New Information that has come to light since publication – contributed by readers
Underground street?
October 2017
Dear Mr Macfie, I am interested in the tunnels of Hobart, I worked at Red Cross in Hobart in the 70’s in the building on the corner of Collins and Argyle Street. In the basement was a laneway with what seemed to me to be small shops. We were under the impression that the street had been built up so that the lower floor of the building was not able to be accessed from Collins Street. Have you been into that building? Are you able to shed any light on what might have been the origins of the laneway?
The area I am talking about is the basement below the sandstone building on the corner of Collins and Argyle street. Red Cross House had the Blood Bank and the second-hand clothing shop in the ground floor of the building with offices above and storage in the red brick building attached. The basement was mainly used for storage for the clothing shop and a holding area for wheelchairs and crutches and other medical equipment that Red Cross lent out. The garage and outside car parking was off Kemp street. Looking at older maps Kemp street doesn’t seem to exist at the time the sandstone building (Lewis House 1845 now on the heritage register) was first erected. Sir Elliot Lewis operated a merchant and auctioneers business and lived in the top two floors. He would have needed to move goods into the building This makes me think the lower part of the building could be accessed from the back in what is now Kemp street. In the basement I remember what I believe was a shop front, Door and window and step up. There was a road surface, I had to go into the area to search for Red Cross Youth items given by overseas organisations. I was so intrigued I took members of a youth group down to show them the street underground. The foundations for the brick building attached to 51 Collins would have cut through this area when it was built. Perhaps the firm that leases the building now would allow you to travel down the lift to see if that area still exists. It is after all the early 70’s I am talking about, as my son says the olden days. I live on the west coast these days and very rarely get down to Hobart. I will be interested if you are able to find out why this area existed.
Toni