Karol Krempa, head of the castle s renovation and investment department, says further work is vital to understanding and safeguarding the castle, but they can’t rule out that there might be “much more to the 270-meter section of tunnel than we are currently aware of.” This brick tunnel section serves as a groundwater runoff channel and initial inspections suggest the tunnel in Wales runs parallel to the Angiddy Brook flowing through the Wye Valley.
This observation suggests the Welsh abbey tunnels might have also served a “ hydrological function ” similar to the Ducal Castle tunnel in Poland. Tunnels are notoriously dangerous discoveries for after being excavated they can threaten to undermine the stability of the surrounding architecture.