He now has massive plans for the tunnel – though he faces hurdles
The second pub in Y Felinheli knock by means of wall to find hidden tunnel
The proprietor of a marina pub made an sudden discovery when he knocked down a plaster wall to discover a “hidden tunnel” beneath a village in Gwynedd.
Following the Waterside Consortium’s acquisition of Port Dinorwic Marina in Y Felinheli in spring final 12 months, it was determined to refurbish a number of buildings, certainly one of which was the previous La Marina eatery that has now been transformed right into a pub named Yr Heulyn.
The location’s renovation sparked an curiosity in what was behind a plasterboard wall in the back of the premises.
Conscious of the existence of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel, an previous railway line that transported slate from Llanberis quarries to the waterside, Robert Bennett was curious as as to whether it was related to their location.
Upon investigating additional, a small gap was initially made within the wall, adopted by a employee inspecting it nearer.
A restricted cupboard space was initially found, and after forcing open an entrance to a extra spacious space, an ample cupboard space containing bottles was discovered on the base of the previous tunnel.
An skilled in historic tunnels was then invited for an inspection, experiences North Wales Reside.
Rob mentioned: “There was a plaster wall in the back of the pub that had been constructed by the final homeowners however we did not know the tunnel was behind it.
“However I knew of the tunnel’s existence and I might see a curved buttress on the rear of the pub.
“We determined to knock by means of the plaster wall, initially only a small gap and we might see rooms behind it.
“We despatched somebody in and later enlarged the outlet so we might undergo.
“We discovered {that a} earlier proprietor had used a part of the tunnel as storage, there have been hundreds of empty bottles in there.
“The newest date on one of many bottles was 2003 so we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We have no thought why it was blocked up.”
The invention has generated vital curiosity, and Rob hopes to rework the tunnel into a singular characteristic of the pub, highlighting its significance within the marina’s and village’s historical past.
Nevertheless, he faces challenges, primarily figuring out who owns the tunnel.
He mentioned: “We want to do one thing with it – we’ve got plenty of concepts.
“One is to create a bit of speakeasy on the decrease finish of the tunnel with glass over the tunnel and lighting so individuals might see inside it.”
However he added: “Our deeds finish on the wall and we do not truly know who owns it. It signifies that we won’t get in there and begin doing something till we are able to resolve this.
“If we are able to discover out who owns it we are able to then perform a survey and see what is feasible.
“There may be quite a lot of curiosity within the tunnel, some keep in mind taking part in in it as youngsters earlier than it was blocked up. Others have household who labored within the quarries and would use this tunnel for work.”
The Dinowic Quarries Railway, also called the Padarn Railway, was established in 1824 to hyperlink the quarries at Llanberis in North Wales with Port Dinowic on the Menai Strait.
In 1843, the route was altered to incorporate a rope-worked incline and a 92-yard tunnel from Penscoins into Port Dinorwic.
This railway transported slate from the encircling Llanberis quarries to the waterside, the place it was then shipped throughout the UK and worldwide.
Initially, employees used the road unofficially, however over time a extra formalised service was launched.
The service ceased operations in November 1961, with the primary Dinorwic quarry closing down in subsequent years.
The winding home and neighbouring cottages at Penscoins had been destroyed by the Y Felinheli bypass, and the highest of the tunnel was sealed off, later changing into overgrown and stuffed in.
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