The Standedge Tunnel is the longest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain, at 5,189m long, 194m below ground at its deepest point and 196m above sea level.
The canal Tunnel took 17 years to construct, before finally opening in 1811. Sadly in 1916 the tunnel was closed to commercial boats, remaining closed for the next 85 years. When finally in 2001, the Tunnel underwent a full restoration and was reopened once again for leasure boaters and tourists.
The portals of the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in Britain, the 3.2 mile Standedge Tunnel. Lockable gates can be seen at each end of the Tunnel, to stop unarranged access into the tunnel for safety.
The Standedge canal Tunnel is an amazing engineering achievement, described as one of the 7 wonders of the water world. With many different manufacturing techniques being used throughout the entire length of the tunnel. The journey through this very small gauge Tunnel takes approximately 2 to 21/2 hours on a modern boat.
This series of photographs were taken in 2011 from a moving boat, using a Nikon D300. The many changes of construction style can clearly be seen as you progress through the Tunnel’s 3.2 mile length.
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