The Burrowing Duke
Michael Smith unearths the 5th Duke of Portland’s obscure but fascinating obsession
Michael Smith unearths one man’s passion
SEVERAL miles from the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is Welbeck Abbey, the former ducal estate of the Dukes of Portland. The abbey was founded around 1150, but was later destroyed during Henry VIII’s reformation, and the current abbey at Welbeck didn’t start to appear until 1600, being built by the 1st Duke of Portland. Perhaps the most well-known of all the Dukes of Portland though was the 5th Duke, William John Cavendish-ScottBentinck, who came to be known as the “burrowing duke”.
The second son of the 4th Duke of Portland, William, born 17 September 1800, was never meant to inherit the title. However, when his father died in 1854, William became the 5th Duke of Portland, due to his elder brother having died years earlier. Reluctantly taking the title, he set about making alterations to the lake, building a new wood yard and dairy, and providing his keepers with new houses.
During the next 18 years, until his death in 1879, the 5th Duke of Portland is said to have spent
£100,000 a year carrying out building projects on his estate, and kept 1,500 workers – mainly Irish – in active employment during that time. A large part of the money was spent on constructing subterranean rooms and tunnels under the abbey and a network of tunnels, which allowed the Duke to leave his estate unseen with his servants not even knowing if he was home.
Almost 15 miles of tunnels were built beneath the Welbeck Estate, approximately 12 feet wide and 9-10 feet high. They were built with handmade bricks from the nearby brickyard, and gas lights were placed every 100 yards.
The network of tunnels started at the 1,270-feet-long, glass-roofed tan gallop – used to exercise horses – ran beneath the stables and came out at the 380-feet-long riding school.
A tunnel ran under the Welbeck Estate in the direction of Worksop railway station about four miles away. This tunnel was built to allow the Duke to leave his estate by carriage and travel by train to his house on Cavendish Square in London. His carriage would be loaded on to the train at the station and there he would remain inside, with the blinds down, during the journey to London.
Another tunnel was constructed to replace the road that ran through the Welbeck Estate, which was a public right of way. This tunnel was made by digging a roadway several feet below ground and creating an arched roof out of turf and glass, then planting flowering shrubs around it. The inside of the tunnel was large enough for a horse and carriage.
The library at Welbeck – believed to be the first underground library ever
built – had folding doors that divided it into three rooms. Crimson silk, bought from Paris, was used to give the light that streamed through the 24 skylights a softer edge. On the east side of the library was an ante-room, and at night 1,100 gas burners were used to illuminate them both.
Other underground buildings built by the Duke included a church, an observatory and a billiard room that was big enough to accommodate six tables. Without doubt the most impressive of all was the giant underground ballroom – and with the walls lined with paintings, it also served as a picture gallery.
The ballroom was lit by three rows of 27 octagonal skylights and at night by 18 glass chandeliers. Eight wrought-iron beams – weighing 20 tons each – supported the structure.
Being 159 feet long and 63 feet wide, the ballroom was big enough to accommodate almost 2,000 guests – although the Duke never invited any.
The Duke not only built tunnels and underground rooms for his own use, but he built numerous stone lodges across his estate for his employees – with the higher-ranking staff members being given the better ones. The lodges were also built with tunnels that ran from the cellar and out under the garden, at the end of which were small underground rooms that were used to house the toilet, as well as any livestock the tenant had. The Duke didn’t even allow washing to be dried outside, supposedly because he thought it unsightly.
Over the years there has been much speculation about the 5th Duke of Portland and his eccentric fascination with subterranean structures. Some have said that he was pining for a lost love, was leading a double life in London or was hiding a disfigurement. Perhaps the truth is he was just a very private man who had the financial resources to pursue an obsession. Whatever the reason, his imagination resulted in some amazing creations, the true purpose of which may never be unearthed.
Welbeck Abbey, Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 3LL. 01909 500 211; welbeck.co.uk
Whilst the tunnels and underground rooms aren’t open to the public, the abbey’s State Rooms, which consist of about a dozen rooms, are open from the beginning of August up to and including the first week in September. Visitors can see the entrances to some of the tunnels during the tour.