Old Warden Tunnel
| Old Warden Tunnel | |
| Bedfordshire | |
|---|---|
 Old Warden Tunnel | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Railway tunnel |
| Carrying: | (empty) |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL11384458 |
| Location: | 52°5’18"N, 0°22’33"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 882 yards |
| Type: | Railway tunnel |
| History | |
| Information | |
Old Warden Tunnel is an abandoned railway tunnel near the village of Old Warden in Bedfordshire.
History
The tunnel was built as part of the Midland Railway connecting Bedford and Hitchin, and from there to London between 1853 and 1857. The line lost its passenger services long before the Beeching Axe could fall on it: the line was rendered almost redundant within thirty years of its completion, and despite a revival during the War, when it served army camps up the line, services practically ceased after the war and were withdrawn completely on 1 January 1962, along with goods services between Hitchin and Shefford. The final goods services between Shefford and Bedford, were axed by Dr Beeching on 28 December 1964.
Construction
The tunnel built of blue engineering bricks, the tunnel is ovoid in shape and runs at a very slight gradient to allow drainage; however, it is perfectly straight.
The tunnel has no blast relief ducts, due to its lack of curves and relatively short length, allowing good air passage. Regular niches were cut into the wall to allow maintenance on the permanent way during running hours. Finally, both portals were capped with stone and it covers a total length of 882 yards.
The tunnel today
The tunnel has lain derelict for over 40 years, but is in fair condition, with the Hitchin end back-filled to within 7 feet of the tunnel roof and the Bedford end bricked up with gratings for local bats. However, public access holes have been closed at both ends. Entrance to the tunnel is not recommended, due to bats and standing water accumulation. The Bedford Portal is still visible in its cutting, but the Hitchin Portal is entirely covered in undergrowth.
Nature reserve
The land above the tunnel is maintained as the Old Warden Tunnel Nature Reserve, managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.[1] The reserve covers 9.4 acres near Old Warden, on top of a disused railway tunnel.
The site has oak and ash woodland with mature blackthorn and hawthorn bushes, and a steep cutting with grassland and scrub. Flowers include dwarf thistle (Cirsium acaule') and pyramidal orchid, and the scrub provides nesting sites for birds.[1]
There is access by a track from Southill Road.[1]
The tunnel on film
The tunnel makes a brief appearance in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, in which the line stands in for the Chemin de Fer du Nord in northern France. In the scene, the dastardly Sir Percy Ware-Armitage, following the railway towards Paris, is disoriented in the smoke from a train and lands on a carriage, and his flying machine is destroyed as it enters the tunnel. This scene was filmed shortly after the tunnel had been closed to traffic, and before the rails were lifted. (The now-demolished Bedford Power Station can be seen in the far distance.)
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Old Warden Tunnel) |