Monday, March 15, 2010

Another Grade II listing in Rainhill

A little known tunnel under the Liverpool to Manchester railway has been given the listing for its' architecture.
Built in the late 1820's, the 104ft long tunnel goes under the earliest locomotive passenger line in the world. It was built to accommodate a tramway which linked Sutton Colliery with a weighing machine and coal stockpile on the Liverpool to Warrington turnpike road.
Bourne's Tunnel as it is known, has a mysterious background. Nobody is quite sure who designed the tunnel, or indeed who was responsible for its' finely engineered construction.
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2 comments:

  1. Carol7:38 am

    Do you have any information on the location of the tunnel so that I could go and take a look at it?
    Thanks

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  2. Cllr. Steve Glover9:29 am

    Thanks for your interest Carol.

    I have made enquiries and am told that the tunnel lies to the north of the Ex Servicemenn's Club (where the wharf is alleged to have been, transferring the coal to the turnpike), where the route passes underneath the existing railway embankment.

    I believe that it is accessible but it will certainly be in a somewhat overgrown location.

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