Foulridge tunnel

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Foulridge tunnel
Foulridge tunnel
A narrowboat at the south portal of the Foulridge Tunnel
use Ship tunnel
traffic connection Leeds and Liverpool Canal
place Foulridge in the Pennines
length 1500 m
construction
Client Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company
start of building around 1791
completion 1796
planner Robert Whitworth
business
operator Canal & River Trust
location
Foulridge Tunnel (England)
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Coordinates
South portal 53 ° 52 ′ 15 "  N , 2 ° 11 ′ 30"  W.
North portal 53 ° 52 ′ 41 "  N , 2 ° 10 ′ 21"  W.

The Foulridge Tunnel is a 1500 meter ship tunnel in the village of Foulridge in Borough Pendle in the northwestern English county of Lancashire . It is the top tunnel of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal , which crosses the Pennines on its way from Leeds to Liverpool .

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal was built from 1770 to connect the east and west of England . It was the first shipping canal to cross the low mountain range of the Pennines. Financial and technical difficulties meant that the canal was not fully completed until 1816.

The original plans were to cross the Pennines without a vertex tunnel. Around 1790 it was decided to lower the apex level a good 9 meters in order to improve the water supply of the canal, which necessitated the construction of the Foulridge tunnel . The position of the tunnel in the groundwater should contribute to the water supply of the canal. In the vicinity of the tunnel are four reservoirs , the Upper Foulridge Reservoir , the Lower Foulridge Reservoir , the Slipper Hill Reservoir and the White Moor Reservoir , which also serve to supply the canal with water.

The construction of the tunnel under the direction of the engineer and surveyor Robert Whitworth (1734–1799) took about five years and was overshadowed by numerous delays and accidents. The main problem was the lack of stability of the surrounding mountains, so that large parts of the tunnel were built using the cut-and-cover method. Even after commissioning in 1796, the problems persisted. The tunnel ceiling subsided and demolished, which is why the tunnel slotting and its replacement with an incision was considered at times.

In relation to the water level, the tunnel is 5.2 meters wide and 2.4 meters high. It has no towpath , so the boats were initially moved by so-called legging . People lay down on the boat and kick off the tunnel wall or ceiling with their legs. From 1880 a steam tug pulled the boats through the tunnel. Legging ended in 1882 after a legger had suffocated.

On September 24, 1912, the cow Buttercup fell from the Blue Slate Farm not far from the south portal into the canal. Instead of escaping to the bank immediately, Buttercup swam the entire tunnel. According to various representations, the cow at the north portal was rescued either by a police officer and several boatmen or by visitors to the Hole in the Wall pub . Buttercup was extremely weak, but was able to return to her farm after being fed. It is said that the cow was also given brandy . Pictures in the Hole in the Wall are reminiscent of the incident, which was still covered in Australian newspaper reports. Experienced swimmers from Foulridge were unable to cross the tunnel because the water was extremely cold. The specialist author John Gagg stated in 1976 that it was impossible to write about the Foulridge Tunnel without mentioning the cow.

The transport of goods on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal has lasted longer than on other British canals. The reasons for this were the coal mines on the canal and the relatively wide locks that made it possible for the boats to transport larger boats. From the middle of the 20th century associations campaigned for the preservation of the canal. At the present time the canal is used exclusively for tourism and leisure traffic. The use of the single-lane Foulridge tunnel is regulated by traffic lights that allow traffic for ten minutes an hour. Both tunnel portals are under monument protection and are classified as Grade II (structures of national importance and special interest).

Web links

Commons : Foulridge Tunnel  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mike Clarke: The Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Historical Information: Water Supply. (PDF, 1.6 MB) p. 4 f.
  2. ^ A b Owen Ashmore: The industrial archeology of North-West England. Manchester University Press, Manchester 1982, ISBN 0-7190-0820-4 , p. 203.
  3. ^ A b John Gagg: John Gagg's book of canal tunnels. 2nd edition 1978, ISBN 0-9504226-2-2 , p. 13.
  4. ↑ John Gagg: John Gagg's book of canal tunnels. 2nd edition 1978, ISBN 0-9504226-2-2 , p. 13.
    Foulrigde Tunnel ( Memento of the original dated November 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive )     Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Canal & River Trust . Photography Buttercups at The Horseboating Society. Cow's Long Swim. In: The Express and Telegraph. Adelaide, November 20, 1912, p. 4. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / canalrivertrust.org.uk

  5. ↑ Foulrigde Tunnel ( Memento of the original from November 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Canal & River Trust .  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / canalrivertrust.org.uk
  6. ^ Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Southern Entrance to Foulridge Tunnel [1361715] ( English ) In: National Heritage List for England . Historic England . Retrieved November 6, 2016.
    Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Northern Entrance to Foulridge Tunnel [1073395] ( English ) In: National Heritage List for England . Historic England. Retrieved November 6, 2016.