Mystery find in underground tunnels of popular Sheffield Megatron tour
“Extraordinary” mystery ring found in underground tunnels hidden beneath Sheffield Railway Station
A possible engagement ring has been discovered in Sheffield’s underground rivers during the city’s popular Megatron tours.
The tours, organised by Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust, explore hidden tunnels beneath Sheffield Railway Station that date back to the mid-1800s.
In a recent excursion, a silver ring was discovered in a box of assorted cutlery apparently embedded in some kind of resin found close to one of Sheffield’s most famous cutlery works.
Anthony Wood was the lead guide who found the ring along with fellow guide, John Clarke.
Anthony said: "It's extraordinary that this tiny personal item has survived almost undamaged for decades on the river bed. Even more extraordinary that it's been found.”
It is actually quite common for guides and guests on this summer’s Megatron tours to find objects such as broken crucibles, grindstones and half-finished cutlery together with pottery and oyster shells, all of which tell parts of Sheffield’s iconic history.
But sometimes they find more unusual items which ask more questions than they answer, like the case of a possible engagement ring.
The Trust is interested to hear from anyone who has a family story of losing a precious ring at work possibly in the cutlery industry.
The underground waterways were originally built to contain the overflow of water from the rivers Sheaf, Porter and the Don. But over the past 200 years, the system of rivers has been misused, broken up and even covered.
The Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust is doing its best to uncover and restore these historic tunnels through their exciting summer tours where you can find yourself in water that can reach chest height.
The money generated from these tours fund things such as river clean-ups, producing plans for river improvements as well as the installation of ‘light wells’ to cast some light onto these hidden rivers for the first time in 150 years.
Tickets for August and September tours are now available for the public to book.