The Blisworth Tunnel

Engineered by Jessop and Barnes, the Blisworth Tunnel opened in 1805. At one and three quarter miles long, it is the second longest navigable continuous bore tunnel still in use in Britain, the third longest navigable canal tunnel in the UK and the ninth longest in the world. At its deepest point, it is 120 feet below ground.

Southern entrance (Stephen Dawson, Wikipedia)

 

The Blisworth Tunnel is situated on the 17 mile stretch of the Grand Union Canal that winds through the beautiful South Northamptonshire countryside. Its southern entrance is a short distance from the canal village of Stoke Bruerne, while its northern entrance opens at the village of Blisworth.

Originally, boats were ‘legged’, or ‘poled’ through, which took up to two and a half hours but in 1871, a steam tug service was introduced. With only one airshaft, many fatalities resulted until an additional six were opened up.

This was the only stretch of canal not complete until the Grand Junction Canal opened in 1800. When excavations on an earlier tunnel failed, a road was built, followed by a horse-drawn ‘railway’ that carried goods between the two completed sections of the canal at Stoke Bruerne and Blisworth. Although quite primitive, the double track plateway built over Blisworth Hill was Northamptonshire’s first railway. It was dismantled when the tunnel opened in 1805 but its line can still be seen from the top of the canal cutting at Blisworth and on the woodland walk at Stoke Bruerne.

Stoke Bruerne (Simon Murdoch Photography)

During the early 1980s, the tunnel was closed and the central section re-lined with concrete at a cost of £4 million. A sample of the concrete section can be seen at the southern entrance near the tug store and stables. Newly created by Blisworth Canal Partnership is the Tunnel Spinney, a woodland walk along a hard path that is accessed from the tunnel car park in Stoke Road.

Blisworth Tunnel is a short walk from the beautiful canal village of Stoke Bruerne. Both the tunnel and Stoke Bruerne feature in a recent Canal Guide that Redworks produced for South Northamptonshire Council. To download a copy, click here: Explore Canals in South Northamptonshire

If you enjoyed reading this, you might also enjoy the following articles about South Northamptonshire:

Gilbert Scott’s South Northants’ Connections

Northamptonshire’s Ancient Routes

New Guides to Boost Local Economy

 After many long months of research, writing, cutting copy, editing and more editing, three tourism guides that Redworks was commissioned to produce for South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) have been published. Each one focuses on a different aspect of this little known district – canals, heritage and families.  

As well as providing an interesting insight into the area’s history, heritage and leisure activities, the guides have been created to encourage people to get out and about and spend their money in the local area.

They are part of a wider suite of tourism related documents that we have produced for SNC over the past three years.  In 2012, a Food and Drink guide was launched, featuring restaurants, pubs, cafes, farm shops and food producers from across the district. The previous year, we created a general Tourism Guide that took a wider look at what there is to see and do, including a focus on Brackley, Towcester and local villages; sports activities and outdoor pursuits; heritage and the canal network; rural shopping and art.

The new guides – Explore Canals, Explore Heritage and Explore Family Fun – are available to pick up free of charge in local tourist information centres, libraries, shops and various public buildings. They are also available to download on South Northamptonshire Council’s website, www.southnorthants.gov.uk/tourism.