Braunston Tunnel
| Braunston Tunnel | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Eastern portal of the tunnel | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Canal tunnel |
| Carrying: | Grand Union Canal |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP565652 |
| Location: | 52°16’58"N, 1°10’21"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 2,042 yards |
| Type: | Canal tunnel |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Canal and River Trust |
Braunston Tunnel carries the Grand Union Canal beneath a hill on what is today the outskirts of Daventry. It is 2,042 yards long.[1] and 16 feet wide; built by Jessop and Barnes to carry the main cargo barges of the Grand Junction Canal, which is now part of the Grand Union.
The tunnel is to be found about 830 yards east of the top lock at Braunston in Northamptonshire. It is in the northern outskirts of Daventry, about a mile east of the village of Braunston from which it is named.
The tunnel has no towpath: before engines, boats were legged through the tunnel while their draught horses were led up and around to the other portal.
The Braunston Tunnel was opened in 1796. Its construction was delayed by soil movement and it was probably the resulting movement that led to the tunnel's having a slight 'S' bend. There is room for two boats of 7 foot beam to pass.[2] There are three air shafts along its length.
The tunnel passes underground alongside another Grand Union Canal feature, Drayton Reservoir, from which the feeder enters the canal at the east end of the tunnel.
Features
- Western portal: 52°17’4"N, 1°11’5"W; SP557654
- Mid point: 52°16’58"N, 1°10’21"W; SP565652
- Eastern portal: 52°16’53"N, 1°9’28"W; SP576652
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Braunston Tunnel) |