Norwood tunnel
The Norwood Tunnel was a ship tunnel that was part of the Chesterfield Canal. The west end of the tunnel is in Norwood, Derbyshire and the east end in Kiveton, South Yorkshire . With a length of 2637 meters, the tunnel was the longest tunnel on earth from 1775 to 1777.
history
The tunnel was built from 1771 to 1775 and officially opened on May 9, 1775.
Due to the narrow width of only 3 meters, there were no towpaths at the edge of the tunnel from which the non-motorized boats could be pulled. In order to generate propulsion, boats were operated by the crew by pressing against the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. This technique is called "legging".
In 1907 the tunnel finally had to be abandoned after the structure was damaged by vibrations from the nearby mine . As a result of heavy rain, the tunnel partially collapsed and was no longer repaired.
In 2016, the remains of the tunnels could be viewed again by residents of the region for the first time.
There were always plans to rebuild the tunnel, but they have never been implemented.
Individual evidence
- ^ Chesterfield Canal. Retrieved September 8, 2017 .
- ^ Norwood Tunnel - information - CanalPlanAC. Retrieved September 8, 2017 .
- ↑ Local people invited to explore the collapsed canal tunnel for the first time in a century . In: Chesterfield Canal Trust . ( org.uk [accessed September 8, 2017]).
- ^ Options for replacing the Norwood Tunnel . In: Chesterfield Canal Trust . ( org.uk [accessed September 8, 2017]).