Norwood Tunnel
The Eastern Portal of Norwood Tunnel
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Derbyshire / South Yorkshire |
| Coordinates | 53°20′06″N 1°16′11″W / 53.33501°N 1.26971°WCoordinates: 53°20′06″N 1°16′11″W / 53.33501°N 1.26971°W |
| OS grid reference | SK486822 |
| Status | collapsed Condition Rebuilding Proposed |
| Waterway | Chesterfield Canal |
| Start | 53°20′15″N 1°15′01″W / 53.33748°N 1.25021°W |
| End | 53°19′57″N 1°17′21″W / 53.33253°N 1.28921°W |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 1771-1775 |
| Opened | 9 May 1775 |
| Closed | 1907 Collapsed |
| Owner | Chesterfield Canal Company |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | James Brindley |
| Length | 2,884 yards (2,637.1 m) |
| Tunnel clearance | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Width | 9 feet 3 inches (2.8 m) |
| Towpath | No |
| Boat-passable | No |
Norwood Tunnel was a 2,884-yard-long (2,637 m), 9.25-foot-wide (2.82 m) and 12-foot-high (3.7 m) brick (3 million of them) lined canal tunnel on the line of the Chesterfield Canal with its Western Portal in Norwood, Derbyshire and its Eastern Portal in Kiveton, South Yorkshire, England.
The Chesterfield Canal's Act of Parliament was passed in 1771. James Brindley was the chief engineer and John Varley the Clerk of the Works. John Varley was left to continue alone as acting chief engineer after the death of James Brindley in 1772. In 1774, Hugh Henshall, James Brindley's brother-in-law was made chief engineer, with John Varley keeping the position of resident engineer. The Norwood Tunnel was opened on 9 May 1775 and at the time held the record for Britain's longest canal tunnel jointly with James Brindley's Harecastle Tunnel.
At the end of July 1775 an auction of equipment, which had been used to construct the tunnel, was held at the eastern portal:-
1 Horse Gin complete, Wheel 14 feet diam, pulleys 3 feet 6 inches - 1 Horse Gin complete, Wheel 11 feet diam, pulleys 3 feet 6 inches - 1 Horse Gin complete, Wheel 10 feet diam, pulleys 2 feet 8 inches - 1 Water Engine Wheel, 20 feet diameter - 1 Water Engine Wheel, 17 feet diameter - 1 Water Engine Wheel, 16 feet diameter - 9 Turn Barrels and Stand Trees - 20 Yards of Pump Trees, 8 inch bore - 4, 6 inch Cast Metal Working Pieces - 1 Wind Engine - 2 Pair of Smiths Bellows - 4 Horse Water Tubs - A number of Rollers fixed in Frames for Slide Rods, Drum Wheels and Chains, and Slide and Pump Rod Joints.
The Norwood Tunnel forms a large part of the summit pound of the canal, with Norwood Locks descending from the Western Portal and Thorpe Locks descending to the East of the Eastern Portal.
The tunnel does not have a towpath, therefore the narrowboats were pushed through the tunnel by their crews. This process of pushing against the walls or roof of a canal tunnel with one's legs in order to propel the narrowboat through the tunnel is called Legging.
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Wikipedia