Hincaster Tunnel

Last updated

Plaque Plaque, Hincaster Tunnel - geograph.org.uk - 1726075.jpg
Plaque

The Hincaster Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Lancaster Canal at Hincaster, a hamlet in Cumbria, England.

Contents

History

Work to extend the Lancaster Canal north from Tewitfield to Kendal began formally in 1813. This section, which includes the tunnel, opened in 1819.

The building of the tunnel through Hincaster Hill brought the canal close to existing gunpowder works at Sedgwick (an 18th-century gunpowder works there was replaced in the 19th century).

The tunnel (east portal) Eastern Portal Hincaster Tunnel - panoramio (1).jpg
The tunnel (east portal)

The tunnel closed to traffic in the 20th century along with the northern section of the canal.

Structure

The tunnel is 378 yards (346 m) long. The tunnel's entrances, the east and west portals, are faced with limestone and are Grade II listed. [1] [2] The tunnel itself is lined with something like four million bricks.

There is no towpath through the tunnel. Horses were led over the hill via a horse path which is a scheduled monument. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxfordshire</span> County of England

Oxfordshire is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box Tunnel</span> Railway tunnel in western England

Box Tunnel passes through Box Hill on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Bath and Chippenham. The 1.83-mile (2.95 km) tunnel was the world's longest railway tunnel when it was completed in 1841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster Canal</span> Canal in Northwest England

The Lancaster Canal is a canal in North West England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria. The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never completed, and much of the southern end leased to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, of which it is now generally considered part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds and Liverpool Canal</span> Canal in the north of England

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennet and Avon Canal</span> Canal in southern England

The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crick, Northamptonshire</span> Human settlement in England

Crick is a village in West Northamptonshire in England. It is close to the border with Warwickshire, six miles east of Rugby and 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Northampton. The villages of Crick and West Haddon were by-passed by the A428 main road from Rugby to Northampton when the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) was built in 1996. The terminal is a short distance east of junction 18 of the M1 motorway, which is next to Crick. Crick's population in the 2001 census was 1,460, increasing to 1,886 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foulridge Tunnel</span> Canal tunnel in Lancashire

The Foulridge Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Foulridge, Lancashire. Also known as the Mile Tunnel, Foulridge is 1,630 yards long and was built by Samuel Fletcher, following Robert Whitworth's 1789 survey. The tunnel is the longest in the country to allow passage of canoes and kayaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosmont, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Grosmont is a village and civil parish situated in Eskdale in the North York Moors National Park, within the boundaries of the Scarborough district of the county of North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hincaster</span> Human settlement in England

Hincaster is a small hamlet and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, located between Kendal and Milnthorpe. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 195, increasing at the 2011 census to 209.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgwick, Cumbria</span> Human settlement in England

Sedgwick is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Kendal. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 380, decreasing at the 2011 census to 349.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Cycle Route 1</span> Cycle route in the United Kingdom

National Cycle Route 1 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Dover to Tain. The 1,264 mi-long (2,034-kilometre) cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bromford Junction</span>

Bromford Junction is a canal junction at the foot of the Spon Lane Locks where the Spon Lane Locks Branch meets the BCN New Main Line near Oldbury in the West Midlands, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewood Aqueduct</span> Bridge in Blackburn

Ewood Aqueduct is a high embankment carrying the Leeds and Liverpool Canal over the River Darwen and the B6447 road near Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Built of sandstone in the early 19th century, it is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Chapel, Heysham</span>

St Patrick's Chapel is a ruined building that stands on a headland above St Peter's Church, in Heysham, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listed buildings in Runcorn (rural area)</span>

Runcorn is an industrial town in the borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. This list contains the 27 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings in the part of the borough lying to the south of the River Mersey outside the urban area of Runcorn. The area covered includes the villages of Clifton, Daresbury, Preston Brook, Preston on the Hill, and Moore. Three of the buildings in the area are classified as Grade II*, and the others are at Grade II; there are no buildings in Grade I. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance. These buildings are in three grades: Grade I consists of buildings of outstanding architectural or historical interest; Grade II* includes particularly significant buildings of more than local interest; Grade II consists of buildings of special architectural or historical interest. Buildings in England are listed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on recommendations provided by English Heritage, which also determines the grading.

Fritchley Tunnel is a disused railway tunnel at Fritchley in Derbyshire, England, which is believed to be the oldest surviving example in the world. The tunnel was constructed in 1793 by Benjamin Outram as part of the Butterley Gangroad, altered in the 1840s, and remained in use until the railway closed in 1933. It is a scheduled monument.

Helsington is a civil parish in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. It contains 21 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, one is at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish includes the village of Brigsteer, and is otherwise rural. The major listed buildings in the parish are Sizergh Castle and associated structures. The other listed buildings include farmhouses, farm buildings, houses, bridges, a church, a snuff mill, and buildings associated with a former gunpowder works.

Hincaster is a civil parish in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. It contains eleven listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the village of Hincaster and the surrounding countryside. The Lancaster Canal passed through the parish, including the Hincaster Tunnel. This part of the canal is now dry, but structures associated with it are listed, including the portals of the tunnel, a cottage, and accommodation bridges and a railway bridge crossing the canal or the sunken horse path. The other listed buildings are farmhouses and farm buildings.

The Seven Wonders of the Waterways is a list of landmarks on the navigable waterways of the United Kingdom. The list was originally compiled in 1946 by Robert Aickman, co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), at a time when the waterways network was largely derelict. Today, the Canal & River Trust—formerly British Waterways—has jurisdiction over all of the sites except for the Barton Swing Aqueduct, which is owned and operated by the Bridgewater Canal Company.

References

  1. Historic England. "East portal to Hincaster Tunnel and accommodation bridge over sunken horse path (1086575)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  2. Historic England. "West portal to Hincaster Tunnel (1086578)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  3. Historic England. "Hincaster Tunnel horse path (1004594)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 September 2021.

54°15′33″N2°45′08″W / 54.2593°N 2.7523°W / 54.2593; -2.7523