Incredible abandoned tunnels, station and shops ‘hidden’ under one of UK city

Underground tunnels stretch out for kilometres under Manchester – with many residents unaware of the historical passages lying beneath their feet.

Author Keith Warrender spoke to Manchester Evening News about the eerie subterranean walkways and strange finds under Manchester’s streets. Mr Warrender, who has written two books on the mysterious world under Manchester, said that the tunnels have been used for hundreds of years.

Explorers can find abandoned tube stations, air raid shelters, canals and shops from over a hundred years ago.

He claimed that many of the tunnels were first used as spaces of refuge for Catholics during times of persecution in the city.

He told MEN: “The tunnels range from a long period of time. Some go back to the times of the religious persecution where people of the Catholic faith had routes in and out of the city. That is one of the earliest ones.”

Mr Warrender noted that the Victorian era led to an explosion of underground projects, such as the Victoria Arches which was built into the embankment of the River Irwell.

He said that the arches were used by businesses in the 19th century, with the shops accessible from the street level via wooden staircases.

The shops were later transformed into air raid shelters during the Second World War.

The underground expert added: “I have been down there a few times and you can still see the remnants from that period.”

Mr Warrender singled out some of his favourite spots under Manchester, naming the Guardian Exchange and the remains of the Picc-Vic railway tunnel scheme.

The Guardian Exchange, which runs from Chinatown to Ardwick, was a switch telephone exchange during the Cold War. It is now used as a cable tunnel.

Meanwhile, the Picc-Vic project was a proposed and later cancelled underground tube line in Manchester.

Initial work had begun on a tunnel below what is now the Arndale Centre. The scheme was abandoned in 1977 due to Westminster’s lack of willingness to invest in Manchester.

Mr Warrender said: “There is now a big void there where the station would have been.”