Wast Hill Tunnel

Wast Hill Tunnel
	Southern portal
Overview
Location	Hawkesley, Birmingham, West Midlands, and Worcestershire, England
Coordinates	52°23′25″N 1°56′24″W / 52.3902°N 1.9400°W
OS grid reference	SP041769
Status	Open
Waterway	Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Start	52°24′00″N 1°55′51″W / 52.39991°N 1.93096°W
End	52°22′50″N 1°56′56″W / 52.38066°N 1.94890°W
Operation
Constructed	1794-97
Owner	Canal & River Trust
Technical
Design engineer	Thomas Cartwright
Length	2,726 yards (2,492.7 m)
Width	Double
Towpath	No
Boat-passable	Yes

Wast Hill Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Its northern portal is in Hawkesley, Birmingham. Its southern portal is in fields just outside the city's boundaries, in Worcestershire.^[1]

Construction and measurements[edit]

The Wast Hill Tunnel was built in 1796 and is 2,726 yards (2,493 m) long, making it one of the longest in the country.^[1] There are several ventilation shafts along its length which were initially used for the tunnel's construction.^[2] It is wide enough to accommodate two narrow boats but there is no towpath.^[3]

History[edit]

Work started on the tunnel in 1794 and was completed in 1797.^[4] Until 1904 canal boats were legged through the tunnel; it took three hours to navigate. Leggers were replaced by a steam tug to pull a chain of barges through.^[5] The tunnel used to carry telegraph lines placed through iron brackets attached to the roof.^[6] On 23 November 1979, two workmen were killed when part of the tunnel roof collapsed while undergoing repair.^[7] The tunnel remained closed until 30 May 1981.^[8]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Worcester & Birmingham Canal". Retrieved 2 March 2015.
^ The central airshaft once had a steam driven fan for smoke clearance. David Stowell. "Wast Hill Tunnel Southern portal". Retrieved 3 March 2015.
^ William Dargue. "Hawkesley, Hawkesley End - West Heath". Retrieved 3 March 2015.
^ Pearson, Wendy (2004). King's Norton : past & present. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7509-3858-7 – via Internet Archive.
^ Lewis, Clem (23 November 1979). "Eerie journey in deadly Wast Hill". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ Ordnance Survey Guide to the Waterways I. South (4th ed.). Ordnance Survey & Nicholson Guides. 1989. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-948576-31-7 – via Internet Archive.
^ Bailey, Jackie; Wootton, Keith (23 November 1979). "Men die in city tunnel tomb". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Death tunnel re-opens". Birmingham Evening Mail. 30 May 1981. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[WBC-1] "Worcester & Birmingham Canal". Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[geograph-2] The central airshaft once had a steam driven fan for smoke clearance. David Stowell. "Wast Hill Tunnel Southern portal". Retrieved 3 March 2015.

[dargue-3] William Dargue. "Hawkesley, Hawkesley End - West Heath". Retrieved 3 March 2015.

[4] Pearson, Wendy (2004). King's Norton : past & present. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7509-3858-7 – via Internet Archive.

[5] Lewis, Clem (23 November 1979). "Eerie journey in deadly Wast Hill". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[6] Ordnance Survey Guide to the Waterways I. South (4th ed.). Ordnance Survey & Nicholson Guides. 1989. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-948576-31-7 – via Internet Archive.

[7] Bailey, Jackie; Wootton, Keith (23 November 1979). "Men die in city tunnel tomb". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[8] "Death tunnel re-opens". Birmingham Evening Mail. 30 May 1981. p. front. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

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