Square Spinney Tunnel, Leicestershire

Goldie87 · Dec 7, 2007

Just found these photos which i had forgotten about.
Was shown this place by Mr Sam when we were on the way home from the Mansfield Brewery back in september. This tunnel was on the Great Northern line into Leicester. We had to walk through some fields until we came to an overgrown area, where the ventilation shaft shown below was located

After a short walk you find yourself on top of the portal itself. We went down the steep slope of the cutting and onto the trackbed in front of the portal

We took a walk down the overgrown trackbed and come across this aqueduct

We turned around and decided to take a look in the tunnel. There was rubbish laying around and a bit of graffiti, a large amount of it from 10 years ago

Im not sure how long this tunnel is, but it was a very long walk. There were lots of these refuges shown below along the way

Also a number of vent shafts

After a very long walk we finally reached the end where it had been backfilled. It was very wet and was a mass of horrible gooey mud. Overall it was an interesting explore, something different to the usual factories in the city.

Simon-G · Dec 7, 2007

Nice explore Goldie, looks in the middle of no where, was it far from an urban area?

Simon-G

Foxylady · Dec 7, 2007

Wow! An aqueduct! A long time since I've seen one of those. Lovely pics and an interesting explore, Goldie. Love the brickwork. Nice one!

Goldie87 · Dec 8, 2007

Thanks people.

Simon-G said:
looks in the middle of no where, was it far from an urban area?

It is surrounded by fields and does look pretty secluded, but its only just outside of the city boundary really.

King Al · Dec 10, 2007

Cool tunnel - do you know what its origonal use was?

King Al · Dec 10, 2007

Foxylady said:
Wow! An aqueduct! A long time since I've seen one of those.

not quite the same as yours, people just don't put the effot in any more :lol:

cartboy52 · Dec 10, 2007

It's the Glenfield Tunnel. Was a train line (the logest and first of its kind).

Goldie87 · Dec 10, 2007

cartboy52 said:
It's the Glenfield Tunnel. Was a train line (the logest and first of its kind).

Its not the Glenfield tunnel, This is the Glenfield tunnel:
http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=3067

The tunnel in this thread is called 'square spinney tunnel' It was on the Great Northern Railway line from Leicester. The first passenger train ran on 2nd October 1882 and most of the line was disused by 1964. The line was probably best known to Leicester folk as one they would use during the summer months to get to the Lincolnshire coast. Hope that helps

Just found a site that has some old pics of the line, including some which appear to be the the tunnel itself! How cool!
http://www.meltonmowbray.steamrailways.com/Leics Belgave.htm

King Al · Dec 10, 2007

Cheers both of you

Mr Sam · Dec 10, 2007

hello

ill first confirm its most deffinetly NOT the Glenfield tunnel as its on the opposite side on Leicester just beyond Scraptoft down Covet Lane

not long after the line was closed my great uncle owned the surrounding land and the tunnel itself unfortunatly it was him that had the far end filled in, on a previous trip i have walked over land and pin pointed where the other portal should of been and theres no trace of it

the line heads off towards tilton just before it reaches tilton it splits and one line heads Ford Skegness via the tilton cutting (jurrasic fossiles can be found there)

you can see where the line splits here, also covered all the line here as know the land owner

me on a previous visit below the vent shaft

where the portal at the other end once was

no point me posting any more pictures as there all pretty simular

Richard Davies · Dec 10, 2007

My Aunt's house is near to the old route of that line, at Great Dalby.

You can still see an embankment with a right of way tunnel through it.

She also found a freight wagon plate nearby, which my Dad has somewhere.

cartboy52 · Dec 10, 2007

Goldie87 said:
Its not the Glenfield tunnel, This is the Glenfield tunnel:

Sorry.
Cool tunnel!

Goldie87 · Dec 10, 2007

Richard Davies said:
She also found a freight wagon plate nearby, which my Dad has somewhere.

Cool, ive got a few bits and bobs ive found on disused lines around Leicester, one day when I get round to doing a thread on the Great Central i'll post a few pics!

cartboy52 said:
Sorry.
Cool tunnel!

Thats ok

josh582 · Oct 25, 2008

Hi guys!! I have been looking for this tunnel since i was 10, i was told briefly about it and it always sparked an interest! The other month me and my friend finally found it!! Well the start anyway, what interests me though is the only entrance to the tunnel has been cleared, from the aquaduct to the tunnel start!!

This is what i mean -

This is where it all begins -

Is there by any chance something going on?? On the day we found it there was a digger there clearing this path, its quite large!! Another thing that interests me is where the other end of the tunnel is (sadly its not like this end) as its not there lol but the trees along where the railway line used to go have been chopped down?? :S

Anyway, the other day we found were the tunnel was meant to have finished, we followed it along and found some interesting bridges!!

and the most awesome thing, which is a short walk after the picture above -

and at the bottom of it all -

Im unsure how many arches this bridge has as i did not count them!! One thing i would like to warn people on is if you go here beware of steep embankments and sliperie slopes!!

Let me know what you guys think!!

josh582 · Oct 25, 2008

Some great pictures, i live near this, i tried to submit a reply with some pictures and some pictures of the bridges at the enclosed end of the tunnel but it has not been put on yet? :S I'll try again soon!! lol

josh582 · Oct 25, 2008

This is the first structure you come to on the scraptoft/thurnby side of the tunnel, this is before the aqueduct

As you can see the track bed from the aqueduct to the tunnel has been cleared, which puzzled me because the ingarsby end of the tunnel (not accesable) has had the trees chopped down there aswell!!

Now here are some pictures of the other end, we found a overgrown pile where we assumed it once was and the field we walked through has a massive ditch/crater which is were we suspect it was collapesed!!

Another bridge

And finally this massive bridge

I did not count how many arches it has but its very big and must be at least 100ft tall

And at the bottom of the bridge

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and if anyone could shed some light on why it has been cleared i would be very interested to hear from you!!

Goldie87 · Oct 25, 2008

josh582 said:
Some great pictures, i live near this, i tried to submit a reply with some pictures and some pictures of the bridges at the enclosed end of the tunnel but it has not been put on yet? :S I'll try again soon!! lol

Would be interesting to see some more pics. Never looked what else was left of the railway as we were just passing by. Are there more bridges and stuff then?

josh582 · Oct 25, 2008

There are a few more bridges, i tried to upload them but it says it has to be approved by a moderator first??? Did you go all the way through the tunnel?? What was it like? I have been inside it but must admit it was rather scary in there!!

Goldie87 · Oct 26, 2008

josh582 said:
There are a few more bridges, i tried to upload them but it says it has to be approved by a moderator first??? Did you go all the way through the tunnel?? What was it like? I have been inside it but must admit it was rather scary in there!!

Not really sure about about the pics having to be approved, post them on the leicestershire forum if you want! http://urbexleic.myfreeforum.org/

Yeah we went right to the end, it was full of horrible gooey mud where it had been backfilled lol.
Might get down there again soon and try to take some better pics!

josh582 · Oct 26, 2008

Sounds alright, im going there today, but we have decided to follow it along through to ingarsby and then ending at jon o gaunt!!

Square Spinney Tunnel, Leicestershire

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