This mysterious 'lost' street with tiny homes and tunnels was discovered in Stockton-On-Tees in County Durham during a £1m refurbishment plan to build luxury offices.

The tiny homes and secret tunnels are thought to be 250-years-old. They feature original wooden window frames, solid doors and cavities to hold candles.

Jeff Highfield, 49, uncovered the living quarters during the refurbishment of his Grade II Listed Georgian townhouse in the city centre.

Before Mr Highfield gained permission to turn the townhouse into business space, the former upmarket residence Gloucester House had become a hotel and much later a planning office for the local authority.

Intrigued by the find, he spoke to local historians to understand the original purpose of the mysterious underground street.

Mr Highfield said: “There used to be access to street level and according to the previous mayors that have been down here we believe these are tunnels that link to other parts of Stockton.

“This used to be effectively a street below the street - living quarters for people that were not very tall I think.

See pictures at http://www.bookspen.com/mysterious-underground-city-discovered-british-town/

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