Search results
Joseph Williamson (10 March 1769 – 1 May 1840) was an eccentric English businessman, philanthropist and property owner who is best known for the Williamson Tunnels, which were constructed under his direction in the Edge Hill area of Liverpool, England.
They are thought to have been created under the direction of tobacco merchant, landowner and philanthropist Joseph Williamson between 1810 and 1840. Although popularly described as "tunnels", the majority comprise brick or stone vaulting over excavations in the underlying sandstone.
Joseph Williamson was born on 10th March 1769. His place of birth is not definitely proven, but is widely believed to be Warrington. There is virtually no information on his early years bar the claim that he left his family home aged 11 and went to Liverpool to seek employment.
Who was Joseph Williamson? A wealthy tobacco merchant, Joseph Williamson employed local men to dig out the network of tunnels in the Edge Hill district of Liverpool in the early 19th Century.
The Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre provides an insight into the fascinating underground world created by Joseph Williamson in the early 19th Century. Take a guided tour through a section of the network of tunnels and view exhibitions which depict the life and times of one of Liverpool's most eccentric characters.
May 3, 2011 · Joseph Williamson’s Tunnels are the maze-like remains of excavations under Edge Hill. They are the work of Joseph Williamson under the streets of east central Liverpool, constructed in the early part of the 19th Century. Williamson had bought land on Mason Street on which to build houses.
Sep 3, 2015 · The patron of the tunnels, tobacco merchant Joseph Williamson, was extraordinarily secretive about their purpose. Even today, no one is sure exactly what they were used for.
