Sir,
The Gas Lane tunnel is intriguing. If one was trying to establish a reason for it, the first question that comes to mind is: 'What would be moving to and from the North Beach area?' It would probably be movement of something to the shore. All the usual imported goods landing at Tenby were fabrics, consumables, goods dealt with and handled by local tradesmen and not carted immediately and directly from the shore.
The movement of bulk cargoes to the shore took my mind back to Tony Galvin's excellent book 'Sea of Change'. At the end of the 1700s and early 1800s, Tenby was busy shipping out anthracite, culm, some corn and malt, and a small amount of pig iron.
Assuming that most of these bulk loads were being trucked by oxon and horse waggons from the Saundersfoot/ Kilgetty/Stepaside area how best to get to the beached boats on the North Beach? Not many of the bulk carriers used the actual harbour. the carting of material into Tenby via the St. John's Hill or Narberth Road via Gas Lane and a small tunnel would have been very attractive.
Coppet Hall beach or Saundersfoot was being used in the early 1800s, awaiting a proper Saundersfoot harbour, and some time before that the tunnel connection from Wisemans Bridge to Coppet Hall beach had been built.
It originally had a cart track that later became a railway link to the harbour via Railway Street (The Strand). Was it possible that the same labour force built the Gas Lane tunnel? Would someone please do some serious work on the subject, and let our minds have some rest!
Ivor Jenkins,
23 Dombey Road,
Poynton,
Cheshire.