Derby's city centre tunnels condemned to stay closed over health and safety

A suggestion that the maze of tunnels that lie under the centre of Derby could soon be reopened to the public as a tourist attraction has been vetoed by Derby City Council. Back in 2019, the council said that the tunnels could be reopened when work was completed refurbishing the Market Hall, which is due to happen in spring 2025.

The largely-unknown passages run underneath the Market Place between the Guildhall and the Tiger Bar near Primark. Three known entrances to the barrel-vaulted tunnels exist and it is thought they could connect up to a wider network under Derby.

A Second World War air-raid shelter, shored up with timber, also remains under the Market Place - complete with ladies' and gents' chemical toilets. Derby historian Richard Felix has been anxious for some years to reopen the tunnels, which have been out of bounds to people generally since the council closed them off in 2018. The ancient brick-lined routes previously hosted walking tours until the city council put a stop to them.

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The Tiger Bar in Lock-Up Yard has also been anxious that they should open again because there is an entrance to them from inside the bar which would be useful for attracting custom.

But when Derbyshire Live asked the city council this week what its plans were for reopening the tunnels, a council spokesman said: "Due to health and safety concerns, the tunnels in Derby city centre remain closed to the public. There are no plans to re-open the tunnels at this time."

No explanation has been given as to what the health and safety problems are and how much it would cost to make them accessible.

Tunnels have been discovered as recently as 2009, with one being unearthed behind a hidden doorway in the cellar of the Dolphin pub, in Queen Street, the city's oldest pub. But the most popular route was one that was accessed from the Tiger Bar in Derby's Lock Up Yard - between Corn Market and the Guildhall.

For more than two decades ghost walks of up to 30 people, run by Richard Felix, would tip-toe into the pub's cellar and explore the spooky brick-lined passages. The barrel-vaulted tunnels, made of two "corridors" measuring around 25 feet each, plus several large alcoves, were once used to transfer prisoners to court.

The former landlord of the Tiger Bar had a letter from the city council in 2018 which said: "Following an urgent review of safety measures of visitors in the Guildhall tunnels, the council has regrettably had to make the decision to not permit any further walking tours of the tunnels for the foreseeable future. The council recognises the historic interest in the tunnels and is exploring opportunities to again open the tunnels to the paying public in a safe and secure environment."

In 2019, Mr Felix revealed to Derbyshire Live his plan for making the tunnels into a tourist attraction. He believes a significant investment could transform them into an interactive experience, drawing crowds from outside of Derby as similar attractions do in York and Nottingham.

He said: "You could have a shop and a visitors' centre and everything. And there are 18 barrel-vaulted rooms down there which could be themed around the history of Derby. You could create the most incredible experience under the ground."

The Guildhall was built in 1828 and it is thought that the tunnels were constructed at the same time as cellars to store items like beer and cheese in cold conditions. The tunnels were, at one time, used to transport prisoners between Lock Up Yard and the Guildhall - which, for a period, was also used as a magistrates' court.

Visitors to any future attraction would enter from the main entrance to the tunnels, which is located between the Guildhall and the Market Hall.

Some people in Derby's Market Place, which is currently decked out for Christmas, expressed surprise that the labyrinth of tunnels existed. Fran Corbett, 49, of Alvaston, was in the city with her two grandchildren, aged four and two. She said: "I didn't know there are any tunnels underneath the Market Place and I am not sure I would want to go down them myself. But I bet a lot of people would."

John Astley, 65, of Uttoxeter New Road, said he was aware of the tunnels but has "no desire to go down because I don't like enclosed spaces".

But Rachel Smith, 75, of Kedleston Road, said she recalled going down into the tunnels when she was younger. She said: " I don't know how long ago it was but my grandad worked for the council and that's how we got a look around I think. I just remember if being quite cold and a bit creepy."

One person, who wished to remain anonymous, recalled the entrance into tunnels from the Tiger Bar and said: "I remember everyone really liking the fact you could access the tunnel from the bar. Doesn't seem to me any reason why they can't be reopened. It's another thing for people in Derby to do and there's not much of that."

Derbyshire Live has approached Mr Felix for a comment on the situation.