Williamson's Tunnels Heritage Centre
Williamson's Tunnels Heritage Centre
In the early 19th century Joseph Williamson (1769-1840), a Liverpool businessman known as the Mole of Edge Hill, paid for a vast network of tunnels to be constructed, probably to provide employment for the poor of the area.
Opened in 2002 the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre has welcomed over 100,000 visitors into the fascinating underground world created beneath the streets of the Edge Hill district of Liverpool by Joseph Williamson, a wealthy tobacco merchant who employed many hundreds of men in the construction of a huge and elaborate underground labyrinth of tunnels, chambers and passageways. Their full extent remains unknown as they are still undergoing excavation and restoration, but are open to the public.
Visitors to the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre can take a guided tour through a section of the network of tunnels and view exhibits and displays which depict the life and times of one of Liverpool's most eccentric characters.