The Hidden Glasgow Forums

After spending many years paddling about tunnels under Glasgow I feel that the time has come to try and put the whole thing together into a useful narrative before they are all finally hidden or demolished. This is probably with the eventual aim of writing a book so I am interested to hear from any one with a similar interest, particularly with information on a roumoured tunnel between the old Royal infirmary and the dock area. The story is that it was built during WWI to transport wounded soldiers and I know it existed in 1952 as my Grandfather was in it - any offers?

I also have heard of there being a direct train route for wounded WW1 soldiers in Glasgow.

The difference is that I heard it was Stobhill Hospital, which does have a (now disused) rail line beside it. This line would have connected to the Glasgow/Edinburgh line at Springburn. Some of this disused line is still visible off Glasgow Road in Springburn.

I had also heard that this direct train line to the hospital existed so that civillian morale would not have been adversely affected by seeing what was happening to the soldiers at the front.

This is what's really under GRI... a service level!

I wondered if there was access to the bothwell street/pitt street tunnel
(http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=135)
from under the medical block of the old royal infirmary. There's one of
those protected grey vent boxes at the end of cathedral street, just where
it meets castle street. The first pic shows a door (just beyond the chair) which was locked. That's as close as I could get to castle street.

This level is below the basement of GRI, and as you can see from the pics,
some parts are well used for services & the portering staff also seem to
make good use of it. They go on for quite a distance beyond the old
building, and there's even access to the old A&E via a route under the car
park.

Not really hidden, I know... but most people don't even know it's there!

Great photos dcvr

marvelous stuff

I see DVCR’s pictures are now gone from this thread

Thought I’d investigate the rumour of a tunnel leading down from GRI towards High Street Station

This is the sub basement of Surgical Block. Here you can gain access to three service corridors that lead around the hospital





heading down the right hand corridor





heading towards Centre Block





It would be impossible to gain access to all the locked doors and dunnies due to the sheer scale of the place. Here’s a typical example of one of the many rooms along the corridors





heading along the middle corridor





halfway along there's an exit to Wishart Street





here's a route from the middle corridor that leads to the Nurses homes





you have to round past an old lift then up these stairs





back along the middle corridor there's evidence of rail tracks
the end of this corridor converges with the right hand corridor





along the right hand corridor
pretty uninteresting this one





this section is accessed from the sub basement below Medical Block
I found this area the most interesting as the likelihood of a tunnel leading down High Street would be located here






Well couldn’t find any evidence of hidden tunnels but as stated the scale and access makes it impossible to be 100% certain, however there were no locked rooms below Medical Block

Looks like a stage in Half-Life.

I have friends that worked there and they've done a fair share of exploring and wandering, and whilst there are certainly interesting nooks and crannies, particularly on the sub-basement level as you've photographed, i've yet to (unfortunately) uncover ANY evidence of a 'secret' tunnel.

If we discount the site of the QEB (Queen Elizabeth Building) as being 'too new' for hidden tunnels (built 1983) it really only leaves the 'old Royal' - Surgical, Centre & Medical block. As i said above, there's plenty of talk and stories of bricked-up openings but no actual proof.

On a practical level, where would such tunnels go anyway? One sugestion has been a link-up with the BT tunnel (diagonally across from the GRI beside the Oldest House) but even that seems tenuous at best.

It's been really interesting to see those, toomse, thanks for posting them.

Agreed. Whatever thread they're in, they're fascinating. Thanks for posting them.

fullfatmilk wrote:I worked in the GRI for a few years and have friends that still work there and we've done our fair share of exploring and wandering and whilst there are certainly interesting nooks and crannies, particularly on the sub-basement level as you've photographed, i've yet to (unfortunately) uncover ANY evidence of a 'secret' tunnel.

If we discount the site of the QEB (Queen Elizabeth Building) as being 'too new' for hidden tunnels (built 1983) it really only leaves the 'old Royal' - Surgical, Centre & Medical block. As i said above, there's plenty of talk and stories of bricked-up openings but no actual proof.

On a practical level, where would such tunnels go anyway? One sugestion has been a link-up with the BT tunnel (diagonally across from the GRI beside the Oldest House) but even that seems tenuous at best.

It was never any kind of tunnel at all, It is basically a celler/basement that houses pipes and cables for heating and electrical wiring along with a number of boilers. There is a bit where there is a large storage area that has all sorts of hidious things ie. human remains and body parts that are preserved in liquids. This is hardly known to the majority but anyone who is in the area be it a workman or a tresspasser the door to this collection is never opened. These weird things [some from more than a centuary ago where used during experiments. There are many so weird things that they are more like props for a horror film. I have never seen them myself but I know a few friends who have when they were doing some work at the Infirmay

jimmy1959 wrote:There is a bit where there is a large storage area that has all sorts of hidious things ie. human remains and body parts that are preserved in liquids. This is hardly known to the majority but anyone who is in the area be it a workman or a tresspasser the door to this collection is never opened. These weird things [some from more than a centuary ago where used during experiments. There are many so weird things that they are more like props for a horror film. I have never seen them myself but I know a few friends who have when they were doing some work at the Infirmay

That sounds suspiciously like the 'Pathology Collection' which is housed in the Pathology Department of the GRI. It contains medical specimens from the Hunterian collection which aren't on display at the Glasgow Uni's Anatomy Museum.
Unless, of course, there's a secret storeroom stashed full of pickled parts which should have been surrendered after the 'Human Tissue Act 2006'.