PSYCHIC Erin Venn, who claims to have an ability to sense the past, joined reporter Brendan McFadden in Cirencester one afternoon to see if she could unravel the mystery over whether the town really does have a hidden network of tunnels.

According to folklore, the tunnels originated in the town's Parish Church in the Market Place and led to nearby businesses and the now demolished Abbey in the Abbey Grounds behind the church.

Many have spoken out about the network of tunnels under Cirencester but evidence of their existence has proved to be allusive.

Legend has it that the tunnels were an escape route for monks during the Reformation of the church in the 1500s, a period where the catholic church was attacked.

Erin, who is Spiritualists’ National Union accredited medium, believes she may be able to help after visiting Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, where she was able to sense a network of hidden tunnels and then help staff map them out.

Going into her visit to Cirencester, Erin said she had done no research into the tunnels and throughout the afternoon I did not reveal any evidence I knew about them.

We started our journey at the Parish Church in Cirencester.As we stood at the entrance Erin immediately said that she sensed that there were tunnels that were underneath the church and that they gave access to a water source.

When we ventured inside, said she felt that there was a underground space that led to a network of tunnels but this spaced had to be accessed from outside the space.

Soon after we entered a chapel in the north east end of the church, where there was formerly a crypt, before bones were cleared out in 1870 and it was converted into a now defunct boiler room.

Erin suddenly began to feel very uncomfortable and hot. She explained that she felt that the body of a man called Thomas had been removed from its burial spot and taken to the church and that his death had been very difficult.

As we left the church, Erin said she was convinced that the church’s boiler room, a underground space that is accessed to the right of the church’s main entrance led to the entrance to the tunnels.

But there was no chance for us to explore Erin's visions as the door to this room is locked.

Next stop was the Edinburgh Woollen Mill in the Market Place where there is a bricked up tunnel in its cellar.

When we entered the cellar, Erin was immediately drawn to the bricked up entrance and enthusiastically explained a series of visions she was having about its uses.

She said she thought the tunnel was used in the 1400s and 1500s and said she could see people in long loose religious clothing rolling barrels and transporting other goods through tunnels, which were connected to other businesses in the town.

She said that she could see two religions having a dispute and that the tunnel was used as an escape route for members of one, including a very important person.

She said: “It was a fractious moment in time, seems to be some kind of battle. The people moved to try and keep the power.

“It is a religious based thing and they have agreed with local publicans to keep things quite. ”

Lastly we visited the Abbey Grounds, where we were joined by Erin’s student Toni Wickens who came to assist her teacher.

As reported in the Standard last month Cirencester resident May Bunt said she had entered a tunnel when she was a child in 1940, which was filled in soon after.

I led the two to the spot next to a tree near the Norman Arch where May Bunt said she found the tunnel.

Here, Erin said she sensed that the area was used as a place of punishment and Toni sensed that there used to be religious fonts.

Did anything that Erin or Toni sense mean anything to anyone? Email your views to bmc@wiltsglosstandard