A rural 17th-century cottage with a Tudor-era underground tunnel allegedly used by Catholics and Protestants to hide from Edward VI and Mary I’s prosecutors has gone on sale for £425,000.
The Grade II listed semi-detached, four-bedroom cottage is located in the rural village of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.
The property dates back to the 17th century and displays white frontage, black paint detailing, and pretty bay windows as its exterior.
Whilst it appears to be a quaint cottage, underneath there is a large tunnel dating back to the Tudor period.
The tunnel inside the home leads to a central meeting room further into Fowlmere and at one stage would have been used by several homeowners to keep safe according to the estate agents.
The Grade II listed semi-detached, four-bedroom cottage is located in the rural village of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire
Whilst the property appears to be a quaint cottage, underneath there is a large tunnel dating back to the Tudor period. The tunnel inside the home leads to a central meeting room further into Fowlmere and at one stage would have been used by several homeowners to keep safe according to the estate agents
In the Tudor period, Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church after being denied a divorce from Katherine of Aragon and declared himself the head of the Church of England.
He didn’t enforce religious change other than closing monasteries and taking their money, but his successors – radically Protestant Edward VI (r.1547–53) and Catholic Mary I (r.1553–8) prosecuted and hunted Catholics and Protestants respectively.
Under Elizabeth I, Catholics who had been free to worship in private were hunted out, fined, imprisoned or executed. Priest-holes were built in many Catholic homes to provide hiding places, similar to the tunnel underneath the cottage that likely provided a hiding place for the homeowners.
A ladder leads down to the eerie tunnel surrounded by white, chalk-like walls as the tunnel spirals in several directions leading into complete darkness.
Placeholders for where torch lights and lamps would have been placed can be seen on the narrow historic walls of the tunnel.
The traditional home above boasts four bedrooms and has plenty of space to allow for a future home owner to entertain.
The living room of the property has a quaint log burner which sits on a brick fireplace at the top of the room.
The roof of the home has a traditional wooden beam structure on the ceiling of the room and an additional beam from floor to ceiling.
The master bedroom shares the same carpet as downstairs as well as having a lamp on one wall.
The second bedroom of the home has a blue carpet with a matching roof which narrows towards the front of the home.
A ladder leads down to the eerie tunnel surrounded by white, chalk-like walls as the tunnel spirals in several directions leading into complete darkness
Estate agent Ensum Brown offered some context to the historic underground of the cottage as well as sharing it has been viewed over 10,000 times
The bathroom of the home is also carpeted and has a bath alongside the wall of the room which features white tiles, a sink and a toilet.
There is also a shower hidden behind the door with a wooden frame used as the main structure for the historic bungalow.
The property also boasts a large garden which would be an ideal spot for entertaining guests unaware of the incredible history of the home.
The property was shared online last week on Sunday by a house-browser, writing: ‘Just your average country cottage for sale.’
The post has received over 300 likes from Twitter users and has received many comments.
One wrote: ‘Wondering what the legalities are of ‘owning’ a historic tunnel that may run under other properties and land? How do you work that out?’
A third replied: ‘Kudos for using ‘Going Underground’ by The Jam on the video… Homes Under The Hammer would be proud!’
Estate agent Ensum Brown offered some context to the historic underground of the cottage as well as sharing it has been viewed over 10,000 times.
Speaking today, he said: ‘The tunnel goes from Hillview cottage to several historic village buildings and has a central meeting room under the village.
‘It was likely to have been built when Henry VIII created the Church of England and was most likely used by Catholics and Protestants as an escape route when persons of authority visited.
‘Most properties get around 60 clicks a day on Rightmove, this one received over 10,000 in a single day at the weekend’.
Properties in Fowlmere had an overall average price of £602,859 over the last year, according to Rightmove.
