Cathedral Steps Air Raid Shelters
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Cathedral Steps or Arches as they are also known date back to the 1894 when the Manchester ship canal was opened. The Steps / Arches where originally landing stages and were used by the public to board the passenger ferrys which once ran up and down the Manchester ship canal.
During WWII the landing stages where converted along with the adjacent tunnels which surround them, into Air Raid shelters for the people of Manchester city centre. The shelters consisted of 17 Arches and were supposed to provide shelter for a few thousand people in the even tof an Air Raid.
Manchester has had underground tunnels and water ways which date back hundreds of years. Rumors have always circulated that there where still systems buried deep under the streets.
With the amount of development that Manchester has seen over the years it was believed that virtually all of the underground sites had been destroyed, filled in or simply built over.
Fortunatley this isnt the case. With a recent publication "Underground Manchester" the truth was revealed. The myths and rumors could now finally be confirmed, and proof existed that there where still underground networks beneath the city centre.
Cathedral Steps is some what of a time capsule inside. Despite being rather bare they are in rather good condition. By far the most striking feature is the public toilets which sit in the middle of the shelters.
Along with the rather impressive toilets there are a few notices dating back to WWII. Still on the walls which was and added bonus. There is also a few later dated notices lying around which date back to 1966.
The Steps closed some time in the 1980s and all the original access points where removed or sealed.
Cathedral Steps is by far the most preserved and impressive set of Air Raid shelters I think any of us have ever had the opportunity to explore. Its also probably the most intact shelter left in the North West if not the entire country.
The good thing is that because of the access to the shelter it has not been vandalized as is often the case with derelict sites. The other good thing is that this has limited the amount of people going down there, since being closed there have only been a handfull of people to actually ever see the place.
It really is a stunning site. The atmosphere, the smell, the silence, it really is amazing and even more amazing its still here.
