a plan to have a tunnel/underpass directly from paragon station under ferensway into the store. Sounds like this may have been an extension to those mentioned. Think the store got bombed or had a fire resulting in a rebuild and the plan didn't come off. All these tunnels seem remarkable given the problem encountered a few years ago when the high tech drilling machine wsd lost under the Marina when they were digging out the large west east sewer.
There is a tunnel under Hepworth’s Arcade we fitted reinforcing steelwork to support the floor when it was beeing refurbished a few years back, access to the tunnel is by covers in the floor and by a staircase in the café in the corner, the tunnel runs toward the river Hull. Also when we were working in the old Grammar School and Fish Street School in Market place the builders discovered old cells that extended under market place, unfortunately they blocked them off and pumped concrete into the void. As to the public visiting the tunnels scattered around the town with the modern day health and safety any thing below ground level needs breathing apparatus.
Not a tunnel as such but the old Halifax Building Society office on George Street had a series of rooms under it which ran out under George Street itself. I was told they were used in the war for both protection and also to bring people who had suffered from gas inhalation to recover. There was a series of pipes running through the rooms where fresh air would be pumped or flow in naturally to help them. One of the rooms was used as the strong room and had an automatic pump kicking in quite often to get rid of the excess water when the tides were high and the water table had risen. I had also heard about the tunnels under the Black Boy leading to St Mary's in Lowgate and also to the river (not sure how true it is but probably is correct). Again, not sure about this but I was once told that a tunnel existed from the Springhead Golf Club building (or perhaps the original building) ran to the Old Hall in Pryme Street Anlaby. There again, when I was told this I was young so it's possibly utter bollocks! Fascinating thread OLM.
Anyone know of a restaurant called Powolnys? It was at the end of what is now Paragon Street (at Victoria Square end). It was bombed with a lot of people sheltering in the basement. Could it be part of the tunnel web? Anyone got pics of it - it was a corner building with a domed point? [Edit:https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=v...N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=Ry3CUdn1OuKJ0AXEsoD4Ag Pic 8 - before the bombing; Pic 4 - after the bombing. 14 and 17 also.]
