Hi I posted the following note in another forum and received very little response, so this is my first post on this forum.
The trackbed of Southampton Tunnel is being lowered in connection with gauge improvements related to freight traffic to and from the port, but it is an almost forgotten fact that there is actually the remains of another tunnel UNDER the rail tunnel dating from around 1790.
The Salisbury and Southampton canal constructed an 850 yard tunnel - (later reduced to a 550 yard tunnel because of poor workmanship) which was hardly used and soon fell into disuse and became blocked at both ends. When the London and Southampton Railway (later the LSWR) built the rail tunnel it crossed the canal obliquely in the middle and only one foot above the canal tunnel roof. To prevent future rail tunnel collapse, spoil from the rail workings were thrown down into the canal tunnel to create a rubble heap up to the canal tunnel ceiling. However this measure proved partially satisfactory due to saturation of the clay so to prevent rail tunnel subsidence the canal tunnel was re-entered and a series of galleries constructed to effectively strengthen the canal tunnel and thereby safeguard the rail tunnel.
As far as I can tell there has only been one minor collapse of the canal tunnel since the 1850s and that much of it remains hidden underground and virtually forgotten, but it is still down there.
it occurrs to me that there must be maintenance access to the old tunnel from somewhere - possibly within Southampton Rail tunnel itself. Does anyone have any knowledge of this? Or photographs, or documented descriptions of what remains down there?
For those rail enthusiasts with an affinity for canals the canal's western portal was about 100 yards north of the rail tunnel (just the other side of the BBC studios) and the eastern portal was to the south of the rail tunnel where East Park is today. There is still a Canal Walk near Debenhams for those wondering why it is there
This piece of history seems to have been totally forgotten - it will be a shame if the one and only opportunity to reexplore this industrial archeaology is missed.
The trackbed of Southampton Tunnel is being lowered in connection with gauge improvements related to freight traffic to and from the port, but it is an almost forgotten fact that there is actually the remains of another tunnel UNDER the rail tunnel dating from around 1790.
The Salisbury and Southampton canal constructed an 850 yard tunnel - (later reduced to a 550 yard tunnel because of poor workmanship) which was hardly used and soon fell into disuse and became blocked at both ends. When the London and Southampton Railway (later the LSWR) built the rail tunnel it crossed the canal obliquely in the middle and only one foot above the canal tunnel roof. To prevent future rail tunnel collapse, spoil from the rail workings were thrown down into the canal tunnel to create a rubble heap up to the canal tunnel ceiling. However this measure proved partially satisfactory due to saturation of the clay so to prevent rail tunnel subsidence the canal tunnel was re-entered and a series of galleries constructed to effectively strengthen the canal tunnel and thereby safeguard the rail tunnel.
As far as I can tell there has only been one minor collapse of the canal tunnel since the 1850s and that much of it remains hidden underground and virtually forgotten, but it is still down there.
it occurrs to me that there must be maintenance access to the old tunnel from somewhere - possibly within Southampton Rail tunnel itself. Does anyone have any knowledge of this? Or photographs, or documented descriptions of what remains down there?
For those rail enthusiasts with an affinity for canals the canal's western portal was about 100 yards north of the rail tunnel (just the other side of the BBC studios) and the eastern portal was to the south of the rail tunnel where East Park is today. There is still a Canal Walk near Debenhams for those wondering why it is there
This piece of history seems to have been totally forgotten - it will be a shame if the one and only opportunity to reexplore this industrial archeaology is missed.
