Wast Hill Tunnel
 Southern portal | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hawkesley, Birmingham, West Midlands, and Worcestershire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°23′25″N 1°56′24″W / 52.3902°N 1.9400°W |
| OS grid reference | SP041769 |
| Status | Open |
| Waterway | Worcester and Birmingham Canal |
| Start | 52°24′00″N 1°55′51″W / 52.39991°N 1.93096°W |
| End | 52°22′50″N 1°56′56″W / 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 |
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]
Construction and measurements
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]
History
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]
References
- ^ a b "Worcester & Birmingham Canal". Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ The central airshaft once had a steam driven fan for smoke clearance. David Stowell. "Wast Hill Tunnel Southern portal". Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ William Dargue. "Hawkesley, Hawkesley End - West Heath". Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ Pearson, Wendy (2004). King's Norton : past & present. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7509-3858-7 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Lewis, Clem (23 November 1979). "Eerie journey in deadly Wast Hill". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Ordnance Survey Guide to the Waterways I. South (4th ed.). Ordnance Survey & Nicholson Guides. 1989. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-948576-31-7 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Bailey, Jackie; Wootton, Keith (23 November 1979). "Men die in city tunnel tomb". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Death tunnel re-opens". Birmingham Evening Mail. 30 May 1981. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Articles with short description
- Short description is different from Wikidata
- Use dmy dates from March 2017
- Use British English from March 2017
- Coordinates on Wikidata
- Articles with OS grid coordinates
- Commons category link is on Wikidata
- Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands
- Buildings and structures in Worcestershire
- Canal tunnels in England
- Canals in the West Midlands (county)
- Canals in Worcestershire
- Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands
- Transport in Worcestershire
- Tunnels in Birmingham, West Midlands
- Worcester and Birmingham Canal