Harecastle Tunnel- James Brindley - Kidsgrove, Staffordshire.
N 53° 05.076 W 002° 14.669
30U E 550603 N 5881948
The blue plaque is located on the canal keepers office at the Harecastle Tunnel, North Portal in Kidsgrove.
Waymark Code: WMVMW1
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/06/2017
Views: 3
Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire.
It is made up of two separate, parallel, tunnels.The fist tunnel was built by James Brindley and the second by Thomas Telford. Today only the Telford tunnel is navigable.
This plaque commemorates the tunnel constructed by engineer James Brindley.
James Brindley started work on the first tunnel on 27 June 1766, partly at the urging of local potter Josiah Wedgewood, who needed a safe and cheap means to transport coal to the kilns. The tunnel took eleven years to build, during which time Brindley died and was replaced as chief engineer by his brother in law, Hugh Henshall. The 2,880 yards long tunnel had presented a number of problems, including quicksand, hard rock outcrops, springs and even deadly methane gas. It was eventually opened in 1777, a tremendous engineering achievement.
The tunnel had no towpath, and so boatsmen had to leg their way through the tunnel, lying on the roof of their boat and pushing on the sides of the tunnel with their feet. It could take up to three hours to get through the tunnel. The boat horses were led over Harecastle Hill via 'Boathorse Road'.
The tunnel was a great success but was unable to cope with the increasing traffic on the canal and the second tunnel was built. Brindley's Tunnel was closed in 1914. (
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The blue plaque is located on the canal keepers office at the Harecastle Tunnel, North Portal on the Trent and Mersey Canal, Kidsgrove. The entrance to the tunnel can also be seen at this location.
The plaque is inscribed as follows;
'Newcastle-under-Lyme Civic Society
Harecastle Tunnel
2880 yards(2488m) long by 3 yards(2.6m) wide
Opened 1777- Closed 1914
Surveyed by
James Brindley Engineer to September 1772
Hugh Henshall Engineer from 1772
British Waterways Dyfrffyrdd Prydain
2007'