Four men were killed and the locomotive was trapped inside the tunnel. Either side of the barrack block were single storey rooms and a stable. Ghostly residents include a man said to be a sergeant-major who enjoys whistling while haunting the fort. Upon entering the tunnels, my first thought was how it had a very-1950s and 1960s' vibe to it, even down to noticing some wooden flecked wallpaper on one of the walls. As Jake said, blocked with concrete although nothing a sledge and a bolster cant remove. Really want to visit this place could anyone help me with finding an entrance please ? would welcome any contributions that would conclusively prove it Apparently fire fighting was halted in order to not draw attention to the importance of the area. This web publication contains 152,464 pages of information and 237,139 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them. Where? OBSCURED Another tunnel entrance now lost in the undergrowth on the slopes of Portsdown Hill When the air raid sirens sounded, people would flee their homes for the night and make their way. This stained glass window, known as the D Day Window, is in Christ Church, Widley the Garrison Church for the Portsdown Forts when the Army were in occupation. Used by a charitable trust as an outdoor activities centre. Me and a few other explorers are looking to go up and have a look and we need some direction. Driver's Guide ( mobile version) This Portsdown Hill is a great place for seeing the views of the City of Portsmouth, picnics, and dog walking. Where is this entrance. there is supposed to be a priests hole. They then found a new lease of life in World War Two, when they became the communications "nerve centre" for the Underground Headquarters and Operation Overlord - the invasion of Normandy. Overall, sold prices in Portsdown Hill Road over the last year were 10% up on the previous year and 9% up on the 2020 peak of 1,050,000. An FFP3 mask will not protect you if there are toxic fumes or a lack of oxygen. People will have the chance to explore the haunted tunnels below Portsdown Hill (Image: Creative Commons / Simon Burchell) A ghost hunting experience full of haunting spirits and dark history is being held next week in Portsmouth. On October 2nd, 1925 the tunnel unexpectedly collapsed as a work train was passing through. Theres now a way in was there 13/09/2020. Hi can you tell me where the other entrance is please You can see that secondary tunnel branching off, and the ventilation aspects in the photo below. to the Sea Forts in the Solent. Suggest edits to improve what we show. Its completely sealed up. | Also please be aware this site is actually fairly dangerous once inside please if anyone is going you MUST wear protective clothing and footwear and be cautious. During World War 2 it housed the Royal Engineers and a bomb disposal headquarters. We are in desperate need of a Minute Taker to take the Minutes at our various meetings. The cross was carved as a memorial to one of their colleagues who was killed during a roof collapse. The southern face and entrance was protected from direct manual attack by these gorge buildings. Portsdown There was an old article in the World's News (Sydney) - Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. Danramsden@live.co.uk if wanna email me instead. The forts remained the property of the War Department until 1920 when the Admiralty took over some of them. Since then the fence holes have been addressed. Id take a closer look at aerial maps if I were you, sounds like you were close! THE EARLY HISTORY. Gaz M. You have found one of the entrance tunnels to the fuel bunker. Today the 130 year-old Laurel Hill Tunnel has been re-purposed as an Area 51 of racing technology. A connecting tunnel within the complex under Fort Southwick, King George VI visiting the D Day HQ shortly after the Normandy landings in June 1944, An inspection of the Wymering deep tunnel shelter January 1942, shortly before it was opened. Found the entrances on the south slope, all sealed up. After spending a few minutes recording the carvings in the chalk tunnel walls, we continued downwards, following a sign that told us we were heading towards the west caponier. I can confirm the entrance is blocked with a full wall of concrete. Hope you all understand !!!! This The Portsmouth Papers, published by Portsmouth City Council. true local legends. Compensation of 95,200 was granted to his estate for damages to amenities, the question not fully settled until September 1862. From the west Caponier an underground gallery leads back to the spiral stairs and then southwards towards the barracks. The Fareham side is classified C371. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. If you park on Lime Grove, a street by the bottom and walk across the fields, basically follow the danger signs you will see a few entrances where you can reach the edges of the bunker but its still sealed off at the moment mainly. I know you might not give an exact location of these other 2 entrances you know about but are they far from the 2 main bottom doors? The walls are approximately 1'-9" thick and extend 12 feet . After finding the site about "Portsdown Tunnels", I found The caponier room was much warmer than the chalk tunnel we had emerged from. Portsmouth. Portchester Castle and Wymering Manor (which the ghost of Reckless Reggie domed feature which looks suspiciously like the roof of a vaulted tunnel. I would be very grateful. Portsdown. There is still a way in? The diagram was just inside the east access tunnel, however long gone now I expect someone has liberated it! 3 RD left, left. For more information, contact Fine and . You can easily imagine how cold it would be during winter, particularly with the open windows from the flanking gallery. Sorry to be blunt but thats all there is to it! Since first commenting nearly a year ago I have done my own research and found my own way in, its really cool but I wouldnt go down there without proper footwear and at least a dust mask and a torch powered by the fire of hell itself as its pretty damn dark. bayley2828@icloud.com, Is there still a way in thats all I need to know. Box Tunnel passes through Box Hill on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Bath and Chippenham.The 1.83-mile (2.95 km) tunnel was the world's longest railway tunnel when it was completed in 1841. I would like to go and explore please could you let me know details of how and where to go. wrong. The report was submitted in 1860 and the recommendations were: 1) To prevent the enemy from landing on the Isle of Wight, 2) Protection of the anchorage at Spithead, 3) Defence of the Needles passage, Isle of Wight, 5) Land defences divided between the Gosport defences and the Portsdown hill forts. Nearest MRT: Kranji. Eyeing down on Eastney. Open year round (1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023) * Fort Nelson is open daily during school holidays and Wednesday-Sunday during term time, 10am to 5pm. Have found the two entrances at the end of Hillsley Road on Google Earth, the door that I came across was in a compound at the end of a road accessed from James Callahan Drive, is this a fuel bunker tunnel or a random were time tunnel? Just found a possible way in, requires some climbing though! During the 1930s a vast underground storage facility was dug deep in to Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth, capable of holding up to around 180,000 tons of oil in 9 concrete storage tanks, each 35ft high. Scott any chance to can get in touch? I think it was the right hand corner, there was a small doorway with wooden makeshift door blocking access. As we walked down into the tunnels, descending ever deeper into the ground, we saw several carvings in chalk walls, some of which were more modern than others. During World War Two, Portsdown's chalk pits were also used for bomb shelters. Image of cow and pillbox taken at Taddiford Gap in Hampshire by Mel Port. Pennsylvania Turnpike after open, circa 1940s. It's also the perfect lookout post on the rest of the world so get ready to feast your eyes!'. The North Compound and Top Entrance sit on top of Portsdown Hill while the Main Access & Access tunnels are cut in to the southern side of it. The Victorian era troops would have needed a source of warmth. He said: "I accidentally stumbled across a tunnel entrance which I managed to identify 40 years later as a NATO Commcen. Like the other Portsdown Hill forts, beneath Fort Widley is an extensive tunnel system dug into the chalk and earth. Today a small depression Portsmouth has so many famous landmarks and places to visit above ground - but you might not know about the world of intrigue and history beneath the city. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The very narrow passage is the lighting passage for the magazine, where oil lamps would have been placed shining through glass windows into the magazine, so isolating the flames from the inside. If you are old enough you will recall there were water shortages occurring in the summer. It is running north The tunnels beneath Fort Widley do have an atmosphere to them. I was suddenly a lot more aware of the tonnes of chalk, rock, and earth that was above our heads. We went down last Sunday and no way in. Built between December 1838 and June 1841 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) under the direction of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the straight tunnel descends on a 1 in 100 gradient from its eastern . Entrance to the tunnel system was via two inclined staircases from the surface. The slopes are home to impressive shows of wildlife that can be explored through miles of paths. As an electrical Properties sold Filter: This area only All years In fact, the Portsdown Tunnels play such a significant role that Portsmouth became an important target for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Roundabout ahead, roundabout left 1 st exit. Learn how your comment data is processed. Important, noteworthy & interesting comments are highlighted below. At Hilsea Lines the moat was widened and walls strengthened. Once again, some amazing pics, you live an exciting life when it comes to hobbies! The wrought iron bridges have been repaired with . Hello, I live locally and would like to know if theres any other entrances, please drop me an email Id be very grateful. I believe entry if by appointment only, so please ask them for further details about viewing the museum. I mean theres only two that can be humanly opened. How would I go about getting in here please? Fabulous picnic spot! The third access around 280metres north of the portals looked to still be blocked but didnt actually try it. chalkpit, chalk pit. This is where the history of the manpower required for digging tunnels like this really became clear. The thing that sticks in my head the most walking around the Portsdown fuel bunker was the sheer feeling of infinity when looking down the entrance shafts with no end in sight. Both South entrances are still very much sealed with the doors welded closed and RSJs welded to the doors. It is in fact a firing step used for rifle on iOS, Android & AppGallery. The Naval Fuel Bunker is not a hard place to find. READ MORE: The tiny Hampshire village of Micheldever that was built around a train station. chalk walls of the tunnel, it seemed as if we had walked a fair distance These notions are not true, except for the fact that they are true local legends. there) . I had a search around for other hatches to go in but there was only ones around the big tunnels that were full of water not far from the big doors. But when I was in my teens, some friends and I decided to There was also signage describing one of the lower level rooms as a flanking gallery. Portsdown Hill is a chalk ridge that overlooks Portsmouth and provides a stunning viewpoint over the city, the harbours and Read More Opening Times Access Information PARKING I have no idea how much The Calshot Air Crash Chronicles: Fatal Accidents (1914 to 1951). 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