"Paul Terry" wrote in message
...
In message
ilgate.org, Troy
Steadman writes
Ha ha that's very funny! What about the two tunnels - not the blue ones
in the security guard's arm but the black ones in the wall beyond the
fence?
They're the exits from Burton's beer cellar (below the station) out to
Midland Road.
Paul Terry

Problem solved - from the horse's mouth:-
"It is not a tunnel but a vault. As you will be aware, the station was
built above ground with the undercroft used for storage of beer from Burton
on Trent. The undercroft under the Barlow trainshed was built of wrought
iron spanning on cast iron columns between brick arched side walls. That is
the wall in the background of your photos. The ground to the west was
mostly earth fill but to the north were a series of arches rather like a
viaduct running east west from the undercroft - originally these were coal
drops. The arch that you have photographed actually forms the basement to
the original parcels offices on the west side which were located just north
of the cab road and booking hall. There were a series of interlinked vaults
under the parcels offices and you can just see the remains of the east-west
vaults behind the cut back mouth of the main vault. The south end of the
main vault terminated in the east-west dray road which accessed the main
undercroft. This has now been demolished back to the north end of the cab
road."

Thanks to you all for your help,
Baz