A new search for the legendary tunnels in Old Town was made recently when the licensee of the Lambe Hotel, High street  made the crypt available for exploration.
Local amateur historian Mr Fred Bridger took the opportunity to make his own investigation. He is interested in the stories of subterranean tunnels linking the 13th century inn and the Saxon parish church a few yards away. He found a likely looking place for the entrance to a tunnel when he looked round the crypt some years ago, but was unable to do anything about it at the time.
When Mr Albert Quick took over the tenancy of the Lambe in June he found an enthusiastic and receptive listener to his ideas. As a result Mr Bridger took on the part-time work of clearing away the rubble at the bottom of a shaft, and making a few tentative excavations into the soft earth.
When he is not at work as a Corporation bus driver. Mr Bridger, of 16 Greys road, can sometimes be found digging 16 feet below the cellar floor.
An architect from an Eastbourne firm has examined the shaft, and although he does not think there is much possibility of a tunnel being found, feels that further excavations by expert archaeologists are warranted
The Department of the Environment has shown some interest in the old crypt. Even if no tunnel is found, the old stonework provides plenty of opportunity for fascinating historical research. Over the centuries walls, arches and steps have been built, and there is a medieval jigsaw in stone to be sorted out.
The crypt and its cellars have been neglected for years, and there are layers of paint and whitewash to be cleaned off before anything of any  value is likely to be found.
But the intriguing underground world of the Lambe Hotel will be accessible to the public. Mr Quick has plans to turn the cellars to full use, installing bars and seating and providing jugs of mead and sandwiches in a genuine atmosphere of the past.