Islington Tunnel
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Islington, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°32′2.8″N 0°6′31.18″W / 51.534111°N 0.1086611°WCoordinates: 51°32′2.8″N 0°6′31.18″W / 51.534111°N 0.1086611°W |
| OS grid reference | TQ312833 |
| Status | Open |
| Waterway | Regent's Canal |
| Start | 51°31′59.37″N 0°6′9.67″W / 51.5331583°N 0.1026861°W |
| End | 51°32′5.12″N 0°6′54.07″W / 51.5347556°N 0.1150194°W |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1818 |
| Rebuilt | Several rebuilds |
| Owner | Canal & River Trust |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | James Morgan |
| Length | 960 yards (878 m) |
| Towpath | No |
| Boat-passable | Yes |
The Islington Tunnel carries the Regent's Canal Arm of the Grand Union Canal for 960 yards (878 m) underneath the Angel area of Islington, in London. The two other tunnels on the Regent's Canal are Eyre's Tunnel and Maida Hill Tunnel.
Islington Tunnel opened in 1818 and was built by the engineer James Morgan.
The Regent's Canal was authorised by Act of Parliament on 13 July 1812, and a month later James Morgan, who had previously produced plans and sections to support the application, was appointed as Engineer, Architect and Land Surveyor for the scheme. At the time, Morgan had little civil engineering experience, and the company decided to hold a competition for the design of the locks and tunnels, with the entries to be assessed by William Jessop and two other engineers. Although entries hoping to win the 50-guinea (£52.50) were submitted, none were accepted, and in December Morgan became responsible for the whole project.
The company were persistently short of money, as they had only succeeded in raising £254,100 of the estimated cost of £400,000, and as work progressed, it became obvious that more would be needed. The first section from Paddington Basin to Camden was opened on 12 August 1816, and some work had been done on the tunnel, but work stopped, as there was no more money. Another Act of Parliament increased the capital to £600,000, but the company had no success in raising any more. However, a chance meeting between the former chairman, Charles Munro, and the committee for the Society for the Relieving of the Manufacturing Poor resulted in discussions about government loans funding the project and providing employment for the poor. The Exchequer Bill Loan Commission was set up under the powers of the Poor Employment Act of 1817, with commissioners given powers to award loans to public projects which would provide employment for those without work. The engineer Thomas Telford surveyed the unfinished canal and tunnel on behalf of the Commissioners, and an initial loan of £200,000 was promised, providing that the canal company could raise £100,000 in match funding. This they succeeded in doing, and work resumed in December 1817. The canal opened in its entirety on 1 August 1820.
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