These are two short railway tunnels taking lines which branched off from the main Birkenhead line to ferry terminals on the Mersey at Woodside and Monks Ferry.
The line to Monks Ferry was single track and operated from 1844 to 1961 with a tunnel of 463 yards.
It was replaced by a double track line to Woodside, a bit further up the coast, which operated from 1878 to1967 and had a tunnel 880 yards long, mostly running under Chester Street.
These days the tunnels start at the edge of a patch of waste ground and only extend a couple of hundred yards (green bars on the map) - it’s not known if the tunnels carry on beyond the walls at the ends.
I looked at these a few months ago because, unusually, both happened to be open at the same time.
The Woodside one got locked again but now seems to have reopened - it’s being reported now so any locals who haven’t seen them might want to investigate before it gets locked again.
Not that there’s much to see - both tunnels have been partially backfilled with building waste, probably from the sidings buildings that used to occupy the wasteland.
There are already several reports for one or other (in one case both) of the tunnels.
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...on-tunnels-monks-and-woodside-sept-16.105480/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/monks-tunnels-birkenhead-april-2013.80163/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/birkenhead-town-railway-station-tunnels-march-2013.79472/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/monks-ferry-rail-tunnel-birkenhead-jan-2012.68272/
The tunnels can be conveniently be done as part of the Dock Branch railway stroll.
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/birkenhead-railway-stroll-liverpool-feb-2017.112018/
Heading across the wasteland under flyovers to the entrances, Monks Ferry on the right, Woodside on the left.
The Woodside one first - this has been backfilled almost to the ceiling so you are walking near the roof, with the sound of cars on the approach to the Queensferry tunnel above.
The top of a refuge.
Someone’s been digging...
The tunnel emerges into a triangular cutting…
…which is behind the fence at the back of what is now a carpark and drive-in cinema (there’s nothing left of the original Woodside station).
The Monks Ferry one is not quite as full of rubble.
It ends in a shaft which comes up in an office carpark.
Like Woodside, there’s nothing left of the station except some sandstone walls.
The view back to civilisation from the Monks Ferry slipway.
The line to Monks Ferry was single track and operated from 1844 to 1961 with a tunnel of 463 yards.
It was replaced by a double track line to Woodside, a bit further up the coast, which operated from 1878 to1967 and had a tunnel 880 yards long, mostly running under Chester Street.
These days the tunnels start at the edge of a patch of waste ground and only extend a couple of hundred yards (green bars on the map) - it’s not known if the tunnels carry on beyond the walls at the ends.
I looked at these a few months ago because, unusually, both happened to be open at the same time.
The Woodside one got locked again but now seems to have reopened - it’s being reported now so any locals who haven’t seen them might want to investigate before it gets locked again.
Not that there’s much to see - both tunnels have been partially backfilled with building waste, probably from the sidings buildings that used to occupy the wasteland.
There are already several reports for one or other (in one case both) of the tunnels.
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...on-tunnels-monks-and-woodside-sept-16.105480/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/monks-tunnels-birkenhead-april-2013.80163/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/birkenhead-town-railway-station-tunnels-march-2013.79472/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/monks-ferry-rail-tunnel-birkenhead-jan-2012.68272/
The tunnels can be conveniently be done as part of the Dock Branch railway stroll.
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/birkenhead-railway-stroll-liverpool-feb-2017.112018/
Heading across the wasteland under flyovers to the entrances, Monks Ferry on the right, Woodside on the left.
The Woodside one first - this has been backfilled almost to the ceiling so you are walking near the roof, with the sound of cars on the approach to the Queensferry tunnel above.
The top of a refuge.
Someone’s been digging...
The tunnel emerges into a triangular cutting…
…which is behind the fence at the back of what is now a carpark and drive-in cinema (there’s nothing left of the original Woodside station).
The Monks Ferry one is not quite as full of rubble.
It ends in a shaft which comes up in an office carpark.
Like Woodside, there’s nothing left of the station except some sandstone walls.
The view back to civilisation from the Monks Ferry slipway.
