Tiny house 'locked away' in the dark under Liverpool city centre

A tiny house hidden under Liverpool city centre is unknowingly passed by hundreds of people on their way to work each day.

The miniature house is located deep in the tunnels running between Liverpool Lime Street station on the way from Edge Hill. It is dangerous and difficult to get to due to the live railway tracks on either side of it.

But back in 2018, the ECHO was offered an exclusive look inside the eerie structure in the early hours, before services started. Network Rail told the ECHO the house was built as a "mess hut" more than 100 years ago.

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It's been disused for decades but you can still see some signs of its former use. Explaining the history of the property, a Network Rail spokesperson said at the time: “In years gone by track maintenance gangs would have come here, they’d have had their lunch, a cup of coffee, lit the fire, and waited in between trains.

“We have no plans to do anything with it, it will stay here, it’s protected beneath the tunnels and will remain locked in history forever more. It’s difficult to see if you’re a passenger on a train.

“If the light’s in the right place you can just about see the outline of it but it’s a little gem that’s locked away and kept in the dark.”

Benches run down both sides of the house, with a table in the centre and a fireplace used by workers to keep warm between trains in the winter months. Engineers also found an old kettle, a cup and tongs used to move materials in the fireplace.

When the ECHO was allowed to visit the hut in 2018, Network Rail was preparing for the second phase of an upgrade from June 2 to July 29, designed to allow Lime Street to welcome more and longer trains. However, the hut remained untouched as part of the works.

It's not the only piece of history workers have uncovered as part of Lime Street improvement projects over the years. In 2019 a historic piece of the station which remained hidden under passengers' feet for years was uncovered by builders carrying out renovation work.

Three stone slabs which formed part of the original 1836 platform surface were unearthed during the £140 million upgrade of the station. We recently look a look at the evolution of Lime Street through photos from our archives which you can find here.

Merseyside is full of interesting buildings, each with their own story to tell.

From the first townhouse to be built on one of the city's oldest streets to the wooden chalets by the sea, we love taking a look inside these buildings and what came before them.

That's why we've launched our 'Behind the Doors' series to take a closer look inside some of the region's much loved buildings - and we'd love to hear from you.

Whether you live in a quirky or historic building or walk past one on your daily commute, we'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to get in touch please email: charlotte.hadfield@reachplc.com