All language subtitles for Cities.Of.The.Underworld.S01E01.Scotland.Sin.City.720p (ING)

[suspenseful music]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
Underneath Scotland's capital

city of Edinburgh, a hidden
world lies in darkness--

a world of lions dens--

There was an actual
lion here in this pit?

In this pit.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
--seedy vaults--

I'm standing in a den of
thieves and drunkards, huh?

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
--and paved over,

This looks like you've
got an underground city.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): This
modern metropolis is literally

supported by over 10
centuries of its dark past--

That's the floor level of
the City Chambers up there.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): --from
secret Masonic meeting places

and illegal whiskey
distilleries,

to rumored underground sex
parties and massive dungeons,

and even a possible resting
spot for the Holy Grail.

Edinburgh's underworld is a
secretive city of its own.

We're peeling back
the layers of time

to uncover the "Cities of the
Underworld, Scotland's Sin

City."

[music playing]

Located in the heart
of the Scottish hills,

Scotland's capital
city of Edinburgh

has a history that
stretches through the ages.

From its secret bunkers
to its seedy past,

there's an underworld
here that can

rival any place in the world.

I'm Eric Geller.

tells two very
different stories.

There was the enlightened
and educated capital

that flourished up
above, while a world

full of the poor
and plague ridden

lived simultaneously down below.

1,000 years of
Scottish secrets are

buried beneath these
streets, and they're

about to be revealed.

[suspenseful music]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): It all
began over 300 million years

ago, when a glacier eroded
this extinct volcano to create

a nearly 450 foot high
plateau with sheer cliffs

along each side.

This terrain may have made
this city a nearly impregnable

fortress.

There's limited space and
lack of flat foundations.

To make matters worse,
constant attacks from outsiders

made it nearly impossible to
live outside the city walls.

The fortifying wall built to
protect the Scots from attack

seriously limited
building space.

So residents had
to get creative.

The rich built up, and
constructed the first high rise

apartments in the world
in the late 16th century.

And the poor went down,
creating their own mini city

beneath the streets.

And these cities
are all still there.

You just have to know
how to get to them.

[suspenseful music]

The Royal Mile is the main
thoroughfare of Edinburgh's Old

Town.

With a castle at the top and
the Royal Palace at the bottom,

it's one of the steepest and
oldest streets in the city.

Now, today the mile
is bustling with life.

But 400 years ago,
it was the site

of Edinburgh's darkest days.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): In 1644,

the last of several
plague epidemics

ripped through the city.

It was an extremely
painful disease,

with vomiting, bleeding, and
infected boils, and a mortality

rate of up to 75%.

And I was going to ground zero
of the deadly plague epidemic.

[suspenseful music]

Chris.

Nice to see you, as well.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): I met
with archaeologist Chris A.

Kelly.

If you follow me
through here, we'll

have a look around
Mary King's Close.

Oh, great.

Thank you.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): Chris
was going to take me over

Almost 80 feet
beneath the Royal Mile

sits a street called
Mary King's Close.

It's just one of dozens
of streets buried

beneath the modern ones.

But instead of being
filled in, this street

was sealed up and
forgotten until now.

[suspenseful music]

CHRIS A. KELLY: Here we are,
Mary King's Close itself.

This looks like you've
got an underground city.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): It was
a massive underground city, now

buried 80 feet
beneath the streets.

This hidden neighborhood,
still lined with apartments,

was once 350 feet long.

That's more than
a football field.

Today, almost 200 feet
of it still remain.

But this underground world
wasn't always underground.

When the city was constructed
nearly 900 years ago,

it was built up around one main
thoroughfare, the Royal Mile.

Off the Mile where closes
or narrow alleyways

like Mary King's, the one
I was about to explore.

Closes as were lined with high
rise apartments and shops.

The alleyways made
the hilly terrain

and cramped quarters more
manageable to maneuver.

They extended out from
the mile that ran down

the volcanic hill, down the
steep hills of the growing

city.

The word close comes
from enclosure.

And today these passageways
are found all over the city,

both above and below the ground.

So is this the idea-- that
this would have been the actual

close, as it were?

Indeed, it was.

Open air, open
to the sky, but not

necessarily open to the sun.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
300 years ago, I

would have been walking down
the open air Mary King's Close.

The high rise apartments
along the close

could have been up
to 14 stories high,

and would have blocked
out most of the sun.

But for the poor who were
unlucky enough to live

at the bottom, lack of
sunlight was the least

of their problems.

For the common folk, there was
no sewage system or garbage

pickup.

Instead, the streets
we were walking through

became a river of sewage washing
up at people's doorsteps.

CHRIS A. KELLY:
The only sanitation

The only way of getting
rid of their rubbish

was literally to put it in the
bucket and then chuck it out.

What they used to cry was
gardyloo, from the French garde

a l'eau, mined out for the
water, which of course, was not

what they were throwing
out into the close.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
The emergence

Now, these people from
above, they're just taking

their buckets of [bleep]
and everything else.

They dump 'em down here.

Oh, indeed.

So if someone shouted
gardyloo, you'd

have to dive for
the wall or a door.

Now, let me guess that
if you live down here,

this would not be the
best place to live.

Oh, no, especially if the
rain came washing all the filth

It might flodown.o

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
350 years ago, this street

would have been a
flowing river of waste.

With waste washing up
knee deep into the houses,

disease spread like wildfire.

What made it worse was that
the people who lived down here

hadn't discovered how
the disease was spread.

CHRIS A. KELLY: They thought
that the plague was caused

by invisible bad
smells called miasmas,

or they believed it was down
to witches and the influence

of the devil, and
ghosts, and spirits.

They didn't realize that it
was the filth they were living

in that was causing
all the problems.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
This secret labyrinth

of alleyways and rooms was
hit hard by the plague.

In an effort to
contain the epidemic,

city officials put Mary
King's Close on lockdown.

If you were infected, you were
quarantined inside your home.

That meant it wasn't long before
every member of your family

was a dead man walking.

Hundreds died in
these apartments,

and the bodies were kept indoors
until the plague cleaner came

down these very streets
to cart them away.

Some say the plague is the
reason this entire neighborhood

is now underground-- that
the city bricked over

the closes, literally burying
the plague victims alive.

But recent studies show covering
Mary King's Close had nothing

to do with the plague.

My god, look.

It looks up, like, what--

of what building?

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
The City Chambers

is a massive structure that
was sitting right above us.

Today it covers Mary King's
and several other concealed

buildings and alleyways.

Covering the city
of the poor was

one of the most drastic changes
of street level in history.

In the late 17th century, as
the small city began to grow,

they started to
run out of space.

But instead of building
outside the city walls,

they simply built up.

Three centuries ago,
the people of Edinburgh

actually changed the way
their city was shaped.

Using the mile as its
backbone, they literally

raised the level of
the steep hillsides

to run parallel to it.

This massive facelift used
the existing structures

to hold up the weight of the
new streets and buildings.

In turn, the closes
and their tenements

became the vaults or basements
below the new city streets.

2 and 1/2 centuries later,
the walls of the basement

still hold up the six story
building up above, but not

without reinforcements.

So what is this right here?

Ah, now that-- this
is a savior arch.

When they put the vault
here in the 18th century

to support the
Royal Exchange, that

meant there was pressure
coming from different angles.

And they were probably
worried-- the architects,

that is-- that it could be
cracked or even collapse.

And this thing, of course, was
intended to take the weight

and spread it.

[music playing]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): This
subterranean neighborhood

turned modern day foundation
was a feat of engineering--

an ingenious way to make the
most of the limited space

the city had to work with.

At the same time, it buried a
piece of plague ridden past,

creating a time
capsule of darker days

80 feet beneath the streets.

[ominous music]

Edinburgh has
seen tough times--

bloody wars, fierce
fires, deadly epidemics.

But each battle has only
made the city stronger.

Its population boomed,
forcing Edinburgh

to expand and rebuild.

With the horrors of
the plague behind it,

the city was ready
for a facelift.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
This facelift

came in the late 1700s,
when Edinburgh first began

to build past the city walls.

The threat of attack
was over, and it

was time for the city to grow.

Five bridges sprung up
around the Old Town,

allowing Edinburgh to
stretch in all directions.

But these bridges
weren't built over water.

They covered land.

That's because travel over the
hilly terrain beyond Castle

Hill was too steep and
dangerous to cross.

So engineers provided
the connections,

and people moved freely
between the old and new town.

But there's one bridge that did
much more than link Old Town

with New Town--
the South Bridge.

And its unusual construction
actually created another world.

[suspenseful music]

Des.

Des, thank you
for meeting with me.

Not at all.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): Des Brogan

See this bridge here?

Right?

Lovely, lovely, big bridge.

This is the only
one of 19 arches

that you can actually see.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
Des was one of the first

to enter the lost
Blair Street Vaults--

vaults that had been
forgotten and sealed up

for almost 70 years.

Let's go and see them.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
In fact, it's

entrance is so camouflaged
by the 21st century

that we had to walk through
a modern day office building

to get to it.

[ominous music]

DES BROGAN: Here you are in
one of the covered vaulted

chambers.

And this keeps going.

I can see it right
now it keeps going.

What
That's right.

And this bridge was
across a valley.

And then, on the outside of
the bridge, they built houses.

And that's why you can't see
the bridge, except for that one

arch where the
road runs through.

So what you have just
done there just now

is walk down a flight of
stairs, through the old houses,

right under the bridge itself.

And that is where we are,
right under the bridge.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
So the office

But how did these vaults
get underneath the bridge?

It all started when
space on the South Bridge

began to sell at a premium.

Businesses built shops
on top of the bridge

to make the most of
the foot traffic.

Soon tenement houses went
up alongside the bridges,

covering all of the 19 arches
except the one I had just seen.

To maximize space,
floors and ceilings

were built beneath
the blocked-in arches,

creating dark, vaulted chambers.

I was 50 feet beneath
the busy South Bridge,

and had stepped 200
years back in time.

This vast labyrinth
spanned over 1,000 feet,

making the bridge above as
long as three football fields.

This whole area would have been
filled with taverns, cobblers,

dressmakers, and glass blowers.

But not all of these
subterranean businesses

were on the up and up.

Many believe whisky was
invented in Scotland.

And it's always been a deep
seated part of the culture,

keeping folks warm in
the winter and even

"curing" common
ailments like smallpox.

But in the early 1700s,
a hefty government tax

made it nearly
impossible to get.

That didn't stop the Scots.

They took their
distilleries underground.

In the 1790s, there were only
eight licensed distilleries

in the entire country.

But there were over
400 illegal ones,

just like the one I was standing
in beneath South Street Bridge.

These vaults were the
perfect place for distillers

to make their booze--

Now, this is one of our
vaulted chambers with something

of a history to it.

This is one of the places
where the whiskey was distilled

illicitly.

And, of course, you can see why
this would be an ideal place,

far away from the public, very
dark, narrow points of entry

It to it.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): It
was a battle between the tax

collectors and the illicit
bootleggers, much of it

plotted out underground.

An elaborate
network of smugglers

was constantly on the
lookout for tax men.

These clandestine groups came up
with ingenious ways of skirting

the law, like transporting
whiskey in broad daylight

inside a coffin.

But the hardest part came before
the whiskey was even made.

Raw materials like grain,
yeast, and coal for boiling

were bulky and not easy to
sneak in past the public above.

But the criminals in this
vault had that problem all

figured out.

It's simply through
a hole in the street.

By that you can remove
protective covering up

in the street and
dump your coal,

heavy materials
like coal down here.

And that then is used to boil
up your mash for the distilling

of the whiskey.

So that's their
illicit coal hole.

DES BROGAN: Yes, indeed,
that's what it is.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
Illegal whiskey

The engineering masterpiece
that was the South Bridge

began to leak.

During construction,
the budget was tight

and it was never waterproofed.

So legitimate
businesses moved out,

and Edinburgh's poor moved in.

The vaults became
Edinburgh's slums.

Evidence suggests that
brothels and pubs opened up

in the damp abandoned vaults,
creating an underground city

of homeless hookers
and convicts.

It was so dangerous that no
law abiding citizen, not even

the police, would dare
set foot near the vaults.

But some may have
been forced down here.

These very vaults are rumored
to be the old stomping grounds

of the murderous duo Burke and
Hare, better known as the Body

Snatchers.

When William Burke and
William Hare were here,

the city was growing up above.

And the medical profession
was flourishing just

beyond South Bridge.

The best and brightest came
here to study medicine.

But this need for knowledge
created an interesting problem.

By law, medical students
could dissect the bodies

of executed criminals.

But with most of
Edinburgh's criminals

hiding out
underground, untouched,

there was a need
for fresh corpses.

So entrepreneurs Burke
and Hare got crafty.

They went on a murdering spree,
killing nameless travelers

or prostitutes, whose deaths
wouldn't cause much concern.

They traded in the
corpses for cash.

Some say, before
they made the deal,

the cadavers were stored right
here underneath South Bridge.

The cool temperatures would
have kept the bodies fresh,

and its proximity
to the university

made it less likely they'd
be caught in transit.

Eventually, the damp
vaults were leaking so much

they became uninhabitable, and
weren't even fit for storing

cadavers.

with rubble.

Then, 12 years ago, the
vaults were cleaned up,

and Des and other underground
experts were allowed in.

The time capsule they found
answered many questions

about Edinburgh's
underground past.

A little glass pistol.

Now, this very well could have
been filled with something.

You could have put
a cork in there

Yeah, could well have been.

Because, of course, many of the
people who lived in these rooms

were very poor, and they would
make their living from theft.

I'm standing in a den of
thieves and drunkards, huh?

So, now, what's above
our head right now?

One more level of arches,
and then you've got the road.

And, in fact, you can
actually hear the traffic.

ERIC GELLER: Those people
who are driving or walking

No, absolutely not.

This .

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): It
began as an engineering marvel

meant to bridge old and new.

But instead, the
construction of South Bridge

created a lively and
lawless underground

inside its subterranean arches.

It was a world
far more dangerous

than anyone could have imagined.

And both then and now, it's
much closer than you think.

[suspenseful music]

Edinburgh Castle
dominates the city skyline.

The castle dates back
to the 12th century,

but the extinct volcano it rests
on is millions of years old.

Mother nature created the
ideal castle fortress here,

with steep cliffs
to keep enemies out,

and plenty of underground
to keep them in.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): Each
year, over 1 million people

visit Edinburgh Castle, the
former home of Scotland's most

famous royalty.

But few know of the world that
sits underneath this nearly

1,000-year-old fortress, and
I had special access down.

You must be Charlie.

I am that, Eric.

Thank you, Charlie.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
I met with senior steward

Charlie Hutton, who
was gonna show me down.

We've got to issue
you a hard hat.

Hard hat.

Oh, this is hard
hat, baseball style.

Set that on there.

How do I look?

You look grand.

[ominous music]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
Edinburgh Castle

has been damaged and
rebuilt many times

in the city's turbulent history.

But a stronghold has existed
here since the seventh century.

The structure has all the
fittings of a superfortress.

It was the home of
the Mighty Scots,

considered barbarians
to the rest of Europe.

Through the years, the Scots
earned their fair share

of enemies.

in the castle's bowels--

lots of them.

But the dungeons Charlie
was taking me to first

weren't the barbaric medieval
dungeons I was imagining.

And the prisoners these walls
once held weren't the ones

you'd expect.

These subterranean rooms were
first built in the late 1800s,

as a bakehouse, to feed the
many soldiers living on site.

But when Britain
found itself embroiled

in the Battle of the
American Revolution,

this bakery took on
a whole new use--

to hold captured
American sailors.

ERIC GELLER: This looks like
a dungeon down here, Charlie.

This is a dungeon.

This looks like
a dungeon, huh?

Yes.

And they would have been
the prisoners in this.

CHARLIE HUTTON: Yes.

And they would have been
sleeping in these cots?

And they would have just
gone on for rows and rows?

Yeah.

They'd been going
for rows and rows.

And this room would
have held how many people?

40 people.

40 people.

So your Americans might have
been hanging out in this area.

Could be in this part here.

French probably had
the nice hammocks there.

- Yeah.
- You know how the French are.

[upbeat music]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
200 years ago, I

would have been standing
inside of a two level dungeon.

Along with two solitary cells
there were eight large cells,

each approximately 10 feet
wide and 10 feet tall,

and carved out of the lava
rock 600 years ago by hand.

At the height of the American
Revolution, space was tight.

And upwards of 1,000 sailors
would have been packed

in these very rooms.

Mutiny was always a concern.

But what were these Americans
doing here in the first place?

The Americans began the
Revolution without a navy,

but they quickly transformed
their merchant ships

into war vessels, and ironically
chose a Scottish born captain

as one of their naval leaders.

His name was John Paul Jones.

And today this Scotsman
is considered the father

of the American Navy.

[explosions]

He took the revolution right
to the shores of Britain

by planning to attack
seaside towns and vessels.

But if one of his
hundreds of wartime ships

was captured in the process,
the captain and crew

were immediately jailed.

Those Americans captured
off the coast of Edinburgh

were brought to
these very rooms,

with no chance of escape.

If you even were able
to get through here,

this is all of those
steep cliffs that go down

over 100 feet.

CHARLIE HUTTON: Yeah.

You had a long climb.

It would be a deadly
fall, wouldn't it?

Yeah.

It most certainly would.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): We were
over 400 feet above sea level,

in a medieval castle built
atop the volcanic rock.

And like any fortress
worth its name,

it holds many carved out
cells and hidden chambers

under the Castle Rock.

[suspenseful music]

Next stop-- an underworld
fit for a king.

Today the east
section of the castle

is a drum shaped building
called Half Moon Battery.

But in 1547, this entrance
tower was the first line

of defense in case of attack.

Beneath this battery sits an
even older defense structure,

and this one is the
textbook version

of what a fortified medieval
castle would have looked like.

It has a lion pit,
and even escape routes

carved into the lava rock.

All right.

Let's try not to
bite it down here.

This is great down here.

Look at this place.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
This place was just

a small part of what
was once a super tower.

The 700-year-old tower
was a well fortified royal

stronghold, the size of a
modern 10-story building.

Amazing, when you consider
that it was built by hand.

It was built to be a
castle within a castle.

The idea was if the main
castle fell into enemy hands,

the king and his court would
retreat into the immensely

fortified secondary building.

These rooms were big enough
to hold not only the king,

but also his family
and royal court.

There were 10-foot thick stone
walls soaring 100 feet high

to ensure their safety.

60 feet below the ground
level, an added safety measure

to protect the
leader of the Scots.

This is a great room.

Look at this place.

This was the king's bedroom.

This was the king's bedroom?

King's bedroom.

stories, these arched ceilings
helped to distribute the weight

of the heavy castle up above.

But what if an enemy did
breach the castle's defenses

and find the king's hideout?

They were in for
a deadly surprise.

CHARLIE HUTTON:
Just below you here

we have a pit and a lion's den.

ERIC GELLER: There was
an actual lion here?

There was a lion here.

In this pit?

In this pit.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
This last line

of defense was incredibly
simple but deadly.

As the king withdrew
into his chambers,

his guards would have
removed the wooden planks

outside his door.

The invading soldiers were
then left with a 6-foot jump.

If they didn't make it,
they fell almost 10 feet

into the lion's den.

[growling]

If things got so bad that
the lion was unleashed,

we can be sure that the king
would have been long gone.

A secret escape
route ensured that.

It was carved into the hillside
beneath the castle, where

a tunnel led to a door that
opened up outside the castle

walls.

But if David's Tower was
such a protective fortress,

how did it get buried 30 feet
within the Half Moon Battery?

It all started in
the 16th century,

when David's Tower
suffered heavy bombardment

from the English.

There was a 5-year
siege on the tower.

In the end, the top of
the tower collapsed,

crumbling through the
inside and leaving

these subterranean rooms.

200 years later, the Half Moon
Battery was built in its place,

burying what was left of
this medieval fortress.

But over 60 years ago, and
nearly 30 years after David's

Tower was rediscovered,
these subterranean rooms

would be used for
protection once again.

It was the year 1939, and war
broke out all over Europe.

Bombing was a serious
threat, and the Scots

needed a safe place to hide
their most valuable possession,

the crown jewels.

What better place than deep
inside a 14th century toilet

fit for a king?

CHARLIE HUTTON: This
is the king's toilet.

This is it, huh?

This is the king's throne?

So the royal ass
Oh, man.

I wouldn't say this
is fit for a king,

but it's not too bad
for 14th century, huh?

That's right.

In 1939, when the war
broke, out the crown jewels

were moved from the crown
room, brought in here

and they were buried.

Did they pick this
area for a reason?

Well, the reason
would be would

you like to go and
dig in a toilet.

Well, for crown jewels
I might think about it.

You know?

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
A nearly 1,000-year-old

subterranean dungeon carved into
a nearly 300-million-year-old

volcanic rock.

I was at one of the
highest points in the city.

But down these steep
slopes of Castle Hill

were many more
underground cities

just waiting to be explored.

[suspenseful music]

The History of
Edinburgh's underground

occasionally relies upon a great
deal of rumor and speculation.

But the key to unlocking the
truth about the underworld

might just lie in the darkness
of a long forgotten tunnel.

Hidden between a playground
and a basketball court,

the remains of the city's once
thriving railroad can be found.

But the Scotland Street Tunnel
was much more than a railway

line from the mid-1800s.

It actually played a key
role as a super bunker,

saving hundreds of lives
during World War II.

[suspenseful music]

Duncan?

Hi, Duncan.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
And Duncan Frasier

You got something
interesting to show me?

OK, let's go.

dating back to 1847--

a tunnel whose mere existence
helped to create the Edinburgh

we see today.

[suspenseful music]

Over 100 years ago, space
was tight in the city.

But planners knew
they needed a way

to get construction
materials and equipment

in and out of the town center.

So they built Scotland Street
Tunnel, an ingenious idea that

allowed freight trains to
travel beneath the streets,

going from the city center
to Scotland's bustling ports.

But new railway lines prompted
Scotland Street to shut down

after only 20 years
of train service.

The tracks were ripped out,
leaving an empty cavity.

The city above quickly
forgot about the world down

below until nearly 100 years
later, when Hitler attacked,

and the gaping hole
beneath the houses

was transformed
into a super bunker.

ERIC GELLER: So there's all
sorts of scattered debris

around here.

It looks like some
poles of some sort.

Yeah.

This was occupied during
the Second World War.

And-- and it was used for a
number of things, including

storage of important documents.

And it was used as an air
raid shelter, as well.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
In the 1940s,

World War II was
raging through Europe.

This empty tunnel was
over a half mile long--

the size of nearly
10 football fields--

making it the
perfect subterranean

bunker to protect
citizens from Nazi bombs.

60 years ago, thousands
of terrified locals

filled these very walls whenever
an air raid siren sounded

overhead.

The world they left
behind is nothing

short of a subterranean city.

ERIC GELLER: Duncan,
what is this?

Is this something
for the railroad?

No, it certainly isn't.

This is a toilet block.

A toilet block?

You mind Yeah.

I need a few moments here.

[chuckles]

This is-- this is like
the kind of urinal you'd see

at a sports stadium or
something like that.

Don't bang doors.

Don't bang doors.

Look at this.

[chuckles]

OK.

So let's if this is--

This would be the ladies.

Right?

in a little better shape here.

They probably looked
after them better.

- Look at that.
- Oh.

Now, this is--
now, this is fine--

fine accommodations
for the lady folk.

Huh?

Compared to
Luxury.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): But people

weren't the only
things protected

in this underground
super bunker.

Evidence of filing
cabinets, electrical wires

to bring in light,
and storage spaces

were all along the tunnel.

Yes.

During the war,
the civil servants

also found there was
a need for storage.

And they were very worried
about losing valuable papers.

So down here, they
actually had storage rooms

with filing cabinets in
it to store these papers.

What a wonderful idea.

even relocated down here,
forming a little community.

That's because the
risk of a bomb dropping

on this neighborhood
was very real.

DUNCAN FRASIER:
The German forces

were coming over and trying
to hit the docks, which

are very close to here.

So people were very
vulnerable living here.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): There
were no reported injuries

inside this makeshift bunker.

And after the war, it was nearly
forgotten until, oddly enough,

someone realized
the lack of light

was perfect for
growing mushrooms.

So in the '60s and '70s
we would have seen a field

We'd be walking on
of mushrooms.

We would have been-- all down
the floor of the tunnel here,

yeah.

and the mushroom farm
inside it was closed forever

in the early 1970s, after a
robbery in one of the railroad

stations up above.

The bandits used
this as the exit route

to escape the police.

And they ran all the way down
here, got out, and got away.

And because of that,
for security reasons,

they shut the tunnel.

What a shame.

But for all thos
Yeah.

Huh?

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): Sealed
off and forgotten, this site

became a secret
very few knew about.

It was so secret, that when
a shopping center was built

in 1985, a pile was driven
right through the roof.

So tell me about this.

Why is this here?

This is here because
they damaged the tunnel.

The only time it was damaged,
when they drove the piles down

through it, not realizing
that the tunnel was here.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
The tunnel was repaired,

and mall construction
continued up top.

Today shoppers have no
idea we're down here.

Neither do the
commuters, as they

rush to catch their trains.

Look, I got a train to catch.

Could we go in that way?

Yeah.

Let's go and see.
- Will you take me through?

Let me lead on.

[train whistle]

You can hear the
whistles blowing.

Now, watch out.

All right.

I see light.

Oh, man, do I see you light.

This is the light at
the end of the tunnel.

Yeah.

So this is the train
station right out here.

This is the platform.

and they take a peek
at this, do they

have any idea what this is?

People don't know
what this is about.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): It's
a forgotten tunnel first built

for freight trains, that later
became a super bunker that

saved lives.

This engineering marvel has
withstood the test of time.

And 10 feet beneath
the ground, it's

just one more example
of Edinburgh's

saturated subterranean.

[music playing]

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
Edinburgh's long history

is full of bias and corruption.

From the subterranean streets
of Mary King's Close--

where thousands
of plague victims

lived and died underground--

to the vaults of
the South Bridge--

where thieves and illegal
whiskey distillers

hid from the public eye--

I'd seen the dark and seedy
underside of the city.

But there's one forgotten
spot in the sleepy suburb

of Edinburgh that has a past
no other site can rival--

a rumored past where
Freemasons met in secret,

where an ultra rich sex club
conducted sexual rituals,

and where the
Knights Templar may

have even hidden the Holy Grail.

The site is called
Gilmerton Cove,

and it lies underneath the
small mining town of Watson,

just four miles from
Edinburgh's city center.

Though the mysterious cove's
history stretches back

hundreds of years, very little
is actually known about it.

But I found the one person
who could let me in.

Great tHi.

Nice to meet you.

Great.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): Just
10 feet beneath the streets,

and directly beneath
a local bookie joint,

was a carved out warren of
rooms dating back centuries.

Come down here.

Do you want to
put a hard hat on?

Some of the doors and
ceilings are quite low,

so just to stop you
from banging your head.

All right.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): Mel Johnson

every story and
legend surrounding

this secret suburban spot.

Watson is a mining town, so
holes beneath the streets

are nothing special here.

But when this site was
officially excavated in 2002,

experts were stunned.

[music playing]

There were seven
subterranean rooms

that up until 225 years
ago were still in use.

MEL JOHNSON: This
is Gilmerton Cove.

ERIC GELLER: This
is really neat.

This is really
impressive down here.

Even just seeing this a little
bit here, it's great down here.

It's quite bizarre, isn't it?

Yeah.

It's not-- it's not what
you expect when you come down.

It really is a very odd place.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): But what

made Gilmerton
Cove even stranger

was how it was constructed.

MEL JOHNSON: The whole
cove has been excavated out

of the sandstone bedrock.

By using the bedrock
they've created these rooms,

and passages, and
spaces all the benches,

and all the tables,
all the doorways,

everything has been carved away.

ERIC GELLER: So that's what
this is, is a sitting space.

- Yes, it is.
- Now, can I sit on this?

Or this one looks
like it's gonna break.

No, that's fine.

All right.

Well, I'll have a
seat on the bench.

That's my limestone
bench that's carved out.

This is great!

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
The official version

the home of a local blacksmith
named George Patterson.

He decided to build an
underground dwelling where

he could work and
live with his family.

It supposedly took
Patterson five years

to carve out his home.

But some say the cove is too
elaborate to be the work of one

man.

It's built around a
main corridor that

stretches for 40 feet.

Carved entirely out
of natural sandstone,

it has two entrances
and six main rooms.

Each room is decorated
with built-in,

carved out natural furniture.

The cove covers over
1,000 square feet,

and is 10 feet
beneath street level.

After Patterson's death,
the cove fell out of use.

And that's when his homey warren
of rooms became a den of vice.

Away from prying eyes, the cove
was an ideal spot for all sorts

of illicit activities.

There are rumors that it
was used for illegal whiskey

distilling and
smuggling of goods.

And there are even stories
that these rooms were once

an underground brothel and pub.

But even more
salacious, the cove

is rumored to be a meeting
place for the notorious Hellfire

Club.

popular in the 18th century.

The club met in secret, and is
rumored to have held everything

from orgies to satanic
meetings in their subterranean

hideaways.

Their motto was,
do what you will.

And Gilmerton Cove might have
provided the perfect amount

of privacy to do just that.

There are a lot of rumors
about what this place was used

Theories are that it was som
for.

that it was, you know, ritual
or occult type activities,

that the Covenanters
hid down here.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
But the Covenanters

were around a century before
the blacksmith Patterson, who

was originally thought to have
carved out these rooms by hand.

That meant the
history of these rooms

could actually date back
even further than originally

thought, to an exceptionally
bloody time in Scotland's

history.

The period was called
the Killing Times,

and began in 1638, when
the King of England

tried to crack down on
the Church of Scotland.

The Scots rose up
against the king,

and signed their version
of the constitution

called the National Covenant,
to confirm their opposition

to the king.

But few realized their
signature could bring death.

Covenanters lost their homes.

They were harassed
and tortured, driven

to exile, sold into slavery.

And many thousands were killed.

As the king's army
scoured Scotland looking

for Covenanters, many retreated
underground in secret.

ERIC GELLER: What is this?

MEL JOHNSON: Well, it's
always been referred to

on the early plans
as the punch bowl.

The punch bowl?

Yes.

And it's mysterious.

It doesn't make any sense.

They've gone to some effort to--

to define.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
It doesn't look like much.

But this bowl, carved out
in the middle of the table,

resembles a baptismal bowl.

Did the Covenanters
risk death and hold mass

in this very room, while the
king's army searched for them

just 10 feet above?

Could they have carved
out these rooms and not

the local blacksmith?

In 1897, the first attempt was
made to find these answers.

An extensive survey was
launched in hopes of unlocking

the mystery of these rooms.

They discovered its history may
have been older than expected.

The sharp chisel
marks on the walls

pointed to a much older
and cruder way of carving.

Experts guessed the cove
dates back nearly 400 years.

This finding linked the cove
to the time of the Covenanters.

But experts uncovered other
clues, leaving more questions

than answers.

The cove is littered
with graffiti

from throughout the centuries.

But only one symbol was
repeated in numerous places.

One of the interesting symbols
on this table is this one.

What it does resemble
is a Masonic compass.

It sure does.

It sure does.

See the compass right there.

[suspenseful music]

symbols in Freemasonry-- onn

a secret brotherhood
whose origins

are shrouded in secrecy.

But before elaborate lodges
sprouted up around the world,

could the first Freemasons
have met underground

in this subterranean cove?

In 2002, excavations here
revealed another clue that may

link the Masons to this site--

a secret doorway.

There's some sort of
entrance doorway in here.

But this blocking-- this was all
in place when we came down here

to do the excavation.

We were told by the
structural engineers

not to move that, because
the street is just up there.

Literally right there.

Yup.

So if you keep digging in
here, the street may come down.

Exactly, which is why
we weren't allowed to.

But we don't know what this--
what this doorway leads to.

So it could be just
a shallow as that

or it could go all the
way underneath the street.

It could go all the
way under the street.

ERIC GELLER
(VOICEOVER): This tunnel

shrouded in mystery.

is carved in its stone.

The street might fall down
if they dig any further.

But if Gilmerton and Rosslyn
are connected underground,

then Gilmerton could actually
be the final resting place

of the Holy Grail, brought here
by the famous Knights Templar.

The Knights Templar
was a powerful order

of Christian Crusaders,
disbanded in 1307 when the Pope

charged the Grand
Master with heresy

and burned him at the stake.

Many Knights fled to
Scotland for safety,

along with their
treasures and wealth.

Here they were far from
the reaches of the Pope

and Inquisition.

So what happened to
their Holy treasures?

No one knows for sure,
but rumors abound.

And one rumor, like
this filled in tunnel,

points directly
to Rosslyn Chapel.

Rosslyn Chapel is
just 7 miles outside

of Edinburgh, and 5 miles
away from Gilmerton Cove.

Built in 1446, it's literally
bursting with symbolism,

linking this small
chapel to the Freemasons

and the ancient order
of the Knights Templar.

Many believe it
was actually built

to protect the treasures
of the Templar,

including the Holy Grail.

But could Gilmerton
Cove actually

be the Grail's
final resting place?

What better place to hide
something that everyone's

looking for than a
sleepy mining town

far away from suspecting eyes?

And the key to putting
these rumors to rest

may just lie beyond
this wall of rubble.

MEL JOHNSON: We just
don't know what--

it's too unsafe to find out
at the moment, unfortunately.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER): Today
no one can say for sure what

Gilmerton was used for.

But finding these mysterious
clues carved in the walls

beneath a bookie joint is sure
to make anyone's imagination

run wild.

Mel says there are
plenty of reasons

to keep these stories alive.

MEL JOHNSON: Edinburgh's
famous for the vaults

and the underground city
in the center of the city.

There's nothing else
like this known at all.

It's completely unique,
and nobody really

knows what its purpose was.

ERIC GELLER (VOICEOVER):
From tales of body snatching

to secret societies, from
engineering masterpieces

holding up the city to crown
jewels stored down below,

Edinburgh's underworld has
been a multipurpose place.

But down here it can be hard to
distinguish fact from fiction.

And the only people who
could tell us for sure--

those that once roamed
these subterranean sites--

are long gone.

And most have taken their
secrets to the grave.

That means modern day
residents will just

have to keep on digging.