Tunnels/Arches

Liverpool Road/Water Street, Manchester M60 9EA   |   Status at Sep ’18: MAJOR REFURB

Known as the ‘rat run’ tunnels, this labyrinth of underground passageways and rooms is formed from a Grade II-listed colonnaded railway viaduct (circa 1870) with some parts stretching into the cellars of the Bonded Warehouse (circa 1867). The viaduct itself is supported by a series of cast-iron columns on stone bases.

Today, there are remnants of more modern uses – notably, parts of the Granada Studios Tour, which closed in 1999. Since then, the tunnels have been used primarily for storage and filming but currently remain abandoned.

Some of the Victorian storage vaults beneath the viaduct, known as the Arches, were used as part of the 1968 Coronation Street set; for the Granada Studios Tour as retail units; and have since been used for filming – notably, as the shops and bars of Coronation Street‘s ‘Weatherfield Precinct’. Arch 4 is connected to the Starlight Theatre above via stairs (sealed) and a lift.

Rails of the original railway track running along the top of the Arches were visible, and still are, on the now-demolished Coronation Street set.

You can see the layout of the tunnels on the Hidden Manchester Map, and below.

Tunnel map base © OpenStreetMap contributors/tiles courtesy of Andy Allan. Info: openstreetmap.org/copyright. Full, more up-to-date map of the whole site here.

‘LA skyline’ stairs (top)

‘LA skyline’ stairs (bottom)

Fire hydrant

Historic feature

Stairs to tunnels

Bricked tunnel end

Engineering rooms

Engineering library

Mixing desk

North tunnel section

Starlight Theatre stairs (top)

South tunnel section

Tunnel access

Pumps

Pipes

Wardrobe room

Starlight Theatre stairs (bottom)

Arch 3

Arch 1 frontage

North tunnel section pipes

North tunnel section plant

Underground workshop

Junk

Engineering rooms stairs

Engineering room (left)

Looking down

Plant

Arch

South tunnel section plant

Tunnel end

Stone pillar

Workshop room

Ventilation

Engineering room (right)

Storage

Industrial plugs

Arch 2

Arch 1

Arch 1 posters

Mortuary set

Bonded Warehouse connection

Workbench

Show controls

Make-up room

Wall damage

Mid-section

Stop valve

‘LA skyline’ stairs (demolition)