a souvenir booklet Welcome to your souvenir booklet for Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe’s award-winning beach and must-see tourist attraction! As bathing and the ‘art of swimming’ became increasingly popular in Victorian times, local entrepreneurs employed Welsh miners to hand carve six tunnels through the Ilfracombe hillside, to enable access to a beautifully rugged coastline (four tunnels are still open to the public). Ilfracombe grew from a tiny fishing village to a bustling seaside resort. It could be said that the tunnels are the main reason Ilfracombe exists! The coastline and landscape remains virtually unchanged from its Victorian hey day and Tunnels Beaches is still today Ilfracombe’s most popular tourist attraction and its main blue flag beach. Tunnels Beaches lies within a designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, conservation area and voluntary marine conservation area. For further information, visit our website... www.tunnelsbeaches.co.uk 01 Bathing at Ilfracombe Of the several bathing beaches at covered by the sea twice every day, no matter what Ilfracombe, certainly the most delightful are the state of tide may happen to be – spring or neap – those at the Tunnels, under the charge of thus always keeping the pools full of clean water. Professor H. Parker. These beaches are most conveniently situated near the centre of town, The attendants on this beach, Tom Rowe and being approached from the Wilder Road at the Jack Griffiths, are most obliging and very popular. bottom of Northfield Road and Torrs Park. The ladies’ beach is reached by proceeding through The private hot and cold baths, and the model three other tunnels, found on the right after leaving tepid swimming bath, are extremely popular, the long first one, and here also the pond is similar, but the special feature includes the two large though somewhat smaller, to that of the gentlemen’s. pools, one for gentlemen and the other for ladies. The attendant, John Griffiths Senior, is quite a character, and is known to frequenters of the beach A long subterranean tunnel forms the entrance as “Jack”, and frequently provides considerable to the beaches, which are to the rear of the amusement to the numerous visitors by the various well-known Torrs Walks, protected on the west by nautical commands which he gives to the horse Torrs Point, and on the east by a range of rugged “Gilpin” (a great favourite with the children, who ride rocks. Leaving the tunnel, the entrance to which is on his back), for Griffiths is an old “salt”, who refers to from Runnacleave Road, and proceeding to the left, everything in terms connected with the sea. “Gilpin” it the gentlemen’s pool is reached, and here it may be should be mentioned, is engaged for the purpose of mentioned that the pools or ponds are formed by drawing the bathing machines on the beach. damming back the water, thus being completely 02 There is another great attraction to the Tunnels, several hundred pounds, has been carried out by apart from the bathing, and that is the romantic rock Messrs Britton and Pickett. and cliff scenery. Years ago a rickety old bridge used to connect the third and forth tunnels, and under the A word must also be said for the lessee of the forth tunnels was a small cave in which it is stated beaches, but, who is there that has paid a visit to De Tracey took refuge after the murder of Thomas A Ilfracombe and does not know Professor Parker, the Becket. In the course of time the cliff slipped down winner of over a hundred and fifty cups and medals? and covered up two of the tunnels for several years. He is well known as the “Amphibious”, and his aquatic performances at the Tunnels are the talk of Now, with common able enterprise, and at great all those who witness them. The tricks he performs expense, the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company, are marvellous, whilst his son, “Little Harry”, is through the efforts of Professor Parker, the lessee, a wonder. The latter swims with graceful ease, he has had the cliffs in the neighbourhood made quite following in the footsteps of his father, the feats safe, and constructed a sea wall between the third he goes through being really remarkable. The visit and forth tunnels. The approach to the ladies’ beach to the Tunnels should certainly be included in the is now made much easier, donkey chairs and even programme of every visitor to Ilfracombe. carriages being able to go right onto the beach, whilst the grandeur of the scenery has been in no way impaired. It is anticipated that the hundreds of Ilfracombe Gazette & Observer, picnickers who frequent this favourite spot will this Arrival list & Advertiser, 24 July 1903 year be greatly increased. The work, which has cost 03 Tidal pool... 04 [the tidal pool is visible for 3hrs before and 3hrs after low tide] 05 The tunnels... hand carved... facts & figures... In 1823 a team of hundreds of Welsh miners The total length of the tunnels is over 160 metres hand carved through the cliffs to allow easy access to Crewkhorne Cove and subsequently It took 2 years to carve the tunnels built three tidal bathing pools – two allocated for the ladies and one for the gentlemen. The Over 960 cubic metres of rock had to be removed beaches were then renamed ‘Tunnels Beaches’. The miners were paid 8d per day smugglers... The pick axe marks are still visible today throughout Prior to the carving of the tunnels, the coves the walls of the tunnels and caves were used extensively by smugglers. The recesses in the first tunnel housed candles and hideout... later oil lamps De Tracey took refuge within a cave here after the murder of Thomas A Becket. In all, 6 tunnels were carved, 5 still remain, 4 are used 06 Bath house... Local people recognised the need for provision of indoor bathing. Thomas Stabb, a surgeon who had moved from Torquay, began gathering support for the formation of the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company. In 1836 the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company erected an elegant new bath-house where both hot and cold sea water baths were available for health and hygiene. Baths were taken within a labyrinth of small enclosures beneath the house. Sea water was fed from the Tunnels Beaches on the other side of the hill via a wood fuelled boiler that in turn powered a pump. The site of the pump house can still be seen through the tunnels. Ilfracombe and its baths are ideal for ‘invalids, waifs and strays from the heat of India, worn-out clergymen... and to people, whether young or old, whose ailments arise mainly from want of stamina and general lack of tone’. Ilfracombe: The healthiest of all watering places 1867 07 The tunnels... 08 09 Bathing & the pools... good health... segregated bathing... Bathing facilities were the first essential at any An 1839 guidebook explained the rules: fashionable watering place; so once Ilfracombe ‘The westward part is allotted to gentlemen, began to expand it set out to improve its while the eastward is by custom left to the provision, both for visitors who wished to ladies and is carefully guarded against intrusion. bathe in the sea and for those who prefer Machines and bathing women are in attendance, to seek sea-water cures in the comfort of and every information respecting the proper a bath-house. time to bathe will be given at the Baths’. In this period bathing was still regarded as an Segregated bathing was tightly controlled; aid to health rather than as a pleasure, and it a bugler sat between the ladies’ and the was normal for bathing to take place early in gentlemen's pools – if a man attempted to the day. At this time bathing was segregated spy on the ladies, the bugler would blow an – the ladies had been allocated Wildersmouth alarm call and the man would be arrested. beach while the gentlemen (who still bathed nude!) had to take a boat trip to the inaccessible Segregated bathing lasted 82 years! – In 1905 Crewkhorne Cove to retain their modesty. mixed bathing was allowed for the first time. 10 three pools... facts & figures... Originally there were three pools at Tunnels It took hundreds of men 18 months to build Beaches, but unfortunately the ravages of winter the tidal pools storms has only allowed the ladies’ pool and part of the smallest pool to survive. The remains Lime was brought by ship from a kiln sited of the gentlemen’s pool can be seen from the at a nearby cove gentlemen’s beach. The smallest pool can be seen below the boiler house. Over 26 million people have visited the pools since they opened in 1824 The pools were built between the natural curve of the rocks using boulders and lime mortar The pools have seen over 136,000 tides for the retaining walls. come and go over the years modesty... Every year the main pool is drained by removing a large ‘plug’ to allow for repairs Horse drawn wooden bathing machines were wheeled to the water’s edge so that the modesty Despite being ruined by strong tides and of the ladies could be maintained. storm damage, we are planning to restore the former Gentlemen’s pool to it’s former The beach attire and fashion was somewhat glory... so watch this space! less revealing than today! 11 Curious and philanthropic inventions Dr Nichols, a Malvern hydropathist, known is likely soon to become as universal as that of the in the scientific and literary world in both bathing machine invented by a modest and benevolent hemispheres, is gazetted as the patentee of some Quaker of a former generation.