The Hincaster Tunnel - Hincaster, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

THE HINCASTER TUNNEL
Was built between 1816-1817 and is 378 yards long, 146 feet above sea level, and the working water level was 76 feet below the hill summit. The engineer was John Fletcher and the builder was William Crossley.

The portals, the first ten yards of the interior at each end and all of the underwater parts are of limestone; the rest is lined with bricks - approximately 4 million - all made locally at Heversham. The tunnel was the first major brick-built civil engineering project north of the river Mersey.

Boats were pulled through the tunnel by means of a chain or rope fixed to the south wall (fixing rings can still be seen) or legged through by boatmen. Lacking a towpath the horses were led over the hill on the horsepath.

The tunnel was last used by commercial traffic in 1944.

It is a scheduled Ancient Monument.

THE LANCASTER TUNNEL
The section between Preston and Tewitfield was built betwen 1792 - 1797. The northern reaches from Tewitfield through to Kendal were completed in 1819. The line of the canal through Hincaster was determined by the need to serve the Wakefield Gunpowder Works at Sedgwick. The section north of Stainton was drained in 1955, and the northern reaches were severed from the rest of the canal by the building of the M6 motorway in 1968.

THE HORSEPATH
Carried the towpath over the tunnel hill. It is approximately 1/2 mile long, is crossed by three limestone accommodation bridges - one carries the main railway line, built 1846, whilst the other two are field access tracks built in 1817.

All of the accommodation bridges are listed structures, as are the retaining walls of the railway bridge.

THE LANCASTER CANAL TRUST
Was formed in 1963 and its aims include the restoration to full navigation standards of the northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal.

In 1991 the Trust designed and executed the Hincaster Tunnel Amenity Area Scheme; the project was assisted by funding from the Granada Television Green Life Awards, The Countryside Commission, South Lakeland District Council and J F Pickthall Esq. Other materials were kindly donated by W & J Pye, Farm Foods, British Telecom, British Rail, A R C Quarry Silverdale, Builders' Supply Co.

The work was carried out by volunteers and members of the Lancaster Canal Trust and the Waterway Recovery Group.