Question - East Goscote / Leicestershire / Tunnel System?

[Banton]

Definitely 2 structures remaining, this is LIDAR imagery.

Earthworks on a modern map

Buildings on the same alignment in a wartime photo.

This is my first ever post. Long time watcher...ooohhh err.. hope it works.

 

[Clive Beasley]

The parish council don't seem to think so -

http://eastgoscotepc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/east-goscote-parish-plan.pdf

This is from halfway down the fourth page

"A feature of the landscape of East Goscote is the mound. Under the mound are two shell filling factories built of reinforced concrete. Jelson could not demolish them and they were refused permission to blow them up. Eventually they were filled in and landscaped."

Well according to the ROF records Queniborough was built for filling Fuzes & Detonators the Bunkers were used for storing explosive materials and the finished items . I have just bought the English Heritage book on History of Explosives manufacturing in the UK and what supprised me was the huge size of the filling factories they dwarfed ROF No 10 here at queni by some margin. Chillwell / Ranskill and Swynnerton were some of the big ones nearby and the total number was 16 Filling factories out of a planned 20.I am going to the local archives to look through the files there then back to the National Archives in a few weeks.

 

[Clive Beasley]

Definitely 2 structures remaining, this is LIDAR imagery.

Earthworks on a modern map

Buildings on the same alignment in a wartime photo.

This is my first ever post. Long time watcher...ooohhh err.. hope it works.

 

[Clive Beasley]

A little more digging on http://eastgoscotepc.org.uk/galleries/pictoral-history/ has turned up these. The first taken from about 104 Long Furrow around 1965, they show the 2 entrances.

Hi Yorrick please tell me how you posted those pics ?

 

[Yorrick]

I saved them onto my pc then clicked the upload a file button below the reply box, then clicked choose a file, chose the image on my pc, clicked full size, waited a minute, then clicked post reply.

 

[Clive Beasley]

I saved them onto my pc then clicked the upload a file button below the reply box, then clicked choose a file, chose the image on my pc, clicked full size, waited a minute, then clicked post reply.

Ok I've done that it is visible

 

[Clive Beasley]

 

[Clive Beasley]

I saved them onto my pc then clicked the upload a file button below the reply box, then clicked choose a file, chose the image on my pc, clicked full size, waited a minute, then clicked post reply.

Hi again i'm viewing the image on my laptop it's at the bottom of page 4 on this forum.

 

[CCJ]

I moved to East Goscote 14 years ago and was informed of the tunnels by an elderly neighbour who has now sadly passed away. He always used to say that there tunnels underground that went over to Queniborough. He said years ago there was information in the libary at Syston regarding the locations of the openings but it started to attract the unwanted attention to these openings so they were removed.

I have had a look about over the years but never found any signs of any entrances. There are rumours that the brick building just past the railway track on the right on the way out of East Goscote hides one of the openings. It started to attract unwanted attention last year with a few people stopping and looking around it to the point where they have now put an iron fence round it. On closer inspection the building does look like its going to topple at any moment so probably more of a safety precaution.

I will keep a closes eye on this thread as I am desperate to find the location of these as it has been bugging me for years but its a very well kept secret and only going to get harder as they people in the know will eventually pass on

 

[Prometheus_onex]

I moved to East Goscote 14 years ago and was informed of the tunnels by an elderly neighbour who has now sadly passed away. He always used to say that there tunnels underground that went over to Queniborough. He said years ago there was information in the libary at Syston regarding the locations of the openings but it started to attract the unwanted attention to these openings so they were removed.

I have had a look about over the years but never found any signs of any entrances. There are rumours that the brick building just past the railway track on the right on the way out of East Goscote hides one of the openings. It started to attract unwanted attention last year with a few people stopping and looking around it to the point where they have now put an iron fence round it. On closer inspection the building does look like its going to topple at any moment so probably more of a safety precaution.

I will keep a closes eye on this thread as I am desperate to find the location of these as it has been bugging me for years but its a very well kept secret and only going to get harder as they people in the know will eventually pass on

I think the place where you are mentioning is the old pump house. Soon to be demolished. Outside of beedals ?

 

[CCJ]

I think the place where you are mentioning is the old pump house. Soon to be demolished. Outside of beedals ?

Yes come out of beedles, turn right and it’s on the left there. I purposely drive past it tonight on the way home and it had a digger outside of it so looks like it will be gone very soon

 

[roget]

Definitely 2 structures remaining, this is LIDAR imagery.

Earthworks on a modern map

Buildings on the same alignment in a wartime photo.

This is my first ever post. Long time watcher...ooohhh err.. hope it works.

Awesome relief imagery, I could confirm that the two tunnel entrances exist as I used to play on top and inside when I lived there as a nipper According to the village building developers Jelson to remove the structures it would require explosives of sufficient quantity that the blast would damage buildings 5 - 8 miles away.. the idea was shelved and entranced filled in with earth.. but that thickness at the top of the concrete entrance is only centimeters thick.. so following a wet winter and long dry summer cracks emerge and with a light trowel could be expanded to permit an adult or child to squeeze through.

 

[CCJ]

What gets me is the lack of information on the tunnels and why the big secret? I wonder what is hidden in these tunnels and what they don’t want you to find?

 

[roget]

I think the place where you are mentioning is the old pump house. Soon to be demolished. Outside of beedals ?

I think the place where you are mentioning is the old pump house. Soon to be demolished. Outside of beedals ?

Regarding the location of the two entrances to the 'Mounds' I can locate them both to within a pin degree of accuracy on the ground .. and regarding the tunnels beneath the village, I wrote a post earlier that as a secondary school nipper attending Wreake Valley College I spent many of my breaks in their library where I came across a cardboard box file containing the maps for the tunnels. I then rode my bike around the village and located at least six entrances and still retain a memory map of the tunnel routes. I have been wondering for far too many years if the school librarian has retained these valuable documents.. it would be unbelievable that such a person would ever dispose of them.. sadly I'm living far away to pay a visit to the school to see if I could persuade the Principal & current Librarian to take a look at their shelves.. but I could make a phone call. if this would help. Alternatively, do we know anyone who has a student attending the school today that we could ask.. ?

 

[CCJ]

My son is a student at Wreake Valley College, I will speak to him tomorrow morning and see if he can ask. I may even pop in myself with him and see the librarian.

So where are these six entrances then?