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Canal tunnel in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wast Hill Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Its northern portal is in Hawkesley, Birmingham. Its southern portal is in fields just outside the city's boundaries, in Worcestershire.[1]
Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Hawkesley, Birmingham, West Midlands, and Worcestershire, England |
Coordinates | 52.3902°N 1.9400°W |
OS grid reference | SP041769 |
Status | Open |
Waterway | Worcester and Birmingham Canal |
Start | 52.39991°N 1.93096°W |
End | 52.38066°N 1.94890°W |
Operation | |
Constructed | 1794-97 |
Owner | Canal & River Trust |
Technical | |
Design engineer | Thomas Cartwright |
Length | 2,726 yards (2,492.7 m) |
Width | Double |
Towpath | No |
Boat-passable | Yes |
The Wast Hill Tunnel was built in 1796 and is 2,726 yards (2,493 m) long, making it one of the longest in the country.[1] There are several ventilation shafts along its length which were initially used for the tunnel's construction.[2] It is wide enough to accommodate two narrow boats but there is no towpath.[3]
Work started on the tunnel in 1794 and was completed in 1797.[4] Until 1904 canal boats were legged through the tunnel; it took three hours to navigate. Leggers were replaced by a steam tug to pull a chain of barges through.[5] The tunnel used to carry telegraph lines placed through iron brackets attached to the roof.[6] On 23 November 1979, two workmen were killed when part of the tunnel roof collapsed while undergoing repair.[7] The tunnel remained closed until 30 May 1981.[8]
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