Tunnels & secret passageways

[She]

I always felt the same C1.

It doesnt fit in with Dr K,s descriptions, but if you just walked into Newton as a stranger with no pre-knowledge of any of its history and someone was to say "if you were a Norman were would you build a castle"....you know what, I would build it up on that hill near to where the station was. I have visited many many Norman castles and I think as a Norman descendent I can say..........yep you are so right in my opinion. BUT- it doesnt seem to fit in with Doc K,s visit through Newton and sighting of the ruins, but in my heart of hearts.......................I agree with you 100%.

[Chorlton1]

I haven't read Dr K's discription but I would say alot of stone has been quarried away from the area even Southworth Rd is a cutting if you look at it what was once a hill for a castle could now be a large flat area.

[kenny67]

YES! RADMAN and YES! SONOFACALENDARMAN I think that you are "both" correct, as i think the most likely building to be the cockpit, is the building out lined in red on the photo that sonofacalendarman posted, and the one out lined in blue was the legh estate offices, as i stated on page 4 of this thread that my friend used to live in the house next door circa between 40s to 60s, and that he used to play in the cockpit with he's friends when he was a lad against his dads wishes, if you look at the upto date photo of the white building on park road, next to what was the civic hall before it was sadly demolished, alans house was the one on the left and the legh estate offices was the one on the right, and if you look at the areal view the L shaped part of the building was the the legh estate, he said that he would come out of the front of he's house and jump over a small wall next door, he would crouch down and as he was creeping past, the people in the office windows would shake there fist at him,then he would climb over the back wall then climb over a "second" wall in the alleyway, and there was a tree and to the right of that was the door to the cockpit, so if you have a good look at the photos, i think that like me you will also agree that this was the building in question.

[kenny67]

YES! at long last the "cockpit" as been identified as no4 on the map that bob posted, and also the building outlined in red that sonofacalendarman posted, as i was at my friends house last night and i shown him the photo's he pointed it out strate away, he said that thay lived in the house ajoining to the legh estate offices because his dad used to work there, he also said at the right hand side of the building was a room leading upstairs were he found the musket gun hidden in the wall where he used to play with he's friends in the late 50s, and the left hand side was the cockpit it's self, he said if you look to the right of the two windows there used to be the main door before thay bricked it up years earlier, and at the other side was another door were the people would escape when thay got raided from the police, thats were alan said he got in, he also said if you look at the side of the building where the two chimmeny's are there is two brick gate collums, were him and his brother used to put a wooden post across to make a swing, and to the left of the gate post you can just make out the incineraters were thay would burn the dead cockerals when thay had lost there fights, and to the right of the gate post was alan's "jasperalans" nans cottage whitch is now sadly demolished, you can imagen the stories that his nan used to tell him of when thay burnt the cockerals it would stink to high heaven, she would often ask them for some so she could cook for herself, alen said he as got some photo's somewhere that he will post on this thread.