Discover Hertford Online Forum

Reply ID 1678

Further reading:- BBCi, "Hertfordshire's Templar mystery", 25 November 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/beds_herts_bucks/article_1.shtml Hertfordshire Mercury, "The secrets of underground Hertford", pp 16-17, 8 October 2004. [ http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/beds_herts_bucks/article_1.shtml ] Edited by - TVA on 08 Oct 2004 12:57:52

Reply ID 1679

P.S. Articles don't stay on the Mercury website for long, so just in case here is an archived copy of the report on tunnels in the area from this week's edition: Secret tunnels in Hertford: http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0620

Reply ID 1680

The neighbouring village of Ware may have its own network of tunnels. There are whispers of rumour and local folklore that tell of tunne;s beneath the medieval Priory, St Mary's church, and Jacobys, and elsewhere: http://www.wareonline.co.uk/haveyoursay/topic.php?id=762

Reply ID 1681

I hear there is also a secret tunnel running under Bengeo, used mainly by rat-running Templars avoiding the busy labyrinth at Old Cross.

Reply ID 1683

can anyone use it???! it'd cut my journey home down by a fair few minutes...!

Reply ID 1685

There may well in fact have been a subterranean system excavated by the Knights Templar beneath the site of http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=532500.515229804&Y=214000.930685575&width=500&height=300&scale=10000&in.x=6&in.y=4 ">Temple Farm and the Temple Fields in Bengeo: Aerial photography reveals markings in the green area of http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=532500.515229804&Y=214000.930685575&width=500&height=300&scale=10000&in.x=6&in.y=4 Mead that may indicate a site of future archeological interest:

"Many a truth is spoken in jest." - Shakespeare

Reply ID 1686

Hello again, TVA. I know I take the p*ss out of your daft illuminati conspiracy stuff but I think you/Tim/Ben Acheson (the Knights Templar twins featured in the Mercury whom you seem to know very well...) are doing a great job promoting our town. All this mysterious past/ sinister secret stuff can do the town nothing but good in terms of raising our profile, promoting Hertford and Ware as places to visit and generally getting us talked about as an historic and interesting place. Good for you, and I hope the Mercury continues to cover this - it makes a nice change from reading court reports of local grunts beating each other up. Maybe Discover Hertford could get in touch with TVA and do a feature for this website about the tunnels and Hertford's mystical history?

Reply ID 1689

Thanks Rachel - it's all good fun, anyway.

Reply ID 1691

According to local rumour there is a tunnel under the River Lea from The Folly to Bircherley Green constructed for the sole purpose of getting Mrs Sloop to work on time

Reply ID 1692

I have it on good authority that there is a tunnel under the A414 which connects Pegs Lane to Castle Street ;-)

Reply ID 1694

Exactly one month before Hertford's tunnels were "discovered" by a local newspaper, The Guardian newspaper in the UK reported a story about secret" rel="nofollow">http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1299444,00.htm">secret tunnels under Paris, France. Apparently it was being used by a secret society - probably connected to the Skull and Bones. Has anybody else heard of anything like the secret" rel="nofollow">http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1299444,00.htm">secret target="_blank">tunnels under Hertford in Hertfordshire?

Reply ID 1695

[quote] I have it on good authority that there is a tunnel under the A414 which connects Pegs Lane to Castle Street ;-) [/quote] I also beleive that it is open to the public and free to walk through ;o)

Reply ID 1701

I believe there are 3 more tunnels under the A414 that are open to the public free of charge too. Has anybody noticed that Discover Hertford's sister site Ware Online is trying to make out there are tunnels under Ware now.

Reply ID 1705

Jez_P Didn't you notice it's the same person posting the same messages on Ware Online, DHO and to the Mercury? The self publicising conspiracy fanatic has had his wings clipped on WO. Do you think that could be a conspiracy?

Reply ID 1706

What is craig talking about? I wrote one post here on hertford.net about the underground tunnels story from this week's Mercury. I wrote one post on its sister site, wareonline.co.uk, where I am a regular, to ask if anybody else has heard about the tunnels in Ware. I am not a conspiracy fanatic, I am simply discussing a local news story, and if you look at the Mercury you will find that the article in the Mercury was written by somebody called Raymond, not me. I have a copy in front of me right now. It seems that the only one around here cooking up implausible conspiracy theories is you.

Reply ID 1707

So, TVA, lets get this right, you have nothing whatsoever to do with the story in The Mercury and you've never met Raymond Brown. Correct?

Reply ID 1708

[quote] I am simply discussing a local news story, and if you look at the Mercury you will find that the article in the Mercury was written by somebody called Raymond, not me. I have a copy in front of me right now. [/quote] Come on, TVA, on another entirely related thread of this forum you write: [quote] If you watched closely, you may have noticed that the presenter is never actually seen with Tim. Also, the weather and lighting when the presenter is on camera is noticeably different when Tim is featured. This is because the presenter, Danny Wallace, never turned up to meet Mr A. This fact, together with the less than serious approach of the documentary, is why Mr A declined to be interviewed. The presenter and film crew secretly visited Hertford over a week later when the coast was clear to film the "waiting for Mr A" sequence. If you watch one of the repeats of this documentary, you can see for yourself. Keep an eye on the next two editions of the Hertfordshire Mercury for more revelations about Hertford's underground secrets... [/quote] You're not seriously trying to get us to believe that you have NO involvement in this story whatsoever!?? I am finding it all very interesting though!

Reply ID 1709

Interestingly there was a posting on WO this afternoon that has now been deleted. It warned anyone away from the tunnels advising that you should check you have a valid life assurance policy. It also mentioned that the people who have disclosed the whereabouts of the tunnels although previously had dealings with the Knights Templar are no longer part of it, but 'will be dealt with' I can imagine TVA is shaking in his boots

Reply ID 1710

Yeah I saw the posting on WOL this afternoon before it mysteriously disappeared. Just as the topic was getting interesting too. Seems like you guys in Hertford have a much less “moderated” forum experience.

Reply ID 1712

So, TVA, lets get this right, you have nothing whatsoever to do with the story in The Mercury and you've never met Raymond Brown. Correct?

Reply ID 1713

You're not seriously trying to get us to believe that you have NO involvement in this story whatsoever!??

Reply ID 1714

Interestingly there was a posting on WO this afternoon that has now been deleted.

Reply ID 1715

C'mon, TVA; you 'saw the documentary, that's all'? Everyone has the right to anonymity on this forum so I'm not going to speculate about whether you are Tim Acheson, the Knights Templar man featured in Raymond Brown's article in the Mercury and the Sky documentary; but on 5 October, in another thread on this forum ('TV documentary traces secret society to Hertford') you revealed lots of info about the making of the Sky programme that someone who 'saw the documentary, that's all,' could not have known. Either you were involved in the programme or you know someone who was. I don't have a problem with that and as I've said before, I think you are doing a grand job promoting historic Hertford and Ware but you'll find that Discover Hertford forum contributers are a lot sharper than Mercury hacks and we'll respect your postings a lot more if you're straight about your motivation and don't try to pretend you're less involved than you are in using this forum and the local press to publicise Tim's 'Insider' website and all the tunnels/Templars/Hertford's secrets stuff. Anyway, back to the tunnels; someone who used to work in the Prince Regent/Stonehouse told me there is a bricked-up entrance in the cellar there. I don't think it's particularly unusual for old towns like Hertford and Ware to have a network of tunnels connecting the buildings but it is interesting to 'rediscover' them and thanks to TVA, Tim/Ben Acheson and the Mercury, lots of people are talking about this. WareOnline were talking about a little expedition to look at some of their tunnels; might we do the same? The 'underground secret' that would most interest me is that enormous cold war bunker under Sovereign House. Apparently it is massive, as big as the building above, with 80 telephone points, so I was told by an elderly neighbour who helped to build it. I used to work in Sovereign House in the 1980s and was forever badgering the security guy to show me down there. He wouldn't but he used to wind me up something chronic with exaggerated (I now realise) tales of exactly what was down there: hundreds of beds, stockpiles of food & medicine, weapons, short-wave radio, decontamination suits... does anyone know if the bunker has ever been open to the public or whether it might be? Does anyone else remember how the anti-nuclear campaigners targetted Sovereign House on the anniversary of Hiroshima in the mid-80s and sprayed very effective silhouettes of little human figures (to represent the 'shadows' left by the victims who were vaporised when the bomb was dropped) on the ground all around the pedestrian subway and the 'secret' bunker entrance?

Reply ID 1716

A quick web search for "Tim Acheson" led me to another discussion forum, where there was an ongoing discussion about the recent documentary and the Illuminati. Nothing special in that, but I did unearth this absolute gem of a comment: "We remember Tim from school days and he was a complete tw*t."

Reply ID 1717

I saw that too, Joby. It was on a bizzare website called Join Me. It seems like a rather rude and unpleasant remark for a Join Me to make: "Join Me is a Collective. A bunch of people all over the world who go out and do random acts of kindness." As a colleague of Tim, I would like to know more about "Lucy". What does she have against Tim, and why did she wait until she saw him on TV driving his Saab convertible through Hertford to express her feelings?? Apparently she works at the local Library, and claims to have gone to school with Tim. "Lucy" refers to "we", but fails to explain who this refers to. This post has been edited by Admin for legal reasons on 12 Oct 04 16:27 Edited by - TVA on 12 Oct 2004 17:18:16

Reply ID 1718

[quote] Kate, I saw the documentary, that's all, and this seems to be an ongoing theme in the local paper so it's reasonable to assume there's more to come... [/quote] This forum is becoming dangerously compulsive reading material! I feel we're on a losing battle here for TVA to admit to any direct link to the whole Knights Templar/Illuminati/Secret Tunnels saga, but making statements like the one above and others similar in one breath, and then telling us how he/she has full details of Tim Acheson's school days is kind of pushing it a bit.....!!

Reply ID 1732

quote:

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Originally posted by Kate
This forum is becoming dangerously compulsive reading material!

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Reply ID 1744

Have you seen today's Mercury? Apparently a team of experts from the University of London are coming to Hertford to research the tunnels that were revealed last week. Cool! Hertfordshire Mercury, "Experts look into Hertford's labrynth", p 23, 15 October 2004. [ http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=161472 ] Archived: [ http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=161472 ] Apparently, the neighbouring village of Ware may hold subterranean secrets of its own: http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=161472

Reply ID 1750

Great first line in the article... "A team of tunnel experts is set to descend on Hertford..." No sniggering at the back!

Reply ID 1751

quote:

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Joby: Great first line in the article...

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Reply ID 1757

Sorry, I was being juvenile - as a kid growing up in Sheffield, the term "tunnel expert" was often used to refer to something entirely different. I'll get me coat.

Reply ID 1763

I worked at the Benefits agency at Soveriegn House about five years ago and they kept a lot of leaflets in part of the tunnels. There is an entrance from within Sovereign House and also one from the outside, past that door there is a locked cage-like door. I went three levels deep and it was pretty scary when you are on your own! I was told it was part of a supposed nuclear shelter built in the sixties which led to County Hall one way and then all the way through the town the other way(under the Castle all the way to Waitrose I heard). Until a few years ago there was 200 beds and a supply of tinned food for 200 people for 2 years (please note this stuff is what I was told and may not be fact) This was taken out when some bright spark realised that it would not be suitable for a nuclear attack. Sovereign House was supposedly built in the sixties as a cover for these tunnels and is apparently built in such a way that it can collapse upon itself if was needed. One of the men I worked with said that the tunnel was currently blocked off when you got to a certain point but only with breezeblocks so they would not be hard to remove! This was because of it leading to certain bank vaults. I remember my mum telling me there was bank vaults under the town when I was younger. Anyway, back to the tunnels - There were pictures on the walls of celebrities like Elton John and stuff, all very bizarre. There were alot of signs saying something like "Silence during Quiet Hours" whatever that means? I also have it on good authority that there are definitely tunnels under County Hall. I really hope that these tunnels do get investigated in full as it would be great to know exactly what is in them.

Reply ID 1764

Cheers Emma, this is both interesting and significant.

Reply ID 1768

TVA.. just admit you're Mr. A!!!

Reply ID 1776

quote:

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Originally posted by Bengeobabe
TVA.. just admit you're Mr. A!!!

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Reply ID 1779

There are miles of tunnels under Hertford. I am not simply referring to the Home Office's regional government bunker (codenamed SRHQ 4.2.), in fact much of this "nuclear bunker" made use of pre-existing structures. Unfortunately, national security takes precedence over archaeological research and preservation. There is certainly at least one substantial subterranean structure beneath Ware too. Restrictions prevent me from sharing everything I know, but my hope is that we can piece together knowledge from enough individuals to put a reasonably good picture that is in the public domain and can therefore be openly discussed and acted upon. We're doing well do. Who else knows something?

Reply ID 1780

[/quote]If you're referring to the anonymous Illuminati insider who never turned up to meet the presenter on the Sky TV documentary, how do you know he even exists???! [/quote] Possibly because on 5 October you wrote on another thread of this forum: 'This is because the presenter, Danny Wallace, never turned up to meet Mr A. This fact, together with the less than serious approach of the documentary, is why Mr A declined to be interviewed.' If he didn't exist (& for that matter you didn't know him/are him), you wouldn't have been able to tell us the reason he declined to be interviewed!

Reply ID 1789

Interesting theory, Kate, but all you've got to go on are rumours in a public forum on a website. He he. [}:)] Does anybody know anything about he tunnels under Hertford? Even if it's just a rumour, it would be interesting to hear.

Reply ID 1790

quote:

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Originally posted by TVA
Interesting theory, Kate, but all you've got to go on are rumours in a public forum on a website.

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Reply ID 1793

If I've been inconsistent, show me where and I'll clarify.

Reply ID 1805

Hi Emma, thanks for your comments, that's very interesting and corroborates what I'd heard. I am a little put out that you are obviously more charming and persuasive than me and managed to get past the security to have a look round in the late 1990s which I failed to do when I was a young civil servant in Sovereign House in the mid 1980s! I comfort myself with the fact that the nuclear threat was much more real back then; maybe security got a bit more relaxed in later years as the threat of nuclear annihilation receded. Or maybe I'm just unattractive and charmless. Anyway, after I left Sov Ho, colleagues who were working there in the early 90s told me the food stockpiles were no longer replenished. The details you describe about the bunker have a chilling ring of authenticity. Imagine being one of the 200 senior execs from HertsCC/the Police who were allocated a place in the bunker in the event of nuclear armageddon and you panted down to the bunker with your skin dropping off, only to be confronted by a poster of Elton John! I think I'd rather stay above ground with my family and take my chances with the fall-out! If there were food supplies for two years, I suppose when their Frey Bentos corned beef ran out, the bunker inhabitants would eventually emerge blinking onto Pegs Lane in the post-nuclear winter, with instructions to re-start the human race. Crikey.

Reply ID 1806

Hertford's nuclear bunker, SRHQ 4.2, was originally constructed as the regional post-Armageddon government headquarters. This plan was cancelled many years ago for good reasons - e.g. it would make Hertford a legitimate target for a direct hit by a 50 megaton nuclear missile strike. That's the equivalent of detonating 50,000 kilotons of TNT, compared with Hiroshima which was a 15 kiloton explosion. The force would invoke a an apocalyptic mushroom-shaped tower of white-hot radioactive doom 50 miles high up into the Earth's atmosphere, creating a blast wave so powerful that it would travel around the world three times at Mach I. When the time comes, I sincerely hope that the enemy knows we're not supposed to be a target any more! [xx(] If Hertford town centre is not its self Ground Zero, London is not as far away as it sometimes seems by road or rail, and it will always be a target. The first we'd know about it will be a blinding light, many times brighter than the sun. A few seconds later, a deafening sound, the loudest, deepest rumble of thunder ever heard, would shatter the stunned silence. It would be closely followed by the shockwave, and an earthquake more powerful than any before. Try to imagine an invisible brick-wall travelling through the air, accompanied by a ripple along the ground a metre high, both racing toward us at about the speed of sound. Before you had time to say "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"* we would all be gone forever. Nice! The pictures of prominent figures on the walls are not necessarily related to the original purpose of the chambers beneath Sovereign House. * In ancient Aramaic: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Reply ID 1810

>a deafening sound, the loudest, deepest rumble of thunder ever heard, >would shatter the stunned silence. It would be closely followed by >the shockwave, and an earthquake more powerful than any before. I don't see what any of this has to do with kicking out time at the White Hart.

Reply ID 1811

quote:

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Joby: I don't see what any of this has to do with kicking out time at the White Hart.

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Reply ID 1818

But very close to what happens after six pints and a prawn vindaloo.[:D]

Reply ID 1820

Whatever happens, nuclear war in Hertford will be so much nicer than nuclear war in London. That's why we moved here...etc etc.....

Reply ID 1821

Perhaps we could flee from the apocalypse using the new A10 bypass.

Reply ID 1823

quote:

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Originally posted by Rachel
C'mon, TVA; you 'saw the documentary, that's all'? Everyone has the right to anonymity on this forum so I'm not going to speculate about whether you are Tim Acheson, the Knights Templar man featured in Raymond Brown's article in the Mercury and the Sky documentary; but on 5 October, in another thread on this forum ('TV documentary traces secret society to Hertford') you revealed lots of info about the making of the Sky programme that someone who 'saw the documentary, that's all,' could not have known. Either you were involved in the programme or you know someone who was. I don't have a problem with that and as I've said before, I think you are doing a grand job promoting historic Hertford and Ware but you'll find that Discover Hertford forum contributers are a lot sharper than Mercury hacks and we'll respect your postings a lot more if you're straight about your motivation and don't try to pretend you're less involved than you are in using this forum and the local press to publicise Tim's 'Insider' website and all the tunnels/Templars/Hertford's secrets stuff. Anyway, back to the tunnels; someone who used to work in the Prince Regent/Stonehouse told me there is a bricked-up entrance in the cellar there. I don't think it's particularly unusual for old towns like Hertford and Ware to have a network of tunnels connecting the buildings but it is interesting to 'rediscover' them and thanks to TVA, Tim/Ben Acheson and the Mercury, lots of people are talking about this. WareOnline were talking about a little expedition to look at some of their tunnels; might we do the same? The 'underground secret' that would most interest me is that enormous cold war bunker under Sovereign House. Apparently it is massive, as big as the building above, with 80 telephone points, so I was told by an elderly neighbour who helped to build it. I used to work in Sovereign House in the 1980s and was forever badgering the security guy to show me down there. He wouldn't but he used to wind me up something chronic with exaggerated (I now realise) tales of exactly what was down there: hundreds of beds, stockpiles of food & medicine, weapons, short-wave radio, decontamination suits... does anyone know if the bunker has ever been open to the public or whether it might be? Does anyone else remember how the anti-nuclear campaigners targetted Sovereign House on the anniversary of Hiroshima in the mid-80s and sprayed very effective silhouettes of little human figures (to represent the 'shadows' left by the victims who were vaporised when the bomb was dropped) on the ground all around the pedestrian subway and the 'secret' bunker entrance?

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Reply ID 1824

Well - you can see I have the hang of the reply with quote function. My cryptic response was to Rachel !! I am afraid that there is no secret passage in The Stone House cellar, only a leaky wall adjacent to the diving shop. Hardly an escape route out of Town !! Maybe too many bar staff getting drunk while bottling up came up with that gem !! Jon

Reply ID 1834

quote:

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Originally posted by twojays
I am afraid that there is no secret passage in The Stone House cellar, only a leaky wall adjacent to the diving shop. Hardly an escape route out of Town !!

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Reply ID 1839

Still not convinced !!!! Jon

Reply ID 1840

There is no smoke without fire I say, and with all he snippets of stories people have heard I think that there has got to be some truth in the tunnels being linked. I think that the tunnels under Sovereign House do go further into town than that - otherwise why would the tunnel suddenly come to an abrupt end at a wall of breezeblocks?? Hardly secure, but strange all the same. I remember when I was in the tunnels under Sovereign House and thinking that they went further towards County Hall than just being under the cover of the building, and the breezeblocks were blocked in the direction of the castle/town. I really hope that these tunnels get investigated further soon as I am sooooo interested in the outcome, hopefully whatever they find down there will be information that can be released to the local public. With regards to TVA, does it really matter who/what/he/she is? I think this topic keep veering off the actual facts with speculation as to the real identity of this person. Does it really matter? If TVA can supply information with regards to this subject then thats great. Maybe someone should start a new thread "TVA - Discuss" ??!!??! That was a joke by the way.

Reply ID 1841

>With regards to TVA, does it really matter who/what/he/she is? No, not at all. And anyone who read the mercury on Friday will have seen the letter, regarding tunnels under Hertford, written by a certain Tim V Acheson. [;)]

Reply ID 1845

hurrah i've just become a senior......

Reply ID 1856

I read the letter by T V Acheson too. It's in the current edition of the Hertfordshire Mercury - it's worth a read. For the record, my initials stand for TV addict! [;)]

Reply ID 1862

Come on, don't be shy, TVA - show us your sword [;)]

Reply ID 1863

If you show me yours, I'll show you mine. [:o)] http://www.thefreemason.com/product.asp?P_ID=1580&PT_ID=551 http://www.thefreemason.com/product.asp?P_ID=1580&PT_ID=551

Reply ID 1927

Local folklore mentions a tunnel under Baroosh in Fore Street, Hertford. This grand building was used for many years as the local branch of Barclays Bank. You may recall the huge wooden gates that used to cover the arch of the main entrance. The bar is located close to the old courthouse. Prisoners sentenced to death were taken through underground tunnels running underneath Baroosh. The passage split, one branch leading to the gallows the other to the cemetery. According to legend one Gaoler was lazy, and sometimes slaughtered prisoners in the tunnel himself to save walking the whole distance. Has anybody heard the old ghost stories?

Reply ID 1932

TVA - fantastic - I haven't heard the stories, where can I find out more?

Reply ID 1933

TVA - I had not heard about the one under Baroosh and very interested in the story about the Gaoler. Do you know where the gallows were? I am assuming not all the way to Gallows Hill? Is there are reading available on this and other Hertford stories of the past?

Reply ID 1937

I think I'd try the museum, they have a selection of local books. I also found a really good local book in The Gilmark Gallery. By the by.........both of these places are real gems.

Reply ID 1941

You'll find it chronicled in many books on local history, folklore, ghost stories, etc. E.g. A recent edition (1999) of a book called Discovering Ghosts by Leon Metcalfe, first published in 1972: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0747801649/acheson-21 Here's an extract: ... "Take Baroosh, in Hertford for instance. The bar is built on a site close to the old courthouse, where prisoners sentenced to death were taken through the tunnels running underneath Baroosh. The tunnel split, one leading to the gallows the other to the cemetery - and according to legend the gaoler, too lazy to complete the walk, killed the prisoners in the tunnel before thaking them to the cemetery." http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0747801649/acheson-21

Reply ID 1942

I remember my dear old grandparents telling me about the tunnel under the south side of Fore Street, and other tunnels, when I was a wee laddie. It's sad when local legends are forgotten. Folklore is sometimes be the last key to discovering the past. In the news this week was the discovery by archaeologists in Indonesia of a prehistoric species rather like a miniature humans who used tools and probably had language. They became extinct around 13,000 years ago, and we may never have deduced what they looked like from their bones, but local legend still tells of shy little people covered with hair who lived in the woods: "Scientists are celebrating the most important breakthrough in anthropology for a century: the discovery of a new species of apeman. "... Four dating techniques proved the species of "little people" was still living in the region as recently as 13,000 years ago. They may even have survived into more modern times - when they could have been the inspiration for local folktales of shy pygmy apemen who lived in the forest." http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=576797 The species may not have been limited to the Far East. In the oldest original Irish folk legends, before local traditions were caricatured by marketers, Leprechauns are described as shy, mysterious little hairy folk who lived in the woods!

Reply ID 1943

Please avoid off topic postings

Reply ID 1944

I see what you mean and will be more careful in future. I feel that this is a reasonable example to illustrate mypoint about local folklore with regard to the tunnels. Is it the length of the post that you object to? Please feel free to send me an email privately if you prefer.

Reply ID 1945

I am having trouble with all these secret societies recently being uncovered. If they are so secret why are they being mentioned and why is Mr Acheson going to so much trouble to tell us in the Mercury that he belongs to one of these secret societies and thereby uncovering their secret. Is he a mole? and is this the secret of Raymond Brown's discovery. Being mindful of Admin's post above there was a Star Trek episode where Jim, Bones and Spock discovered an alien race that ate rock and in doing so carved out tunnels. It is all becoming clearer.

Reply ID 1946

I refer the honourable gentleman to today's Mercury: ... “In the hierarchy of the oldest secret societies there is a conservative element which remains strongly opposed to publicity of any kind. However, in today’s more tolerant climate, many younger initiates no longer see a need for such obsessive secrecy. Thus we were able to help the Mercury with its article about Hertford’s tunnels.” Hertfordshire Mercury (UK), "Mystery call puts bank on high alert", 29 October 2004. http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=165763 Archived: http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=165763

Reply ID 1957

I note that admin is getting edgy about off-topic postings; this posting is about the Soveriegn House bunker/tunnels so is that OK? Good. What I want to say is addressed to 'Isaac Quicksilver' of the Hertfordshire Mercury. Judging by the standard of journalism displayed in his column, 'Isaac Quicksilver' must be a psuedonym for the Work Experience student. Nevertheless, his article in this week's Mercury about the Sovereign House bunker was very interesting. 'Isaac', next time you fill your page with information ripped off from this site, can you at least have the courtesy to acknowledge all your sources? We don't mind being used in this way and anything that promotes interest in the town and gets people talking about Hertford is a good thing but it's just rude for you to quote postings from this forum without indicating that you read it here first. Even the execrable 'Hertford Times', your rival paid-for local weekly, had the grace to acknowledge that their article on Hertford County Hospital was lifted entirely from this forum. My comment about the Sovereign House bunker being for 200 Herts County Council and Police officials, was completely made up and in fact it was central government and military figures who had spaces allocated in the bunker. By repeating the erroneous information without acknowledging that it was merely a bit of chat on the local website, you expose yourself to the risk of looking unprofessional and shoddy. And the newspaper that brought us the sarcastic, sneering front page coverage of the helicopter police chase to catch the woman who merely nicked a pack of Ariel Ultra from the Bengeo Co-Op (when in fact the police were trying to track a dangerously speeding car that had failed to stop and was racing at killer speed through residential areas) would never wish to be accused of shabby journalism, would it? So, all you local hacks reading this, please act professionally, enjoy this forum by all means, use it as a source but don't pass off the views and information you find here as your own work; that just engenders ill will towards the title you work for.

Reply ID 1960

Hi Rachel, sounds like you know more than you're letting on! Where did you get your info re. the nuclear bunker? [:)] For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's the article in this week's Mercury to which Rachel refers (see the printed edition for pictures, etc): Hertfordshire Mercury, 29 October 2004, "Still standing after all these years", p 6. Archived: http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0672

quote:

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I called my pal, MC Black, at Subterranea Britannica magazine for advice on the bunker for those desperate to have a peek. "Often it is very dangerous to," he warned. "On more than one occasion people have died in the process. If you attempt to enter a defence-related site, even an apparently unused one, you should expect an unpleasant encounter with military police."

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Reply ID 1961

[/quote]In other words, stay away from Hertford's tunnels! [:0][/quote] I think he just meant 'stay away from nuclear bunkers'.....

Reply ID 1962

I know, Kate, just kiddin'. [;)]

Reply ID 1986

Old news. This place has been in the public domain for over 20 years when Duncam Campbell published photos of the bunker and a far more accurate account of it's use in his book War Plan UK published way back in 1982.

Reply ID 1991

Shhhhh, asdf! [;)] It's much more fun to spin a web of conjecture and half-truths around the mysterious bunker under Sovereign House. It certainly gets the local press going, because they would never dream of researching a story and establishing the facts. I am surprised however that full info about the bunker was in the public domain as early as 1982 because I was keen to find out more about it in 1984-86 when I worked there and couldn't get any information, in fact my boss at the time reprimanded me for allegedly unsettling the staff of Sovereign House by constantly asking about the bunker and speculating about what was down there. I wish I'd known about Campbell's book then. I may have got this wrong but I thought the Sovereign House bunker was actually open to the public a few years back on one of those annual days when public buildings not normally accessible to the hoi poloi open their doors and offer tours for the public. I asked about this on an earlier posting but no-one confirmed it so I'm still not sure if my memory has failed me on this.

Reply ID 1992

quote:

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asdf:
Old news.

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Reply ID 1993

i once read that in the event of nuclear war, 98% of the population of Herts would be killed in the first 24 hours or so. so why bother with a bunker? Or am i just a grumpy old git?

Reply ID 1994

quote:

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carlos fandango:
i once read that in the event of nuclear war, 98% of the population of Herts would be killed in the first 24 hours or so. so why bother with a bunker?

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Reply ID 2005

quote:

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Originally posted by TVA
Unfortunately a full-scale nuclear war would render most of the planet uninhabitable for humans. Every great civilisation comes to an end, and ours is no exception.

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Reply ID 2008

I skipped the first few pages TVA...thanks for the link. At least we should give thanks that our council never wasted money on lots of Nuclear Free Zone signs back in the 80's (90's?). I remember wondering how the shockwave would detour around Harlow etc at the time.

Reply ID 2012

The new "secret" regional nuclear bunker is in Hatfield under the Galleria.

Reply ID 2035

Cool at least I'm only a few yards from it then if it kicks off in the day :-)

Reply ID 2042

A secret bunker in Hatfield, under the Galleria? Er... isn't that the A1(M)? Actually, ever since I learned that a "price-drop.tv" shop had opened in the Galleria, I considered it to be the end of our civilisation anyway.

Reply ID 2048

Maybe the illuminati hold secret meetings in the hatfield tunnel - Has anybody seen these shady characters lurking on the hard shoulder of the A1(M)

Reply ID 2050

quote:

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Rachel:
A secret bunker in Hatfield, under the Galleria? Er... isn't that the A1(M)?

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Reply ID 2051

quote:

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jez_p:
Maybe the illuminati hold secret meetings in the hatfield tunnel - Has anybody seen these shady characters lurking on the hard shoulder of the A1(M)

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Reply ID 2073

I havent looked at this thread for a few days and note with interest Rachels comments about Isaac Quicksilvers article. Isaac did not rip this information off from this forum. No more needs to be said. TVA's comments about the Galleria are very interesting - I will be taking more interest next time I go over there.

Reply ID 2098

I'm glad that you've set the record straight for those of us who know where "Isaac" obtained his information. These details originate from somebody who knew about Sovereign House long before anything was written in this forum or in the local press. I'll say no more.

Reply ID 2100

The local media lifts dozens of ideas from this and other local websites and always has done. Just ask the administrators. No-one minds – there’s no such thing as bad publicity, after all, and this website is supposed to be a resource for journalists – but it’s sometimes a bit galling to see your words used unacknowledged. ‘Isaac’ may have had other sources but the fact remains that he quoted in his Sovereign House article something that exists nowhere apart from in my head and on this forum thread. Anyway – I am delighted TVA and Emma are keen to ‘say no more’ about the Mercury’s other Sovereign House source because no-one gives a damn. Getting back to the local topic, and away from Hatfield etc, I think I must have been wrong about the Sovereign House bunker being once opened to the public, although the fact that details of the bunker have been in the public domain since 1982 lends me some support. I wonder how feasible it would be for those of us who are interested in going down there to simply approach Sovereign House and ask if we can have a look round? I suppose there might be health and safety/insurance issues … is it worth a try?

Reply ID 2101

Rachel The information does exist elsewhere other than in your head and in this thread. I cannot quite believe that you think Isaac ripped the information off from you. There is a lot more information in Isaacs article than what you have posted here. As to getting access to the bunker again - its a government building and one which takes security seriously, especially in this day and age - do you really think this is possible? There is loads of confidential stuff down there and so this will never happen, not through health and safety/insurance issues but through confidentiality and security issues.

Reply ID 2109

To be fair, Emma is the only person on this forum who can take credit for providing information about Sovereign House: http://www.hertford.net/yoursay/topic.php?id=283&whichpage=3 Rachel, when Emma's post about Sovereign House first appeared, you jumped on the bandwagon and posted a reply claiming to know something about the bunker. But when the Mercury published an article about it, you admitted that your claim was "completely made up". Apparently you thought your post had been the source for the article, but in fact your post just repeated what Emma had already said! [;)] Although these topics have been discussed here, I can confirm that this forum was not the source for the newspaper article in question.

Reply ID 2110

quote:

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Rachel:
I am delighted TVA and Emma are keen to ‘say no more’ about the Mercury’s other Sovereign House source because no-one gives a damn.

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Reply ID 2111

quote:

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Rachel:
I think I must have been wrong about the Sovereign House bunker being once opened to the public...

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Reply ID 2112

quote:

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Rachel: I wonder how feasible it would be for those of us who are interested in going down there to simply approach Sovereign House and ask if we can have a look round? I suppose there might be health and safety/insurance issues … is it worth a try?

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Reply ID 2122

i thought Rachel was just saying that her comment about the bunker being for "200 Herts County Council and Police officials" was made in jest...

Reply ID 2126

quote:

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maxrael:
i thought Rachel was just saying that her comment about the bunker being for "200 Herts County Council and Police officials" was made in jest...

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Reply ID 2154

Does Rachel have anything further to say on this topic - or is she in hiding in a disused nuclear bunker somewhere..............................?

Reply ID 2166

This thread is becoming increasingly personalised. If you have something useful or relevant to post please feel free. Otherwise this discussion will be closed.

Reply ID 2170

quote:

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Admin:
This thread is becoming increasingly personalised. If you have something useful or relevant to post please feel free. Otherwise this discussion will be closed.

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Reply ID 2178

I have heard that there is going to be a specialist team coming to Hertford to bounce echos off the streets to find out if there is a large "chamber" underneath somewhere as there is rumours about one still being used by a secret society. Anyone heard anything more about this?

Reply ID 2182

This would be the local CAMRA group who hold monthly meetings in the cellar of a large town centre hostelry; kept secret as they don't want anyone else to drink the best beer.

Reply ID 2184

quote:

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Originally posted by sloopjohnb
This would be the local CAMRA group who hold monthly meetings in the cellar of a large town centre hostelry; kept secret as they don't want anyone else to drink the best beer.

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Reply ID 2221

quote:

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Emma:
I have heard that there is going to be a specialist team coming to Hertford to bounce echos off the streets to find out if there is a large "chamber" underneath somewhere as there is rumours about one still being used by a secret society. Anyone heard anything more about this?

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Reply ID 8712

quote:

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Originally posted by jez_p
I believe there are 3 more tunnels under the A414 that are open to the public free of charge too.

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Reply ID 8715

The discussions on this matter on Ware Online have been running for ages and for as long as they have been on Discover Hertford Online.

Reply ID 8717

I don't think its uncommon knowledge that leading from Salisbury Hotel to Shire Hall (Magistrates Court) and around Wiggingtons Shops there are closed up tunnels that were originally designed to help the local merchants get around and also transport people from Hertford Gaol (now Hertford Museum) to the court and all that. I think it would be great to delve deeper (pardon the pun) into these tunnels.

Reply ID 8776

It is a shame that the tunnels are not recorded on paper, what an interesting project that would be. with many buildings in the town being changed regularly do to new shop etc coming and going, it would be a shame to loose sight or track of these wonderful historical passages.

Reply ID 8788

quote:

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Originally posted by bec501uk
It is a shame that the tunnels are not recorded on paper, what an interesting project that would be. with many buildings in the town being changed regularly do to new shop etc coming and going, it would be a shame to loose sight or track of these wonderful historical passages.

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Reply ID 8792

Why cant/dont they open them up for us all to see.

Reply ID 8794

They could be incorporated into tours of Hertford. Bus the tourists in!

Reply ID 8801

Count me in! [;)]

Reply ID 8805

If we are to capitalise on the Olympic tourism, Hertford should start making the tunnels and castle central to a new tourism programme. The DaVinci Code is a worldwide bestseller, so perhaps we should offer the DaVinci trail! We could end up p*****g off Paris again, though...

Reply ID 8815

Has anybody noticed that Discover Hertford's sister site Ware Online is trying to make out there are tunnels under Ware now. [/quote] Are you thinking of the Monk's Bolt holes? Destination being to St Mary's Church from the Priory and also to the local hostelry in Crib Street. The Ghost still remains [;)]

Reply ID 8818

Please do not post links to other sites without some explanation as to their content. In addition, please do not post links to pages that simply contain re-heated information that has already been covered here and in the local press and wider media. Links that add nothing new to the discussion should not be posted. The editor's decision is final! [:)]

Reply ID 8819

Admin - if it was mine - I was just relying to Barry - sorry

Reply ID 8820

It was me, fair enough Admin[}:)]