Since Manor Farm B & B in Dethick, Derbyshire, UK is so old, I’m sure the gray stone walls have many stories to tell that have never been recorded, but among the thousands of mysteries that died along with the owners of them, is a story passed down through time. This story survived because of an important key player: Mary, Queen of Scots. On the grounds of Manor Farm is a tunnel underneath a door. A tunnel meant to be hidden….meant to be the pathway of freedom for Mary from her imprisonment in nearby Southwingfield Manor. Anthony Babington, mastermind behind the imfamous Babington Plot, lived on his family’s farm – what is now the Manor Farm. He had the tunnel dug, corresponded with Mary, and eventually was discovered. Unfortunately, his lofty plans did not impress key figures in Parliament who had him killed. This plot was one of the primary instigators in Mary’s execution as well.

We were not allowed to go down into the tunnel. Our hostess felt uncertain about the security of it, due to its age and structure, but the idea behind it is good food for the creative mind.