Maximus, the railway cat, having a three day holiday in the tunnel before being reunited with his owners!
Dave looking for the buffers in the bottom statio
Dave and Michael helping
found the water chutes instead!
November 2006
Found images of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in bottom station (presumably drawn by bored Railway staff)
2′ square door to bottom station in 20″ blast wall- the only way in- note that it used to be locked and bolted during war
found another toilet seat under ledges
childrens shoes under ledges
October 2006
Tom and Steff refitted drainage ledges for canvas stretched over refuge area (there is a drainage pipe at the bottom of each area)
buckets of rubble on top floor of bottom station (see July 06 pictures). London Brick Company bricks used for all war-time structures. The 2 Crossley gas engines used to be up here to pump the water back upto the top water tank. Don’t know why there was so much rubble up here unless it was the base for the engines.
Tom and Steff enjoying a rest
its a big room with the rubble cleared. Note the original Victorian toilets were in the corner.
September 2006
Doors Open Day. Fantastic success and beautiful weather for a change. We had people queuing both Saturday and Sunday sometimes waiting upto 45 minutes to get in. Bunting and Union jacks were very cheerful
Doors Open Day banner
Original telegraph system on loan, ‘Wardens Post’ notice found under ledge, lottery funding was £1500 to print our first postcards and booklets
broken pottery, glass and iron pieces found in Sion Hill tunnel
August 2006
Refurbished and fitted a gate we found to the top station
We also went hunting under refuge ledges,
found bits of signs
bottles, crockery and domestic gas masks
July 2006
We cleared some rubble from the top floor of the bottom station
we set to work to prop up the panelled ceiling in the bottom station since it was on the move
We also sorted out some of the BBC vents which had fallen down in the staff room area
we found a green bottle of Sunrise beer made by Ashton Gate Brewery in the “new” tunnel
May 2006
Maggie putting the coachlines on the car which she painted in George White colours of Oxford Blue and cream with maroon and gold coach lines
Mike and Alan putting the car on the rails
Alan doing the finishing touches
John measuring the length of the rails (123 metres from top to where they were cut at the bottom)
Peter talking to some of the visitors on open day. The exhibition went down well
The HTV presenter squeezing into the tunnel
The Sir George White bus, part of a fleet of free buses taking the visitors on a round trip to the Industrial Museum as part of the bus rally
April 2006
finished another railing, wood top in good shape again
Alan started to make a full size car
car taking shape
drains investigated by Dave
starting to cut hole in 14″ thick wall
Tom inside
Jason taking over- it took 4 hours to complete
paving slabs. The tunnel is 50′ long ending in the communal garden of Spring House
John and his mate
candle alcove with soot at the end
March 2006
some of the bottles we found- Brooke and Prudencio definitely the favourite lemonade, and Bristol United the favourite beer
sorting out the hole in the floor- lots of half bricks in the tunnel used to fill it in,
looking for more bits of railing
John sorting out the bits, note the curved wooden top still intact
Maggie cleaning up the railing
Dave trying to make cement stick to the ceiling
Door being painted by Tom
February 2006
made some of the steps safer at the bottom station,
started digging out the trench between the bottom water tank Trench full of dead rotten wood
Made part of the first floor of bottom station safer- bit dusty, and joists rather rotten. The rest of the floor is concrete since the Crossley engines were up here.
Nott’s signature
started preparing the back door of the top station for painting.
January 2006
We had a social get together instead of working. My cake was technically correct with cables, four tracks and sleepers on a gradient and went well with mulled wine in the tunnel.
Digging out another part of the tracks
Taking the rubble up the stairs
part of a gas mask bag
fragments of barrage balloon
Bev screwing up the lottery plaque we gained for an educational grant
