Latest news with #PortDinorwicMarina
The Sun
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Pub owner stunned to discover secret underground tunnel running below UK village after knocking down wall of boozer
A PUB owner was left stunned after uncovering a secret underground tunnel beneath a UK village — hidden behind a wall in the boozer. Robert Bennet, the owner of the pub, was shocked when he discovered a network of tunnels behind one of his boozer's walls. 3 3 3 His findings have raised questions about the tunnel's ownership and thrown a wrench into his ambitious expansion plans. Robert bought Port Dinorwic Marina in T Felinheli, Wales, last year after it went into administration. His purchase included a number of buildings, including a restaurant named La Marina - which he renamed to Yr Heulyn. As work began to renovate the pub, Rob became curious about the mysterious plasterboard at the back of the pub. He had heard of a secret tunnel before and had a strange feeling that the passageway could be on the other side of the wall. After knocking through the plasterboard, a worker stepped through the hole into a mysterious tunnel. Opening up about the shocking discovery, Rob said: "There was a plaster wall at the back of the pub that had been built by the last owners but we didn't know the tunnel was behind it. "But I knew of the tunnel's existence and I could see a curved buttress at the rear of the pub. "We decided to knock through the plaster wall, initially just a small hole and we could see rooms behind it. We sent someone in and later enlarged the hole so we could go through. "We found that a previous owner had used part of the tunnel as storage, there were thousands of empty bottles in there. 'The most recent date on one of the bottles was 2003 was we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We've no idea why it was blocked up." Now, Rob wants to open up the tunnel to the public and hopes to incorporate it into his pub experience. The pub owner says that he is considering transforming the space into a speakeasy. However, first, he needs to establish who actually owns the network of passages since his deed to the pub ends at his establishment's walls. The passage is part of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel, which was built in 1842 and connected Port Dinorwic and Penscoins. Originally, the tunnel was used to move slate but later was used to transport workers. However, the tunnel was abruptly closed in 1961, shortly before the closure of the Dinorwic quarry. The news comes after plans to construct a 'Welsh tube' were announced. The £1 billion project will feature a tap-in, tape-out system - like the London Underground - and will stretch across South East Wales.
Wales Online
20 hours ago
- General
- Wales Online
Pub owner knocked through wall and found 'lost tunnel' under Welsh village
Pub owner knocked through wall and found 'lost tunnel' under Welsh village He now has big plans for the tunnel - although he faces hurdles The owner of a marina pub made an unexpected discovery when he knocked down a plaster wall to find a "hidden tunnel" beneath a village in Gwynedd. Following the Waterside Consortium's acquisition of Port Dinorwic Marina in Y Felinheli in spring last year, it was decided to refurbish several buildings, one of which was the former La Marina eatery that has now been converted into a pub named Yr Heulyn. The site's renovation sparked an interest in what was behind a plasterboard wall at the back of the premises. Aware of the existence of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel, an old railway line that transported slate from Llanberis quarries to the waterside, Robert Bennett was curious as to whether it was connected to their location. Upon investigating further, a small hole was initially made in the wall, followed by a worker inspecting it closer. A restricted storage space was initially discovered, and after forcing open an entrance to a more spacious area, an ample storage space containing bottles was found at the base of the old tunnel. Article continues below The bottom of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel which had been used as a bottle store An expert in historic tunnels was then invited for an inspection, reports North Wales Live. Rob said: "There was a plaster wall at the back of the pub that had been built by the last owners but we didn't know the tunnel was behind it. "But I knew of the tunnel's existence and I could see a curved buttress at the rear of the pub. "We decided to knock through the plaster wall, initially just a small hole and we could see rooms behind it. "We sent someone in and later enlarged the hole so we could go through. "We found that a previous owner had used part of the tunnel as storage, there were thousands of empty bottles in there. Pub finds 'lost' tunnel at rear of site "The most recent date on one of the bottles was 2003 so we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We've no idea why it was blocked up." The discovery has generated significant interest, and Rob hopes to transform the tunnel into a unique feature of the pub, highlighting its importance in the marina's and village's history. However, he faces challenges, primarily determining who owns the tunnel. He said: "We would like to do something with it - we have lots of ideas. "One is to create a little speakeasy at the lower end of the tunnel with glass over the tunnel and lighting so people could see inside it." But he added: "Our deeds end at the wall and we don't actually know who owns it. It means that we can't get in there and start doing anything until we can resolve this. Pub finds 'lost' tunnel at rear of site "If we can find out who owns it we can then carry out a survey and see what is possible. "There is a lot of interest in the tunnel, some remember playing in it as children before it was blocked up. Others have family who worked in the quarries and would use this tunnel for work." The Dinowic Quarries Railway, also known as the Padarn Railway, was established in 1824 to link the quarries at Llanberis in North Wales with Port Dinowic on the Menai Strait. In 1843, the route was altered to include a rope-worked incline and a 92-yard tunnel from Penscoins into Port Dinorwic. This railway transported slate from the surrounding Llanberis quarries to the waterside, where it was then shipped across the UK and worldwide. Initially, workers used the line unofficially, but over time a more formalised service was introduced. Article continues below The service ceased operations in November 1961, with the main Dinorwic quarry closing down in subsequent years. The winding house and neighbouring cottages at Penscoins were destroyed by the Y Felinheli bypass, and the top of the tunnel was sealed off, later becoming overgrown and filled in.
