A shopkeeper has discovered a secret smugglers tunnel under his cornershop floor - after opening a cupboard door in his basement.
David Edwards, 46, found a 50ft underground passage leading straight to the sea, which experts believe may have been used by smugglers to bring in contraband.
Mr Edwards bought the shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but he never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards.
But finally during a spring clean he opened the doors and found it led to a nine foot passage running down to the sea.
Mr Edwards said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea."
Shopkeeper finds 50ft secret smugglers' tunnel leading from a cupboard in his basement straight out to sea
David Edwards, 46, owns the Ocean Blue store in New Quay, Ceredigion
He bought shop six years ago but never cleared basement cupboard
Finally he opened the doors to find a 9ft high passage running to the sea
Local historian said seaside town was smugglers' hotspot in early 1700s
By Kate Samuelson For Mailonline
29 March 2016
Daily Mail
A shopkeeper has discovered a secret smugglers tunnel under his cornershop floor - after opening a cupboard door in his basement.
David Edwards, 46, found a 50ft underground passage leading straight to the sea, which experts believe may have been used by smugglers to bring in contraband.
Mr Edwards bought the shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but he never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards.
Shopkeeper David Edwards, 46, has discovered a secret smugglers tunnel under his cornershop floor - after opening a cupboard door in his basement
A map showing the distance between Mr Edward's shop and the sea, where the 50ft tunnel led to
Mr Edwards bought his shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards
Picturesque New Quay on Cardigan Bay
But finally during a spring clean he opened the doors and found it led to a nine foot passage running down to the sea.
Mr Edwards said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea.
'I bought the building about six years ago and there was a cupboard I never really went into as it was full of rubbish.
'Then a bit of water came into the cupboard and I thought "I am going to have to investigate what is there"'.
Finally, during a spring clean, he opened the doors and found it led to a nine-foot-high passage running down to the sea
Experts think the passage was used by smugglers to bring in contraband in the 17th and 18th century
Mr Edwards (pictured) said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea'
Pictured in his store, the shopkeeper added: 'As I opened up the cupboard and moved the blockage away I found myself looking into a tunnel'
He said: 'It's quite eerie to go along the tunnel but also exciting - it makes you imagine what people might have been up to hundreds of years before'
'As I opened up the cupboard and moved the blockage away I found myself looking into a tunnel.
'It's quite eerie to go along the tunnel but also exciting - it makes you imagine what people might have been up to hundreds of years before.
'Unfortunately I've had to put a padlock on the door because so many people want to have a look.'
His wife Karina added: 'I thought I was going to find a pot of gold and retire but unfortunately not.'
Experts have suggested the tunnel could have been used in the 17th and 18th Century - when the smuggling of illegal alcohol was rife in Cardigan Bay, West Wales.
Others have argued it is just part of a drainage system, but local historian Roger Bryan said the seaside town was a hotspot for smugglers in the early 1700s.
He said: 'In August 1704, after three ships had arrived with salt on board, custom officials found 150 men with horses on the beach loading contraband.
'It would be great to be able to see if the tunnel could be cleared all the way to the beach, but at the moment it's just great to make this discovery and it's already got all of New Quay talking.'
NEW QUAY SMUGGLING OF AUGUST 1704
Following anonymous information in August 1704, a riding officer set off from Merionnydd with seven men to follow a number of boats that were unloading salt illegally along the west coast.
When they arrived at New Quay they saw around 150 people with 200 horses ready to unload salt from the boats. As they were only eight officers against so many, when the smugglers realised they were there, the officers had to fire their guns to defend themselves.
They were arrested by the local constables and one of the officers had to face the court because he had injured a smuggler.
It was clear that the local magistrate sympathised with the smugglers. As herring was so important to the livelihood and diet of the people of Cardigan Bay there was great trade in smuggled salt.
Source: Cardigan Bay Maritime History Project
David Edwards, 46, found a 50ft underground passage leading straight to the sea, which experts believe may have been used by smugglers to bring in contraband.
Mr Edwards bought the shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but he never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards.
But finally during a spring clean he opened the doors and found it led to a nine foot passage running down to the sea.
Mr Edwards said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea."
Shopkeeper finds 50ft secret smugglers' tunnel leading from a cupboard in his basement straight out to sea
David Edwards, 46, owns the Ocean Blue store in New Quay, Ceredigion
He bought shop six years ago but never cleared basement cupboard
Finally he opened the doors to find a 9ft high passage running to the sea
Local historian said seaside town was smugglers' hotspot in early 1700s
By Kate Samuelson For Mailonline
29 March 2016
Daily Mail
A shopkeeper has discovered a secret smugglers tunnel under his cornershop floor - after opening a cupboard door in his basement.
David Edwards, 46, found a 50ft underground passage leading straight to the sea, which experts believe may have been used by smugglers to bring in contraband.
Mr Edwards bought the shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but he never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards.
Shopkeeper David Edwards, 46, has discovered a secret smugglers tunnel under his cornershop floor - after opening a cupboard door in his basement
A map showing the distance between Mr Edward's shop and the sea, where the 50ft tunnel led to
Mr Edwards bought his shop Ocean Blue in New Quay, Ceredigion, six years ago but never got around to clearing out his basement cupboards
Picturesque New Quay on Cardigan Bay
But finally during a spring clean he opened the doors and found it led to a nine foot passage running down to the sea.
Mr Edwards said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea.
'I bought the building about six years ago and there was a cupboard I never really went into as it was full of rubbish.
'Then a bit of water came into the cupboard and I thought "I am going to have to investigate what is there"'.
Finally, during a spring clean, he opened the doors and found it led to a nine-foot-high passage running down to the sea
Experts think the passage was used by smugglers to bring in contraband in the 17th and 18th century
Mr Edwards (pictured) said: 'I know it goes all the way through the back of the building and beyond towards the sea'
Pictured in his store, the shopkeeper added: 'As I opened up the cupboard and moved the blockage away I found myself looking into a tunnel'
He said: 'It's quite eerie to go along the tunnel but also exciting - it makes you imagine what people might have been up to hundreds of years before'
'As I opened up the cupboard and moved the blockage away I found myself looking into a tunnel.
'It's quite eerie to go along the tunnel but also exciting - it makes you imagine what people might have been up to hundreds of years before.
'Unfortunately I've had to put a padlock on the door because so many people want to have a look.'
His wife Karina added: 'I thought I was going to find a pot of gold and retire but unfortunately not.'
Experts have suggested the tunnel could have been used in the 17th and 18th Century - when the smuggling of illegal alcohol was rife in Cardigan Bay, West Wales.
Others have argued it is just part of a drainage system, but local historian Roger Bryan said the seaside town was a hotspot for smugglers in the early 1700s.
He said: 'In August 1704, after three ships had arrived with salt on board, custom officials found 150 men with horses on the beach loading contraband.
'It would be great to be able to see if the tunnel could be cleared all the way to the beach, but at the moment it's just great to make this discovery and it's already got all of New Quay talking.'
NEW QUAY SMUGGLING OF AUGUST 1704
Following anonymous information in August 1704, a riding officer set off from Merionnydd with seven men to follow a number of boats that were unloading salt illegally along the west coast.
When they arrived at New Quay they saw around 150 people with 200 horses ready to unload salt from the boats. As they were only eight officers against so many, when the smugglers realised they were there, the officers had to fire their guns to defend themselves.
They were arrested by the local constables and one of the officers had to face the court because he had injured a smuggler.
It was clear that the local magistrate sympathised with the smugglers. As herring was so important to the livelihood and diet of the people of Cardigan Bay there was great trade in smuggled salt.
Source: Cardigan Bay Maritime History Project
