Dusty, damp and forgotten by everyone but the spiders, the old subway at Dewsbury Railway Station has been shut up for decades.

Opened in 1848, the station is Grade II listed and cost £5,597 to build.

At that time, the underground passage led to a middle platform which no longer exists - and was replaced more than 60 years ago by an overhead bridge which is still used today.

Disused subway at Dewsbury Railway Station - Customer Service Supervisor Ahtsham Ellahi explores the old subway.

Staff believe the subway has been out of use since before the war, and only a handful of people have since been down there.

It was recently re-opened for workers to check drainage - and First Group invited the Examiner to step down the ladder into the dark tunnel and take a look around.

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The staircase that used to lead down to the subway has now gone, but a ladder leads to a small level area with steps going down to the left and right. The steps then turn towards the platform, then open out to meet each other in front of a huge stone archway which once would have led beneath the tracks to the middle platform.

Now, the archway has been filled in and the floor level is more than 3ft higher than it was originally.

There are some old seats there but otherwise the space is empty, and covered in hanging spider webs, dust and leaves, among which a piece of the original glass from the windows which can be seen from the opposite side of the station.

Disused subway at Dewsbury Railway Station.

Donna Jasiewicz, who works at the station, said: “People have often enquired why there are windows at the edge of the track on platform 2.

“I think everyone would like to see the lovely stonework that’s down there.”

* We broadcast our visit live on Facebook - click here to see the full video!