Exeter Underground Passages

Find yourself in Devon with some time on your hands and some spare old clothes? Located under the city centre, just off the High Street is a labyrinth of medieval passages dating back to the 14th century. The tunnel network lies inside the city wall perimeter and was originally built to house pipes to bring fresh drinking water to the clergy of the city, and later, to the wealthy merchants who could afford to have water piped to their homes. In around1643, at the beginning of the Civil War, the entrances to the tunnel network were blocked off and the tunnels filled with rubble to prevent invasion. The lead pipes were stripped and used for making munitions. The tunnels and supply of water were restored shortly after the war.

Following a Cholera outbreak in 1832, the connection was made between a water's cleanliness and the likelihood of infection and the engineer Thomas Golsworthy was commissioned to improve the system. He replaced the lead pipes with steel, lowered the floor and made it more even which, resulted in less leaks and improved flow.

The majority of the nearly 500 metre tunnel system are vaulted to prevent cave-ins and allow easy maintenance access to the old pipe system. After abandonment as a water supply in 1857, the tunnels were more or less forgotten until providing a crucial function as bomb shelters during Word War 2 air raids. Exeter blitz devastated much of central Exeter's shopping arcades, civic centre and a section of the 12th century gothic cathedral.

The tunnels are today open to visit on a guided tour starting at the visitor centre in Paris Street.