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Bellevue Woods tunnel 26FEB16
t’s a simple enough little tunnel, hidden away in Bellevue Woods, just five minutes along the path – heading towards Delgany – as you leave The Octagon ruin.
t’s a simple enough little tunnel, hidden away in Bellevue Woods, just five minutes along the path – heading towards Delgany – as you leave The Octagon ruin.
The Octagon, of course, was part of the Bellevue Estate, once used as a hunting lodge and tea rooms. A river must have run through this tunnel at some point – then again, maybe it had an entirely different purpose.
Who knows what the La Touche family got up to out there in the woods…?
Not exactly a secret to those who live in the area, it would be nonetheless easy for strangers to stroll straight past this little tunnel without realising it was under their feet.
A perfect little spot for any kid with a sense of adventure. And maybe a torch…
2 comments
Interesting bit of history on the tunnel from Guide reader Michael Fisher…
Interesting looking at the ‘Bellvue Tunnel’. It’s been a while since I walked through it and it sure has filled in a bit. The purpose of the tunnel was for the ‘trades people’ when the were delivering to the ‘big house’. The idea was that they must not be seen from the house so a special ‘below ground level’ avenue was constructed for their exclusive use. This idea was common to all the big houses, not just Bellvue.
Cheers, Mike….
An access road for trades people / servants is one explanation. Another possibility is the visual impact on visitors, having them walk to a dark tunnel and then the landscape opens up. Bear in mind that there weren’t so many trees back in the days of Bellevue estate and therefore the view across the Wicklow mountains would have been magnificent. When you walk through the second but shorter tunnel, you have the Sugarloaf right in front of you.