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List of canal tunnels in the United Kingdom

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This is a list of canal tunnels in the United Kingdom.

Listed by name

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Tunnel Canal Length Designer Coordinates Notes Image
Ashford Tunnel Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal 375 yards (343 m)[1] Thomas Dadford 51°53.195′N 3°16.525′W / 51.886583°N 3.275417°W / 51.886583; -3.275417 (Ashford) Brecknockshire/Powys Tunnel narrows considerably between northern and southern portals due to repairs to its fabric but is nevertheless navigable by a narrowboat with relative ease.
 
Ashford Tunnel, northern portal
Ashperton Tunnel Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal 400 yards (370 m)
Aylestone Tunnel Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal 440 yards (400 m)
Berwick Tunnel Shrewsbury Canal 970 yards (890 m) Josiah Clowes 52°42′4.97″N 2°41′22.22″W / 52.7013806°N 2.6895056°W / 52.7013806; -2.6895056 (Berwick) Claimed to be the first canal tunnel with a towpath throughout.
 
Berwick Tunnel, northern portal
Blisworth Tunnel Grand Union Canal 3,056 yards (2,794 m)[2] Northamptonshire
 
Blisworth Tunnel, southern portal
Branwood Tunnel Stratford-upon-Avon Canal 352 yards (322 m)[3]
 
Brandwood Tunnel, eastern portal
Braunston Tunnel Grand Union Canal 2,042 yards (1,867 m)[2] Jessop & Barnes 52°16.976′N 1°10.041′W / 52.282933°N 1.167350°W / 52.282933; -1.167350 (Braunston) Northamptonshire
 
Narrowboat leaving Braunston Tunnel
Bruce Tunnel Kennet and Avon Canal 502 yards (459 m)[4]
 
Bruce Tunnel's Eastern Portal (in 1992)
Butterley Tunnel Cromford Canal 3,063 yards (2,801 m)[5] 53°3.3841′N 1°22.3994′W / 53.0564017°N 1.3733233°W / 53.0564017; -1.3733233 (Butterley) Derbyshire
 
The Butterley Reservoir Adit where it enters the Butterley Tunnel, in 2006
Chirk Tunnel Llangollen Canal 459 yards (420 m)[6] 52°55′46.91″N 3°3′46.77″W / 52.9296972°N 3.0629917°W / 52.9296972; -3.0629917 (Chirk) Near Chirk
 
View taken from the Chirk Aqueduct
Cookley Tunnel Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal 65 yards (59 m)[7]
 
Cookley Tunnel, western portal
Drakeholes Tunnel Chesterfield Canal 154 yards (141 m)[8]
 
Dudley Tunnel Birmingham Canal Navigations 3,172 yards (2,900 m)[9] 52°31′18″N 2°04′42″W / 52.52173°N 2.07840°W / 52.52173; -2.07840 (Dudley) Part of Dudley Canal Line No 1
 
The southern portal of the Dudley Tunnel
Dunsley Tunnel Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal 25 yards (23 m)[10] 52°27′25″N 2°12′34″W / 52.4568191°N 2.2093904°W / 52.4568191; -2.2093904 (Dunsley)
 
Dunsley Tunnel, west portal, near Kinver
Edgbaston Tunnel Worcester and Birmingham Canal 105 yards (96 m)
Foulridge Tunnel Leeds and Liverpool Canal 1,630 yards (1,490 m)[11] Robert Whitworth/Samuel Fletcher 53°52′28″N 2°10′56″W / 53.8745°N 2.1821°W / 53.8745; -2.1821 (Foulridge) Also known as the Mile Tunnel[12]
 
Southern portal, Foulridge Tunnel
Gosty Hill Tunnel Birmingham Canal Navigations 557 yards (509 m)[13] Part of Dudley Canal Line No 2
 
Gosty Hill Tunnel, northern portal
Greywell Tunnel Basingstoke Canal 1,200 yards (1,100 m)[14] Closed to traffic following cave-in. Now home to Europe's largest bat colony.
 
The eastern portal of Greywell Tunnel on the Basingstoke Canal
Hardham Tunnel Arun Navigation 375 yards (343 m) 50°56′56″N 0°31′23″W / 50.94889°N 0.52306°W / 50.94889; -0.52306 (Hardham) Closed since 1888; blocked in 1895 by LBSCR under Mid Sussex Line and Midhurst-Pulborough Line.
 
Southern Portal, Hardham Tunnel.
Harecastle Tunnel Trent & Mersey Canal 2,926 yards (2,676 m)[15] James Brindley/Thomas Telford 53°4′27″N 2°14′11″W / 53.07417°N 2.23639°W / 53.07417; -2.23639 (Harecastle) Staffordshire. Comprises parallel "Brindley" and "Telford" tunnels. (The length stated is for the Telford tunnel.)
 
Northern end of Harecastle Tunnel. Telford's tunnel on the left, Brindley's the right.
Hincaster Tunnel Lancaster Canal 378 yards (346 m) Thomas Fletcher 54°15′33″N 2°45′18″W / 54.25917°N 2.75500°W / 54.25917; -2.75500 (Hincaster) Opened in 1819. Commercial traffic on the Lancaster Canal ceased north of Lancaster in 1944 and this part of the canal was officially closed following the Transport Act, 1955.
Lapal Tunnel Birmingham Canal Navigations 3,795 yards (3,470 m)[16] 52°26′42″N 2°00′06″W / 52.4450°N 2.0017°W / 52.4450; -2.0017 (Lapal) Part of Dudley Canal Line No 2 (disused—closed 1907)
 
1955 Ordnance Survey map of the east portal of Lapal Tunnel
Lord Ward's Tunnel Birmingham Canal Navigations 196 yards (179 m)[17] In the Dudley Tunnel complex
Netherton Tunnel Birmingham Canal Navigations 3,027 yards (2,768 m)[9] 52°30′25″N 2°03′25″W / 52.50697°N 2.05708°W / 52.50697; -2.05708 (Netherton)
 
The dual towpaths inside the northern portal of Netherton Tunnel
Newbold Tunnel Oxford Canal 250 yards (230 m)[18]
 
Illuminated Newbold Tunnel
Newnham Tunnel Leominster Canal 100 yards (91 m) 52°19′37″N 2°31′20″W / 52.32685°N 2.52223°W / 52.32685; -2.52223 (Newnham) Worcestershire
Norwood Tunnel Chesterfield Canal 2,884 yards (2,637 m)[19] James Brindley 53°20′06″N 1°16′11″W / 53.33501°N 1.26971°W / 53.33501; -1.26971 (Norwood) Derbyshire to South Yorkshire. Closed with plans for partial restoration of eastern end.
 
Norwood Tunnel western portal
Oxenhall Tunnel Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal 2,192 yards (2,004 m)
Pensax Tunnel Leominster Canal 3,850 yards (3,520 m) 52°19′22″N 2°23′27″W / 52.32265°N 2.39083°W / 52.32265; -2.39083 (Pensax) Worcestershire

Abandoned during construction.

Putnall Tunnel Leominster Canal 330 yards (300 m) 52°17′38″N 2°43′58″W / 52.29398°N 2.73266°W / 52.29398; -2.73266 (Putnall) Herefordshire
Sapperton Canal Tunnel Thames and Severn Canal 3,817 yards (3,490 m)[20] Josiah Clowes 51°42′45″N 2°03′42″W / 51.7126°N 2.0618°W / 51.7126; -2.0618 (Sapperton) Gloucestershire
 
The Coates Portal at the south-eastern end of the Sapperton Canal Tunnel.
Scout Tunnel Huddersfield Narrow Canal 220 yards (200 m)[21] Unlined, rock tunnel
 
Scout Tunnel
Shortwood Tunnel Worcester and Birmingham Canal 613 yards (561 m)
Southnett Tunnel Leominster Canal 1,250 yards (1,140 m) 52°19′43″N 2°28′37″W / 52.32874°N 2.47691°W / 52.32874; -2.47691 (Southnett) Herefordshire
Standedge Tunnels Huddersfield Narrow Canal 5,698 yards (5,210 m)[21] 53°35′29″N 1°57′36″W / 53.591283°N 1.95996°W / 53.591283; -1.95996 (Standedge) West Yorkshire to Greater Manchester
 
Standedge Tunnel entrance at Marsden
Strood Tunnel Thames and Medway Canal 3,946 yards (3,608 m) Ralph Walker 51°24′54″N 0°28′52″E / 51.4149°N 0.4812°E / 51.4149; 0.4812 (Strood) Kent
Tardebigge Tunnel Worcester and Birmingham Canal 580 yards (530 m)
Wast Hills Tunnel Worcester and Birmingham Canal 2,726 yards (2,493 m)[22] 52°23′25″N 1°56′24″W / 52.3902°N 1.9400°W / 52.3902; -1.9400 (Wast Hills) West Midlands (county) to Worcestershire
 
Wast Hills Tunnel, southern portal
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An adit is a horizontal entrance to a mine:

Tunnel Canal Length Designer Coordinates Notes Image
Hollingwood Common Tunnel Chesterfield Canal
Worsley Navigable Levels Bridgewater Canal 53°30′2.2″N 2°22′52.2″W / 53.500611°N 2.381167°W / 53.500611; -2.381167 (Worsley Navigable Levels) Greater Manchester
 
Starvationer at Ellesmere Port Canal Museum with a demonstration of the process of legging to push the boat through the tunnels

Listed by canal

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Grand Union Canal

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Peak Forest Canal

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Regent's Canal

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Union Canal (Scotland)

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 366.
  2. ^ a b Cumberlidge 2009, p. 128.
  3. ^ Mosse 2018, p. 142.
  4. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 161.
  5. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 105.
  6. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 363.
  7. ^ Mosse 2018, p. 113.
  8. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 99.
  9. ^ a b Cumberlidge 2009, p. 76.
  10. ^ Mosse 2018, p. 117.
  11. ^ "Foulridge Tunnel - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Grace's Guide. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  12. ^ "FOULRIDGE - Village goes online! - Internet Archive". www.burnleyexpress.net. Burnley Express. 30 July 2004. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  13. ^ Mosse 2018, p. 138.
  14. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 72.
  15. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 319.
  16. ^ The Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust.
  17. ^ information – CanalPlanAC 2020.
  18. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 246.
  19. ^ Skempton 2002, p. 736.
  20. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 310.
  21. ^ a b Cumberlidge 2009, p. 152.
  22. ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 339.

Bibliography

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  • "Lord Ward's Tunnel". information – CanalPlanAC. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  • Cumberlidge, Jane (2009). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (8th Ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-1-84623-010-3.
  • "History of the tunnels". The Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  • Mosse, Jonathan (2018) [1969]. Waterways Guide 2: Severn, Avon & Birmingham. Nicholson. ISBN 978-0-00-825801-6.
  • Skempton, Sir Alec; et al. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: Vol 1: 1500 to 1830. Thomas Telford. ISBN 978-0-7277-2939-2.
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