Standedge Tunnels facts for kids
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| Tunnel End Cottages and the canal portal at Marsden | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Standedge |
| Coordinates | 53°35′12″N 01°57′57″W / 53.58667°N 1.96583°W |
| OS grid reference | SE026105 |
| Status | Open |
| Waterway | Huddersfield Narrow Canal |
| Start | 53°34′04.6″N 01°59′32.7″W / 53.567944°N 1.992417°W |
| End | 53°36′13.5″N 01°56′29.9″W / 53.603750°N 1.941639°W |
| Operation | |
| Closed | 1944 |
| Rebuilt | 2001 |
| Owner | Canal & River Trust |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | Nicholas Brown Thomas Telford |
| Construction | 1794–1811 |
| Length | 5,675 yards (5,189 m) |
| Towpath | No |
| Boat-passable | Yes (with permission) |
The Standedge Tunnels are a group of four long tunnels that go through the Pennine hills in northern England. They connect the towns of Marsden in West Yorkshire and Diggle in Greater Manchester. Three of these tunnels are for trains, and one is for canal boats.
The canal tunnel, part of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, was approved in 1794. Building this 5,451-yard (4,984 m)-long tunnel was very difficult. There were problems with water, finding skilled workers, and money. In 1807, Thomas Telford helped create a new plan. The tunnel finally opened in 1811. It is the longest, highest, and deepest canal tunnel in the United Kingdom. After being closed in 1943, it reopened in May 2001.
The first railway tunnel was finished in 1848. It was built for the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) line between Huddersfield and Manchester. This tunnel soon became too busy, so a second railway tunnel opened in 1871. A third, wider railway tunnel opened in 1894. Today, only the newest, double-track railway tunnel is used for trains. The other two railway tunnels are still there but are not used.
All four tunnels are connected by smaller cross-tunnels, called adits. These helped build the railway tunnels and allowed workers to remove waste. At the Marsden end, there is a visitor centre. You can take boat trips into the canal tunnel and see exhibitions about the tunnels.
Contents
The Canal Tunnel: A Journey Through Time
Building the Canal Tunnel
Work on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and its tunnel began on April 4, 1794. The canal aimed to link Ashton-under-Lyne and Huddersfield. Benjamin Outram was the main engineer at first. He thought the tunnel would be easy to dig through gritstone and shale.
The plan was to dig the 5,456-yard (4,989 m) tunnel from both ends. They also planned to use Steam engines to pump out water. However, the work was much harder than expected. There was a lot more water than they thought, which made digging slow.
By 1796, only a small part of the tunnel was dug. Building extra work areas to speed things up became too expensive. Outram decided to focus on digging from just the two main ends. This made the project cheaper but also much slower.
Other problems included not having enough money and poor ways of working. In 1797, the main contractor, Thomas Lee, struggled with the difficulties. He was given more money and time to finish.
By 1799, only about 1,000 yards (910 m) of the tunnel was finished. In 1800, some people suggested building a temporary road to bypass the tunnel. But this idea was not used. It was hard to find new contractors to continue the work.
In 1801, Outram left the project, and the superintendent, Nicholas Brown, was also dismissed. The canal company was running out of money. In 1807, they asked Thomas Telford for help. He created a new plan that was followed until the tunnel was finished.
On June 9, 1809, the two ends of the tunnel finally met! The tunnel was fully complete on March 26, 1811. A big opening ceremony happened on April 4. Guests and boats traveled from Diggle to Marsden in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
The tunnel cost £160,000, making it the most expensive canal tunnel in Britain at the time. It was also the longest, deepest, and highest. The tunnel was 5,445 yards (4,979 m) long. At its deepest point, it was 636 feet (194 m) underground. It was also 643 feet (196 m) above sea level.
The tunnel was made longer at both ends later on. In 1822, it was extended by 11 yards (10 m) at the Marsden end. In 1893, it was extended by 242 yards (221 m) at the Diggle end for a new railway tunnel. This made the canal tunnel 5,698 yards (5,210 m) long. Today, its official length is 5,675 yards (5,189 m).
How the Canal Tunnel Worked
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When the tunnel opened in 1811, the canal became a complete route. It had taken 17 years to build. The tunnel is mostly wide enough for only one narrowboat. To save money, no towpath was built inside.
In the past, horses pulled canal boats. But inside the tunnel, boatmen had to "leg" the boats through. This meant they lay on the boat and pushed against the tunnel walls or roof with their legs. Professional leggers could get an empty boat through in 1 hour and 20 minutes. A full boat took three hours.
Because there was no towpath and boats had limited space, the Huddersfield Canal struggled to compete. The nearby Rochdale Canal was easier to use.
Even though there were wider spots for boats to pass, it was hard to have two-way traffic. So, the canal company made it one-way. They used a locked chain at one end to control access. This one-way system is still used today.
In 1846, the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway bought the canal. The canal tunnel was very useful for building the first railway tunnel. It helped remove dirt and bring in building materials. Several cross passages between the canal and railway tunnels were kept.
The last commercial boat went through the canal tunnel in 1921. The canal officially closed to traffic in 1944. The tunnel then fell into disrepair and became unsafe.
Bringing the Canal Tunnel Back to Life
The canal and tunnel were restored with a £5 million project. This helped reopen the canal. Some parts of the tunnel, where the rock was unstable, were made safe with rock bolts and concrete.
In May 2001, the tunnel reopened for boats. Most modern canal boats use diesel engines. Because the tunnel is so long and has no ventilation, it's not safe to use diesel power inside. So, electric tug boats now pull the narrowboats through.
Since 2009, boats can travel through the tunnel using their own power. But they must have an experienced guide on board. A service vehicle follows them through one of the unused railway tunnels for safety.
Railway Tunnels: Iron Giants
Three railway tunnels run next to each other and the canal tunnel. They are flat all the way through. This was helpful because it was the only flat part of the line where trains could pick up water without stopping.
The two single-track tunnels have air shafts at Cote, Flint, and Pule Hill. The double-track tunnel has three shafts at Brunn Clough, Redbrook, and Flint. All the tunnels are connected by drainage passages. Water from the railway tunnels drains into the canal tunnel.
Building the Railway Tunnels
Work on the first railway tunnel began in 1846. It ran next to the canal tunnel, a little higher up. Workers dug 13 small tunnels from the canal tunnel to help build the railway tunnel. The railway company bought the canal company to get this access.
Boats moved the excavated dirt and brought in building materials. This access through the canal helped speed up construction. The first railway tunnel took just over two years to build. A similar tunnel, the Woodhead Tunnel, took seven years.
Up to 1,953 workers, called navvies, dug and lined the tunnel. They worked on 36 different sections at once. The tunnel advanced up to 85 yards (78 m) each week. Sadly, nine men died during its construction.
In 1848, the first single-track railway tunnel was finished. It cost £201,608 and is 3 miles 57 yards (4,880 m) long. When it opened, trains had a special pilot man or engine to guide them through. Telegraphs at each end told signal boxes when trains came out.
This 1848 tunnel quickly became too busy. Even before it was finished, plans for a second tunnel were being made. Thomas Nelson, who built the first tunnel, was hired again. Like the first, the second tunnel was connected to the canal tunnel by 21 passages. This allowed boats to remove dirt.
Building the second tunnel had problems, including worker strikes over pay. In February 1871, the second 3-mile-57-yard-long (4,880 m) railway tunnel opened. It was built south of the first one.
Even two tunnels weren't enough for all the trains! So, in 1890, the LNWR decided to build a new double-track tunnel. This tunnel would allow four tracks on most of the line.
AA MacGregor led the construction. About 1,800 men worked on it. They lived in nearby paper mills and wooden huts. Again, the tunnel was dug from 13 passages connected to the first railway tunnel. The canal tunnel was extended at the Diggle end to make room for this new tunnel.
The new tunnel is 3 miles 60 yards (4,883 m) long. To dig faster, workers used about 120 long tons (120 t) of gelignite (an explosive). About 25 million bricks, mostly made locally, were used to line the tunnel.
In April 1894, a section of the tunnel collapsed, blocking it for a week. On August 1, 1894, the new double-track tunnel was approved for use. This new tunnel gave the railway much more space for trains. It also allowed them to close the single-track tunnels for repairs.
As of 2018, this double-track tunnel is the fifth-longest railway tunnel in the UK, not counting the London Underground.
Today's Railway Tunnels
Only the 1894 double-track railway tunnel is currently used for trains. However, all three railway tunnels are still maintained. The 1848 single-track tunnel closed in 1966, and the 1871 single-track tunnel closed in 1970.
The 1848 tunnel now serves as an emergency escape route. It can even be used by road vehicles like fire engines and ambulances. Both the 1848 and 1871 tunnels are used by maintenance workers to access the area.
In the 2000s, Network Rail thought about reopening the 1848 and 1871 tunnels for trains. This would increase train capacity between Leeds and Manchester. But in 2012, after deciding to electrify the train line, they decided it wasn't needed.
Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre
The Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre is located at the Marsden end of the canal tunnel. It's in an old warehouse that was used to move goods from canal boats to packhorses. This happened between 1798, when the canal reached Marsden, and 1811, when the tunnel opened.
The centre has exhibits about the history of all the tunnels. You can learn about the canal tunnel's recent restoration and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The nearby Tunnel End Cottages, where canal workers used to live, now have a café and a booking office for tunnel boat trips.
The visitor centre is about half a mile (0.8 km) west of Marsden railway station. You can walk there along the canal towpath. Near the station is the main office for the National Trust's Marsden Moor Estate. They have an exhibition called Welcome to Marsden that tells you about the area's history and transport.
