Cann Tunnel, also known as Leigham Tunnel by some local folk, was part of the Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway section between Crabtree & Roborough. It was built in the 1820's, by sinking a shaft which was then worked outwards. It was one of the first railway tunnels in England, & certainly the first in Plymouth.
The railway was the brainchild of Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, who was also responsible for the earlier construction of Princetown & Dartmoor Prison, & its purpose was to to carry granite from the Dartmoor quarries, peat & local produce from farms into Plymouth.It was known as "The Dartmoor Gauge" due it's unusual dimensions being 4' 6" & wagons were horse drawn, not by locomotive. All of the track were removed in 1916, bar the section between Crabtree & Sutton Harbour in Plymouth, which was retained as part of the Lee Moor Tramway.
The tunnel itself is 620 yards in length & was adapted during WW2 as a deep shelter for the workers of Devonport Dockyard complete with a bus stop outside one entrance to transport workers into the dockyard, also containing bays for an underground hospital, should the Blitz on Plymouth get so bad. This would have accommodated up to 3000 people. After the war it was used by the Royal Navy for depth charges. In the 1950's it was noted as part of a Central Register of Underground Accommodation. Later on, in the 70's or 80's, a small section at one end of the tunnel was used as a garage by a local who has since relocated. This probably explains the remains of car parts which exist in there today.
I first visited this tunnel early 2007 & since then others from this site, along with some who don't frequent forums, have documented it's existence, after which it was sealed up once again....until....a cold morning in early March walking the pooch, i'd realised that some cheeky chav had "opened sesame" once again. After a couple of calls another visit was made along with theterrorwheel, Chase779 & Dreamweaver.
Remnants of the the trackbed leading to the tunnel
Entrance to the tunnel
Closer view of the NE tunnel entrance
Interior view of the above entrance in complete darkness
Another view with the lights on
View with back to the entrance, stood in the section which was once used as a garage
The remains of a car
Inside the next section of tunnel, looking back towards the entrance
This image shows the original roof of the tunnel along with the later additions
Ladders lead to escape hatches & small service tunnels
This service tunnel...
...leads to this on the surface & possibly the central shaft, where the construction of the tunnel began
One of the sick bays from the WW2 era
Shot from the the waterlogged end, 8" deep in places
Some of the later more interesting grafitti...this from explorers from Crownhill Fire Station, early 90's
This from local historian Steve Johnson (Cyberheritage)
Finally, some life in the tunnel...there was lots of these beauties!
I had a pretty terrible time with the camera, so hopefully some of the other guys shots came out better. I look forward to seeing them.
The railway was the brainchild of Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, who was also responsible for the earlier construction of Princetown & Dartmoor Prison, & its purpose was to to carry granite from the Dartmoor quarries, peat & local produce from farms into Plymouth.It was known as "The Dartmoor Gauge" due it's unusual dimensions being 4' 6" & wagons were horse drawn, not by locomotive. All of the track were removed in 1916, bar the section between Crabtree & Sutton Harbour in Plymouth, which was retained as part of the Lee Moor Tramway.
The tunnel itself is 620 yards in length & was adapted during WW2 as a deep shelter for the workers of Devonport Dockyard complete with a bus stop outside one entrance to transport workers into the dockyard, also containing bays for an underground hospital, should the Blitz on Plymouth get so bad. This would have accommodated up to 3000 people. After the war it was used by the Royal Navy for depth charges. In the 1950's it was noted as part of a Central Register of Underground Accommodation. Later on, in the 70's or 80's, a small section at one end of the tunnel was used as a garage by a local who has since relocated. This probably explains the remains of car parts which exist in there today.
I first visited this tunnel early 2007 & since then others from this site, along with some who don't frequent forums, have documented it's existence, after which it was sealed up once again....until....a cold morning in early March walking the pooch, i'd realised that some cheeky chav had "opened sesame" once again. After a couple of calls another visit was made along with theterrorwheel, Chase779 & Dreamweaver.
Remnants of the the trackbed leading to the tunnel
Entrance to the tunnel
Closer view of the NE tunnel entrance
Interior view of the above entrance in complete darkness
Another view with the lights on
View with back to the entrance, stood in the section which was once used as a garage
The remains of a car
Inside the next section of tunnel, looking back towards the entrance
This image shows the original roof of the tunnel along with the later additions
Ladders lead to escape hatches & small service tunnels
This service tunnel...
...leads to this on the surface & possibly the central shaft, where the construction of the tunnel began
One of the sick bays from the WW2 era
Shot from the the waterlogged end, 8" deep in places
Some of the later more interesting grafitti...this from explorers from Crownhill Fire Station, early 90's
This from local historian Steve Johnson (Cyberheritage)
Finally, some life in the tunnel...there was lots of these beauties!
I had a pretty terrible time with the camera, so hopefully some of the other guys shots came out better. I look forward to seeing them.
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