Tales of Andover’s underground tunnels continue to fascinate and to mystify, with no satisfactory answers to their whys and wherefores ever being put forward that might bring the ‘warring camps’ of enthusiasts and detractors together.
This photograph, taken by Charles Wardell, made a story in the Andover Advertiser of 12 May 1967, when an odd but unremarkable building was demolished to make way for the present George Yard car park.
Described in the report as a summerhouse, its original location would have been in the back garden of Lloyd’s bank.
Like most of the High Street shops on that side, the original plots extended right back to East Street — beyond modern Eastern Avenue — the old ‘Back Lane’ which enabled access to the rear of the High Street buildings.
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This little building stood by itself with no obvious links to anything else, at the far end of the bank’s land, close to the old line of George Yard which is now completely obliterated.
It is of course church-like, with lancet-shaped door and front windows, and sited in a wes-to-east direction. It was wood-panelled inside and incorporated a fire-place, while the brick and flint construction suggested a date of c.1840-60, reminiscent perhaps of a tiny, early-Victorian village school.
Probably nobody had ever given a thought as to its true purpose, being basically neither one thing nor the other but useful as a garden shed!
Like much else besides, it was in the way of plans for town development and the ongoing disturbance to the surrounding land caused the chalk-block floor to collapse and reveal a cellar or cavity from which three arched entrances radiated, one to the east, one to the west and the other to the south-west.
Two of these were filled up with lumps of earth and chalk, while the third was bricked up.
The usual opposing theories were put forward: that they were a means of escape for religious dissenters of the 17th century who were forced to meet in secret or, more prosaically, the underground tunnels were part of some ancient sewerage system.
The repeated appearance of these features during the town development period seems to have been regarded as a mildly interesting curiosity but never raised too much excitement.
One wonders whether such features have appeared in other towns and if so, what explanations were given elsewhere?
Surely, the numerous archaeological excavations in recent years and the use of geo-physical technology might fully explain the ‘tunnel’ phenomenon?
Getting back to our mysterious Andover building, it was of course much later than the period of illegal dissent and would hardly have been built in a church style if its purpose was a covert one.
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Therefore, if a building of much simpler construction was there earlier, this was an elaborate replacement.
By that time, the much greater religious freedoms enacted by parliament would make the use of any secret meeting house unnecessary.
The Victorians of urban Andover did not build just for the sake of it, so one wonders what was the purpose of the replacement building, lined with panelling and equipped with a fireplace?
Did it mark the spot or not have any connection with the cavities beneath?
Sadly, these tunnels always revealed themselves as part of another operation, meaning there was a pressing reason for them to be filled in immediately and covered over, usually on the grounds that interruption of the building work could not be justified.
Don’t we wish that somebody had broken down the frequently-encountered brick wall that fills the usual arched entrance and had a look behind?
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