Deep beneath the River Clyde lies an abandoned Victorian tunnel that only a select few are permitted to enter. The entrance and exit points are marked by two circular rotunda buildings, one of which is situated in the shadow of Glasgow’s famous Finnieston Crane. The Glasgow Harbor Tunnel Company began excavations in the 1890s, promising a novel way of crossing the river and built not only one but three parallel tunnels between Finnieston and Mavisbank Quay.
Two of the tunnels were for horse-drawn vehicles using a one-way system while the third, a little closer to the surface, was reserved for pedestrians. New York firm Otis Elevator Company supplied six hydraulic cage lifts that would lower the horses and carts down a 24-meter shaft before they made their way through a 5-meter wide passageway while pedestrians used a long wooden staircase to access the foot tunnel.
Despite Glasgow being in the grip of tunnelling mania at the time, the tunnels were never the financial accomplishment hoped for, with bridges and horse ferries proving to be the more popular means of crossing the river. The city authorities also began to subsidize them during World War One and took complete control in 1926. Despite the tunnels being used during World War Two by dockers and shipyard workers, a fear of renovating costs saw the city officials remove the lift equipment, and the tunnels were eventually closed to the public in 1980.
The people of Glasgow still recall memories of crossing the river through the tunnel, with most recalling it as a creepy but useful passageway that was at times slightly leaky. For over a century, the tunnel has been a part of Glasgow’s rich history, and the two rotunda buildings located at either end of the tunnel have seen a variety of uses over the years. The north rotunda has been used as a casino and restaurant while the south rotunda has served as a pop-up Nardini’s ice cream shop, a puppet show venue, and a “Dome of Discovery” before being renovated as offices for the Scottish marine engineering group, Malin
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