Knights Templar, Tunnels

and the Holy Grail in Hertford

A hoax

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At a secret location in the town, Tim Acheson declared: “We are now prepared to reveal a secret we feel the people of Hertford should be made aware of. There is an extensive labyrinth right under their feet.

“We are talking here about a largely unknown, indeed mostly secret, ancient underground network that stretches beneath the town’s main street and extends to Fore Street, Market Square, Parliament Square, Hertford Castle, Church Street, Bluecoats, Priory Street — and in fact many, many other places.

“It reaches beneath well-known central Hertford locations, including the tourist office, the Castle, Monsoon, Threshers, the post office, Bayley Hall, and the council offices, both within the Castle and in County Hall.”

The Mercury was able to verify that one of these passages once connected Shire Hall, now home to Hertford Magistrates’ Court, to the Salisbury Arms in Fore Street. Mercury photographer Mike Poultney was there the day it was sealed 25 years ago

The Mercury has uncovered an old map showing a tunnel running from Bailey Hall, which was said to run to what is now Lussmans restaurant in Fore Street, where another secret society met. We have also found blocked entrances to tunnels in Threshers in Fore Street and in the tourist office.

The medieval story of the secret tunnels beneath Hertford has surprisingly modern origins.

Many people were first aware of this phenomenon in an article written by Raymond Brown published in Hertfordshire Mercury on 8th October 2004.

The story sounds very plausible but do the facts substantiate the claims. This essay will shake those foundations and reveal a different truth - maybe the story is a big hoax.

The article is quoted on the right.

Ben said: “All the sections of the secret Templar labyrinth were once linked. Here are the parts that I can tell you about. Fore Street was once the hub of the only part of the network that you know about. No 42 Fore Street was once linked to numerous chambers beneath Fore Street. It is still linked, via a passage recently blocked by the previous owners of 42 Fore Street, reaching to Bailey Hall and beyond. 

Ben Acheson is referring to the Knights Templar. Much has been written of this order of late but in summary they were an international military order, a society of warrior monks formed during the crusades in 1178. They are traditionally thought as being the Keepers of the Grail and the Ark of the Covenant, growing in power and wealth, creating the first ever banking system and inventing the biscuit.

In 1307 King Philip arrested all the Templars in France although some escaped to England. In 1312 the Pope rounded up all the Templars and after accusing them of heresy, tortured them and put many to death on October 13th of that year.

From that time it is believed that the order became an even more closed and secret society, meeting in underground tunnels and passages where they hid their vast fortunes.

Tim Acheson and his twin brother Ben believe that a branch of this secret society is still active in Hertford and that their predecessors built and maintained the tunnels beneath Hertford.

There are three locations in Hertford that act as the main stations for the intersecting tunnel network beneath the streets. These are Hertford Castle, Bayley Hall and Shire Hall. There are also a number of other buildings that play a minor part in connecting the network.

The following four pages offer a brief history of each location. If you prefer you can skip the history lesson and jump straight to the mystery.