The Palace and the Mabgate, and perhaps the Parish Church

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Sun 18 Mar, 2007 8:59 pm

I'd like to get to the bottom of this as I've heard conflicting stories.I've just come back from my Dad's, who was a regular in the Mabgate. The landlord once took him to the cellar and showed him a blocked up tunnel, which supposedly goes to the Palace pub (or the Parish church!). I asked him if it could have been another access to Lady Beck culvert which is indeed a tunnel that runs nearby the Palace? No, a separate tunnel, he insisted.I was sure there was a thread here that mentions it but I can't find it now.Some other references:BBC articleThere's an audio link to an interview with a chap talking about the culvert, who says there's no such tunnel.On the same page there are a couple of posters that mention a tunnel from The Mabgate to either the church or The Palace.LeedsToday has the following:...It is a pub steeped in history. Mabgate was once the approach road to the city's eastern boundary, and was an area of some ill-repute. The street name relates to a woman - Queen Mab - but most likely is a reference to the the prostitutes, or "mabs" who once plied their trade nearby.In all probability the pub takes its name from the fact that it is at the city end of Mabgate.There is also allegedly an old tunnel which links the pub with the parish church, several hundred yards away.Whether the clergy used this tunnel as a convenient and discreet way to access the feminine pleasures available in Mabgate is sadly not clear....This is intriguing me, so if anybody can offer any more information, I would love to hear it.

Loinerpete · Post by **Loinerpete** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 11:11 am

Growing up on Lincoln Green one of the lads lived in the city of mabgate pub. We nicknamed him "captain mabgate"...he used to play the drums down in the cellar, he showed us the tunnel entrance, he said that it was generaly known that the tunnel goes over to the parish church, dont know how true that is but meanwood beck runs right behind the pub so it could be liknked to that.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 1:41 pm

Might the builders in with big hammers doing the place up at the moment have knocked a few bricks out of any blocked off entrance? I would have straight away thats for sure. i think they've gone down pretty deep around the foundations with what i've seen of the new conversion.. Also it would have to be a pretty deep tunnel to go under the Meanwood beck that runs alongside the Mabgate as well. I think all the recent work on the place would have revealed any tunnel..

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 2:23 pm

Although i agree with you Tony. I've heard the story many times myself. i've even been having my Sunday dinner time pint in there & when folk are pushed to show you where it is! It falls on deaf ears! I've never yet heard of the blocked off exit point at the other end.

wsmith · Post by **wsmith** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 3:03 pm

An acquaintance of mine down the pub (surely the most reliable source of historical information for all of us..?) tells me that there used to be a series of tunnels that connected the bottling rooms at the Brewery to the cellars of various Tetley's pubs, running up from the brewery, under the river & up Briggate. He knows this cause he was one of the team of people who bricked them up!Apparently the only one left open was the shortest stretch, which ran from the brewery to the Adelphi.Is there anyone out there who drinks at the Adelphi & wants to ask to have a look at the beer cellar?

mourning_belle · Post by **mourning_belle** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 5:14 pm

wsmith wrote: An acquaintance of mine down the pub (surely the most reliable source of historical information for all of us..?) tells me that there used to be a series of tunnels that connected the bottling rooms at the Brewery to the cellars of various Tetley's pubs, running up from the brewery, under the river & up Briggate. He knows this cause he was one of the team of people who bricked them up!Apparently the only one left open was the shortest stretch, which ran from the brewery to the Adelphi.Is there anyone out there who drinks at the Adelphi & wants to ask to have a look at the beer cellar? me!

munki · Post by **munki** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 5:20 pm

Go for it Agent Mourning Belle. Report back soon!

anthonydna · Post by **anthonydna** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 6:12 pm

I drink there a fair bit too, don't know many of the staff though. You distract them Mourning Belle and I will run down !

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon 19 Mar, 2007 8:09 pm

Phill_d wrote: Might the builders in with big hammers doing the place up at the moment have knocked a few bricks out of any blocked off entrance? I would have straight away thats for sure. i think they've gone down pretty deep around the foundations with what i've seen of the new conversion.. Also it would have to be a pretty deep tunnel to go under the Meanwood beck that runs alongside the Mabgate as well. I think all the recent work on the place would have revealed any tunnel.. I recognise the first picture, but not the second, we used to go "urbexing" down there as kids before the phrase was even invented.We gave names to all the obstacles we had to overcome, "devils ledge", "The Slants" etc.Phil, did I read somewhere that you were brought up in Lincoln Green, you seem to frequent the same pubs as each other, perhaps we know each other in real life?

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 20 Mar, 2007 10:19 am

I can report that a quick word in the right shell like got me down in the Mabgate cellar this morning. The plasterer who had covered over any such blocked off door said. And i quote...There was bugger all here mate! Although it give the lads a laugh when i said it was supposed to be a secret tunnel for The right randy rev Thomas & his fellow bretheren to come running down the passage after evensong for a swift pint & an illicit rendevous with a lady of ill repute.. You'd have to remember that if any door was built in the cellar it would have only lead outside to the Meanwood beck. When the Mabgate was built (1857) the beck was just a free flowing open cesspit, The tunnels & culverts where never built untill the turn of the centuary in order to combat cholera. I reckon i'd much rather have gone incognito than all the hassle of building a tunnel for my unsavoury activities. If there is supposedly 3 blocked of entrances then why hasn't somebody dared knock out one single brick & peer in with a torch over all these years???.. There is not one scrap of evidence of it's existence, only rumour!