The Tunnels of Hertford

The article

Hertford Castle

Bayley Hall

Shire Hall

Bluecoats

Tunnels

Freemasons

Conspiracy

The Tunnels of Hertford - Part One (parts two, three, four)

 

Stories of secret underground passages do have some past echoes. This is from the final paragraph of Lewis Turnor’s History of the Ancient Town and Borough of Hertford dated 1830: ‘The vaults and subterranean passages, under the castle, still remain, and have given rise to a great deal of idle tradition’.

 

From H C Andrews The Chronicles of Hertford Castle (1947). ‘Tradition tells of an underground passage from the Castle to Queens Hill (by the side of All Saints Church on the opposite side of Gascoyne Way). Possible but unlikely that the Castle had some secret exit and no trace of it has ever been found’. These books are out of print but try AbeBooks - for used, rare and out-of-print books.

 

On a piece of land on the southern edges bordering Castle Street thought to be the outer moat an ice-house (see top left) was constructed in the late eighteenth century by the Marquess of Downshire. This was for the storage of ice which was collected during the winter and stored during the summer. This is connected to the castle by a subterranean passage and is the only such passage thought to be extant.

 

The idea of underground passages may have also gained credence from the knowledge that Hertford Castle housed a prison. The town gaol was in its grounds for the Asszies and courts were held in the castle itself. In 1225 orders were given for another gaol to be constructed in the town in addition to that at the castle.

 

The main dungeon would have been beneath the gatehouse, at the entrance to the castle grounds but inside the double moat. However in the 1530’s Henry V111 rebuilt the gatehouse on the foundations of the old one. The structure has not changed since that time and if there was a dungeon accessible by stairs or underground passageway it has long since been crushed.

 

Terminal damage might also have occurred in 1798 when the Marquess of Downshire blew up the twin towers with Dynamite.

 

The gatehouse is the only remaining evidence of a once important castle; the bailey or courtyards have been totally overgrown by lawn as a modern day photo demonstrates.

 

If tunnels ever existed under Hertford Castle there is no modern evidence for them, nor would they lead anywhere.

 

The story of the tunnel leading to Queens Hill mentioned above may or may not have credence but any trace of its existence would have been obliterated in 1963 when Gascoyne Way was driven through the centre of Hertford, destroying buildings, roads and the memory of a quiet market town in its wake.

 

The full essay with extra material and photos in eBook format: The Tunnels of Hertford.

 

Previous ... Bluecoats and Fore Street

Next ... The Tunnels Part Two

            The Ice-House

 

           The front lawn