Norwood Tunnel facts for kids
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| The Eastern Portal of Norwood Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Derbyshire / South Yorkshire |
| Coordinates | 53°20′06″N 1°16′11″W / 53.33501°N 1.26971°W |
| OS grid reference | SK486822 |
| Status | collapsed Condition Rebuilding Proposed |
| Waterway | Chesterfield Canal |
| Start | 53°20′15″N 1°15′01″W / 53.33748°N 1.25021°W |
| End | 53°19′57″N 1°17′21″W / 53.33253°N 1.28921°W |
| Operation | |
| Closed | 1907 Collapsed |
| Owner | Chesterfield Canal Company |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | James Brindley |
| Construction | 1771-1775 |
| Length | 2,884 yards (2,637 m) |
| Tunnel clearance | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Width | 9 feet 3 inches (2.8 m) |
| Towpath | No |
| Boat-passable | No |
The Norwood Tunnel was a very long canal tunnel on the Chesterfield Canal in England. It was 2,884-yard-long (2,637 m), 9.25-foot-wide (2.82 m), and 12-foot-high (3.7 m). The tunnel was built using three million bricks! Its western end was in Norwood, Derbyshire, and its eastern end was in Kiveton, South Yorkshire.
Building the Tunnel
The idea for the Chesterfield Canal became official on March 28, 1771. James Brindley, a famous engineer, was chosen to lead the project. Work began quickly on July 11, 1771, starting with the Norwood Tunnel.
Building the tunnel was very hard work. There were many accidents, and sadly, some workers lost their lives. The company tried to help the families of those who were hurt or died.
Brindley thought the tunnel would be finished in two years. He also believed the whole canal would be done in four years. However, he passed away on September 24, 1772, before either was completed.
After Brindley's death, John Varley took over as the main engineer. Later, in 1774, Brindley's brother-in-law, Hugh Henshall, became the chief engineer. Varley stayed on as the local engineer.
Most of the tunnel was lined with bricks. So, the canal company set up a brickworks in Harthill. They needed three million bricks! The area around Norwood Hill had lots of coal. This coal was needed to fire the bricks. But the company had to buy the coal from the Duke of Leeds, even if it was found on land they had bought. This was because of a rule in the law that allowed the canal to be built.
In May 1774, someone named Mr. Samuel Watt was paid for showing a model of a machine. This machine was designed to pull boats through the tunnel. We don't know if he was related to James Watt, who invented a better steam engine. The idea was never used, and boats were moved through the tunnel in a different way.
The Norwood Tunnel officially opened on May 9, 1775. The Derby Mercury newspaper reported on the big celebration. About 300 people, including Henshall and some workers, rode through the tunnel on three boats. A band played music, and the trip took just over an hour.
At the time, the tunnel was said to be 2,550 yards (2,330 m) long. It was also very straight. If you looked in one end, you could see daylight at the other! It was one of the longest canal tunnels in Britain when it opened.
The tunnel did not have a towpath. This meant horses could not pull the boats through. Instead, boat crews had to push the boats through the tunnel. They would lie on their backs and push against the tunnel walls or roof with their feet. This special way of moving boats is called Legging.
How Long Was It Really?
There is some confusion about the exact length of the Norwood Tunnel. When it was built, newspapers and records said it was 2,550 yards (2,330 m) long. Some historians still use this length today.
However, other sources give different lengths. For example, some say it was 3,102 yards (2,836 m) long. Others claim it was 2,893 yards (2,645 m) or 2,880 yards (2,630 m).
One expert, Skempton, says the length is 2,884 yards (2,637 m). He explains that this number comes from using the exact map coordinates of the tunnel's ends. Then, a math rule called Pythagoras's theorem is used to calculate the distance. There is no proof that the tunnel was ever made longer or shorter after it was built.
The Tunnel's Decline
A large coal mine, called Kiveton Park Colliery, was built above the tunnel. As coal was dug out from under the tunnel, the ground above it began to sink. This caused parts of the tunnel to drop. Since the water level inside the tunnel stayed the same, the roof got closer to the water.
Starting in 1871, the railway company that owned the canal had to raise the tunnel roof. This work went on for twenty years! They spent a lot of money, about £17,043, to keep the tunnel open. They did this by making the side walls taller and rebuilding the curved roof.
After many days of heavy rain, a section of the tunnel collapsed on October 18, 1907. A big hole appeared in a field near the road to Harthill. At this time, not many boats were using the canal. So, the company decided it was too expensive to fix the tunnel.
Because of this collapse, the Norwood Tunnel has been blocked ever since. This means the Chesterfield Canal is now split into two separate parts.
Norwood Tunnel Today
Today, much of the Chesterfield Canal has been restored. This has been done mostly thanks to the Chesterfield Canal Trust. The canal is now open up to the Eastern Portal of the Norwood Tunnel. A section of the canal west of the tunnel, from Chesterfield to Staveley, has also been brought back to life. More restoration work is still happening.
There are plans to open up part of the tunnel in the Kiveton Park area. This would involve creating an open cutting where the tunnel once was. Then, the rest of the tunnel could be restored all the way to Norwood.
| Portal | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 53°20′15″N 1°15′01″W / 53.33748°N 1.25021°W |
| Midpoint | 53°20′06″N 1°16′11″W / 53.33501°N 1.26971°W |
| Western | 53°19′57″N 1°17′21″W / 53.33253°N 1.28921°W |
