In 1823 a group of Welsh miners hand carver 6 tunnels through the cliffs to allow easy access to Greenhorn Cove, now called tunnels beaches, but now only 5 of the tunnels remain and only 4 are in use. It took the men 2 years to carve the 6 tunnels which stretched over 160 meters.



Over 960 cubic meters of rock was removed in the 2years and the pick axe marks can still be seen today.

Before the tunnels were carved in 1823 they were used by smugglers as the covers and caves made good hide outs. Even De Tracey hid in the caves after the murder of Thomas A Becket.

In 1836 the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company built a new bath house out the front of the tunnels. At the bath house both hot and cold sea water baths were available. The water used in the baths was pumped directly from the tunnels beaches by a wood fuelled boiled that powered the pumps. The boiler house and old boiler can still be seen today.

The old bath house

The old boiler house hidden in the cliff

The boiler house

The old wood fueled boiler

Information from, tunnels beaches Ilfracombe a souvenir booklet established 1823, published 2004,