# glenfield tunnel Leicester 2009-- 2013 ?



## MD (Sep 13, 2013)

Glenfield Tunnel
visted with LL,goldie,mr sam,lost tom,nobodygirl
Built in 1830 by George Stephenson, the tunnel was, at the time of completion, the longest railway tunnel in the world, a staggering 1 mile and 36 yards. It was also the third railway ever to be built. The tunnel, whilst still in existence, cost Leicester Council £745,000 for 2005-2007 to keep it from collapsing - there is a housing estate built on the surface at the top. One end is clearly visible, the other has had a house built over it, but logically, by following the ventilations shafts, which are all listed buildings, one can arrive at an assumption where the tunnel emerges
here are a few photos..

































Main reason for posting this is the tunnel is open for visitors this weekend 

BBC One - East Midlands Today, 12/09/2013

16mins in 

and from the local paper 

Historic railway tunnel opens to public

Friday, September 13, 2013

Leicester Mercury

It has been disused, locked up and largely forgotten for decades. But now a
mile-long railway tunnel deep beneath the streets of Leicester has been
temporarily reopened for visitors.

The Glenfield Tunnel, built in 1829, was one of the world’s first
underground rail routes used by steam trains to carry coal from North West
Leicestershire’s pits to the city.

It shut in the 1960s when British Rail sold it to Leicester City Council for
£5.

Now, the council has arranged for it to be reopened for visits guided by the
Leicestershire Industrial History Society. The first took place yesterday
for a 20-strong group who were able to tour 100 metres of the tunnel from
its entrance off Stephenson Court, Glenfield.

The brick-lined structure re-emerges near Gilroes Cemetery but its other
entrance has been bricked up.

Society secretary David Lyne led the group along the unlit stretch. He said:
“We are very grateful to the council for letting us see this amazing piece
of the city’s industrial heritage. Most people have no idea it even exists.

“Coal is the reason this is here. In the early 19th century, Leicester
tended to buy its coal from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, despite there
being coalfields in the county.

“That was because Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire had access to the canal
network and north west Leicestershire didn’t.

“Pack horses brought the coal in from Whitwick but that was slow and more
expensive.

“The railway was built to address that and the price of coal in Leicester
plummeted and the city’s industry started to massively expand. This tunnel
was very important for the city’s industrial development.”

The construction of the tunnel took three years and cost more than £17,000 –
well over its original £10,000 budget – because of complications and because
it was a relatively untested process. Renowned railway engineer George
Stephenson was brought in to do the job.

Mr Lyne said: “There are 14 air vents along the tunnel, some of which come
up in people’s gardens. We spoke to one woman who has one in her garden and
warned her there might be some strange voices drifting up through it while
we were down here.

“The vents are closed off but when we were down there before we found the
remains of a motorcycle.”

The tours have proved popular and those planned for today, tomorrow and
Saturday have all been booked up.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who joined the first group into the tunnel,
said: “I must thank the Leicestershire Industrial History Society for doing
these tours. Only in Leicester would we lock up and hide away such a
wonderful feature.”

Sir Peter said it might be possible to reopen the closed off end of the
tunnel and have it as a cycle path.

After 2000, a structural survey showed there was a danger of collapse
because the tunnel was not designed to take the weight of the homes
subsequently built above it. The city council spent £500,000 putting in
concrete reinforcements.

Probably the best tunnel in leicester so its well worth going for a look


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## flyboys90 (Sep 13, 2013)

What a treasure,thanks for sharing.


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## oldscrote (Sep 14, 2013)

That's nice that is.There's precedent for making it into a cycle path as well

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-22051086


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## Goldie87 (Sep 15, 2013)

oldscrote said:


> That's nice that is.There's precedent for making it into a cycle path as well



The city mayor is an idiot who has a lot of mental ideas, the other portal is buried under a housing estate!


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## krela (Sep 17, 2013)

Curious to know what a house on a tunnel portal looks like?!


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## John_D (Sep 17, 2013)

krela said:


> Curious to know what a house on a tunnel portal looks like?!


 Your wish is my command.


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## Big Bill (Sep 20, 2013)

Excellent report. It's within walking distance from my house, so think I may have to book onto the next open visit!


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