Air Raid Shelters & Tunnels

[joycen]

The College shelters have caused a stir and we;ve had info on Shelters at St Anne's School, under High St Roundabout, under Town Hal Square, in Victoria Park and at Wesley Place School. It got us thinking are there anymore out there?

Someone mentioned that they would not have had time to build arched roofs if they were building them in a hurry so that begs they question were they old on's re-used and if so what was their original pupose?

We also had info on tunnels. One from Dalton Mills to the Beeches and a series by Postmans Walk, behind Sorting Office Van Park. You could get into the Postmans Walk one's in the 70's. Again any info.

[fsharpminor]

There was one under Ingrow Infants School, it referred to in the book 'From Pise-Ball to Pokemon' the history of Ingrow School published few years ago.
See also the appropriate thread on www.kbgs.com (Forums section)

[vale]

Could you tell me what the information is re the tunnel from Dalton Mills to the Beeches please.

[Andy Wade]

I'm skeptical about any 'old tunnels' being re-used for air raid shelters at the old school/college and having raised this with the Pillbox Study Group I am sure that these were 'Defence of Britain' items that were purpose built for this reason at the time. I think that regarding the arched roof construction, it makes little or no difference to the builder. It's quite easy to shutter off with an arched timber form for laying brickwork, which could be reused as construction progresses, than shuttering it off for a flat reinforced concrete pour.
There are some flat sections as well, but they are generally only where the manholes are, The extensive arched construction makes me think that bricks were more readily available at the time, so they went for arches instead of flat roof sections throughout.
I've made a 'guesstimate' based on tunnel lengths on the plans and using the photos as a guide for where the bench seats were located and I think that there would have been enough seats for 250 people.

[vale]

My limited understanding of construction, I believe that bridges are arched for strength, is it possible that arches were put in places where strength was needed?


Could you tell me what the information is re the tunnel from Dalton Mills to the Beeches please.
I assume your talking tunnels and not a long air raid shelter re this.

[parkwoodgirl]

There were two air raid shelters on Parkwood top which I had the dubious pleasure of spending time down them during the war as a pupil at Parkwood School. There was also an air raid shelter in the playground of Long Lee Infant Schoool 'I also spent a couple of hours in the shelter in the Town Hall Square when the siren sounded during my weekly visit to the theatre with my grandfather/. My memory of air raid shelters is not pleasant! dim lighting crowds of people and a smell of damp earth. As for the tunnels - my late father was the engineer at Keighley Fleece Mills and spoke many times of walking from Cavendish Street to North Street in tunnells underground .

[joycen]

Vale- Sorry I thought that I had answered this yesterday. All the info we have on the Dalton Mills/Beeches Tunnel is that it started under the garage.

[vale]

Sorry to ask, which garage?
A garage at Dalton Mill?
Just trying to work out why they would be a tunnel from Dolton Mill to the Beechs, it must have been quite a major undertaking due to the length of distance, so wondering what the reason for it was. Never seen any mention on any plans so I am fascinated by this revelation.

[barcrofter]

I too am interested in the Dalton mill to Beeches tunnel. It is 0.25 miles as the crow flies, a long way. Did the mill owners live at the Beeches? if so they may have had the tunnel dug, but why?

[vale]

Craven's built the "new" Dalton Mill, and a daughter of Craven married a Spencer, who owned The Beeches, later Craven's would live there.

It would be helpful if the society could reply to this question re what the information is re this tunnel.

Barcrofter rightly points out it is a long way from one place to the other, also surly with all the development that's taken place between the two places that it would have come to light while digging foundations. It would go under the railway, and depending on the direction it took might involve going under the river. It certainly will have had to negotiate sewerage pipes.

[joycen]

All the information that the Society has came from a gentleman at Keighley Show who said he had heard of a tunnel that went from the old Taxi Garage at Dalton Mills, that was presumably there after the Mill closed, to the Beeches. That is all we know. I put it on here hoping that someone else may know more!!!

[vale]

Sorry, my misinterpretation of "information". I thought you had something on a map or found an entrance to it or some such.
That's a shame, would have been fascinating to know the reason and how long it took to build, but if it was there when the stables were a garage it should still be there I guess.

[joycen]

I have wondered if it could have been anything to do with "services". Did they perhaps have power at the mill early on and wanted it at the Beeches? Were the owners conected?

[vale]

Clarification of the word tunnel in the context of how it was used needs to established. Without that I feel that one can not presume anything.
I can think of no reason why the Beeches would need to have sewerage or gas taken in a straight line from one to the other, electric and telephones went overhead.
The word tunnel implies to me more than a hole big enough to carry a pipe.

[davefnd]

When did the Feathers live at the beeches?