# The White House Pontefract October 2012



## PROJ3CTM4YH3M (Oct 14, 2012)

I don’t have a lot of info on this place. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times and I’ve always considered having a look around but its been one I’ve put off for years. What I do know about the place is that about 15-20 years ago it started to become used as a bit of a doss house for drug users and homeless people and more recently there was an incident where someone set fire to themselves inside. Possibly by accident, but there was a murder enquiry and the place was sealed off and surrounded by lots of police for a week or so. Since then the main building has been sealed tight and the roof is completely gone.

The main attraction to this place is the awesome little shelter at the rear. Again information about this is hard to come by. I have read reports that it was a bomb shelter built by a former owner, but in my opinion the thing whatever it is looks much older and reminds me a lot of the hermitage up at Pontefract hospital which is also a heritage site. The style of the tunnel is very similar as is the room which it eventually leads to and the hermitage site dates back to somewhere around the 1300′s.

Whatever it is its pretty cool. Fenced off a set of stairs lead down into darkness. I wasn’t sure if they went any further but once we made it to the bottom it was clear that there was more to this place than it first appeared. The tunnel takes a sharp left bend and then down another 10ft or so before you hit a right turn which leads to a much larger chamber complete with a bench carves out of the stone wall and an area to place candles for lighting.

Onto the photos:


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## UE-OMJ (Oct 14, 2012)

Well that was definitely unexpected. Cheers for sharing that.


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## Judderman62 (Oct 14, 2012)

that's rather cool


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## Ninja Kitten (Oct 14, 2012)

how cool and bizaar!


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## PROJ3CTM4YH3M (Oct 14, 2012)

I know! I proper want one in my garden! The lands for sale if I had the cash I'd buy it and build a house on top of it and have it as an awesome basement


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## Wakey Lad (Oct 14, 2012)

Wow - That house has gone down hill! I went here last May, it was in a much better state then! I hate it when places like this get trashed - No doubt a new housing estate will spring up on here before long! Not sure what i make of the tunnel to be honest. This area has lots of tunnels from the now capped sand mines (some 40km of tunnels). A friend of mine had the job of mapping them all back in the 1980s, the photos he took are quite superb. Great photos by the way, thanks for sharing


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## PROJ3CTM4YH3M (Oct 14, 2012)

Wakey Lad said:


> A friend of mine had the job of mapping them all back in the 1980s, the photos he took are quite superb.



That sounds awesome has your friend got the photos online? And The place has been trashed after the fire when the roof fell in theres been no hope  the tunnel still remains intact though


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## Wakey Lad (Oct 14, 2012)

Sadly he hasn't got his photos online - Hes proper old school, uses a typewriter instead of a pc - Still uses film camera, develops them in his little dark room lol! He got a laptop about 3 years ago, its still in its box! I keep trying to get him to lend me the photos to scan - One day 



PROJ3CTM4YH3M said:


> That sounds awesome has your friend got the photos online? And The place has been trashed after the fire when the roof fell in theres been no hope  the tunnel still remains intact though


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## the_man_1984 (Oct 14, 2012)

Wow that's really was unexpected. Cheers for posting.


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## steve2109 (Oct 16, 2012)

Lovely little report and something different, thanks


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## TeeJF (Oct 16, 2012)

My Lord, how unusual is that!!! Well done for finding it.


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## st33ly (Oct 16, 2012)

Simply just WTF?? Sorry lol Im confused haha.


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## PROJ3CTM4YH3M (Oct 16, 2012)

st33ly said:


> Simply just WTF?? Sorry lol Im confused haha.



My thoughts exactly when I was making my way down there! proper unusual


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## urban phantom (Oct 17, 2012)

Looks good that thanks for sharing


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