| Queensway Tunnel Tour - The Workers |
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| | Over 1,700 men were employed to construct the tunnel |
There are many stories relating to the tunnel workers. Left Footers This is a term allegedly used to describe the tunnel workers because of the noise they made as they walked through the cobbled streets of the city.
To construct the tunnel there were vast amounts of digging to be done, which for most people involved a great deal of hard work for the left foot as it hit the shovel to drive it into the ground.
Workers would end up with shoes constantly in need to replacement, but only on one foot. So they attached pieces of Iron onto the bottom of their shoes to protect them - but this meant that when they walked they made a loud noise with one foot and not the other - hence the term left footers. The construction workers were paid on a weekly basis, and paid wages which were considered to be of a high level. There are many stories of workers who used to buy a new three piece suit every Saturday.
They would wear it to go out that evening and then everyday for work making them the best dressed workers in the country!
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