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| By the 1960s, 130 years of exposure to the elements had resulted in the tunnel's brick walls crumbling from the effects of frost. To prevent falls of frost-damaged bricks, a cement mix known as ] was sprayed onto the walls to stabilise them. However, this in turn became detached from the brickwork and in October-November 2009, the tunnel was closed to carry out repairs. The gunite layer was re-fixed to the brickwork using bolts and painted, and the drainage systems and portal arches were also renovated. The tunnel's lighting system was replaced at the same time and the carriageway was also resurfaced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk/news_view/2346/14/1/tunnel-to-undergo-major-refurbishment|title=Tunnel to undergo major refurbishment|last=Hookings|first=Margaret|date=22 October 2009|accessdate=19 July 2012|work=View from Beaminster}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Historic tunnel re-opens after extensive works|date=1 December 2009|accessdate=19 July 2012|work=This is Dorset}}</ref> | By the 1960s, 130 years of exposure to the elements had resulted in the tunnel's brick walls crumbling from the effects of frost. To prevent falls of frost-damaged bricks, a cement mix known as ] was sprayed onto the walls to stabilise them. However, this in turn became detached from the brickwork and in October-November 2009, the tunnel was closed to carry out repairs. The gunite layer was re-fixed to the brickwork using bolts and painted, and the drainage systems and portal arches were also renovated. The tunnel's lighting system was replaced at the same time and the carriageway was also resurfaced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk/news_view/2346/14/1/tunnel-to-undergo-major-refurbishment|title=Tunnel to undergo major refurbishment|last=Hookings|first=Margaret|date=22 October 2009|accessdate=19 July 2012|work=View from Beaminster}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Historic tunnel re-opens after extensive works|date=1 December 2009|accessdate=19 July 2012|work=This is Dorset}}</ref> | ||
| ==July 2012 partial collapse== | |||
| ==Incidents== | |||
| At 22:10 on 7 July 2012, two people |
At around 22:10 on 7 July 2012, two people driving through the tunnel were caught in a partial collapse of the north entrance to the tunnel, caused by torrential rain. Several hundred tons of mud, earth, stones and vegetation fell onto the road and crushed their car, killing them. The flattened vehicle was entirely buried and was not found until 10 days later after the two were reported missing, prompting police to carry out a search of the debris.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/17/two-feared-dead-dorset-landslide|title=Two feared dead in Dorset landslide|last=Morris|first=Stephen|date=17 July 2012|accessdate=19 July 2012}}</ref> The local ] force was criticised for failing to find the bodies sooner and the case was voluntarily referred to the ] to be reviewed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/18/beaminster-tunnel-deaths-police-ipcc|title=Beaminster tunnel landslip deaths: police force refers itself to IPCC|first=Steven|last=Morris|work=The Guardian|date=19 July 2012|accessdate=19 July 2012}}</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 22:33, 19 July 2012
The Beaminster Tunnel or Horn Hill Tunnel is a 345-foot (105 m) long road tunnel between Beaminster and Mosterton in Dorset, in the United Kingdom. The tunnel was constructed between 1830–1832; it is notable for being one of the first road tunnels built in Britain and the only pre-railway road tunnel in the country still in use.
Construction
The tunnel is constructed from brick with walls 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) thick. It runs for 345 feet (105 m) under Horn Hill, a 650 feet (200 m) high promontory to the north of Beaminster. The hill presented a major barrier to travellers passing from the newly enlarged harbour at West Bay on the Dorset coast to the hinterland. The main road passed over the hill, climbing almost 500 feet (150 m) in only a mile and a half (2 km). The steep gradient of 1 in 6 made passage difficult for horse-drawn transport. In the late 1820s, a Beaminster solicitor named Giles Russell proposed that the owners of the toll road over the hill, the Bridport 2nd District Turnpike Trust, should seek to build a tunnel under it to shorten and flatten the road. Russell played a key role in getting the project underway and managed to raise the £13,000 required through loans and contributions from many of Beaminster's artisans and traders.
In March 1830 Parliament approved a bill authorising construction of the tunnel, which began the following month. The engineer Michael Lane, a colleague of Marc Brunel who had worked on the pioneering Thames Tunnel in London, was in charge of the project, which took just over two years to complete. Only one fatality was sustained, a worker named William Aplin who died only three days before the tunnel opened when he was struck by a landslide outside one of the tunnel entrances. He was memorialised with a stone marked with a white cross which can still be seen in situ.
Opening
The tunnel was formally opened on 29 June 1832 with enthusiastic celebrations including firing a 21-gun salute from the top of the hill, a firework display and the launching of a hot air balloon. A procession of dignitaries, local people and the tunnel workers paraded through the tunnel, with a celebratory dinner being held afterwards in the White Hart inn in Beaminster where Giles Russell was the guest of honour. A celebratory song was written for the occasion which included the lyrics:
The yielding soil, through able hands,
A tunnel wide displays;
And Lane’s efficient aid demands
Our warm, admiring praise
In swelling streams may cheering wealth
To Beaminster descend:
And ever joy-inspiring health
Her social sons attend.
Commemorations of the opening of the tunnel became an annual tradition in Beaminster with "Tunnel Fairs" being held every Good Friday on Horn Hill until about the 1880s. In 1881, the tunnel became free to use when the tollgates were removed and the toll house at the north end was converted into a dwelling for the tunnel's lamplighter. The house was later demolished to allow the road to be widened.
Renovation and repairs
By the 1960s, 130 years of exposure to the elements had resulted in the tunnel's brick walls crumbling from the effects of frost. To prevent falls of frost-damaged bricks, a cement mix known as gunite was sprayed onto the walls to stabilise them. However, this in turn became detached from the brickwork and in October-November 2009, the tunnel was closed to carry out repairs. The gunite layer was re-fixed to the brickwork using bolts and painted, and the drainage systems and portal arches were also renovated. The tunnel's lighting system was replaced at the same time and the carriageway was also resurfaced.
July 2012 partial collapse
At around 22:10 on 7 July 2012, two people driving through the tunnel were caught in a partial collapse of the north entrance to the tunnel, caused by torrential rain. Several hundred tons of mud, earth, stones and vegetation fell onto the road and crushed their car, killing them. The flattened vehicle was entirely buried and was not found until 10 days later after the two were reported missing, prompting police to carry out a search of the debris. The local Dorset Police force was criticised for failing to find the bodies sooner and the case was voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission to be reviewed.
References
- ^ Headley, Andrew (November 2010). "'A tunnel wide'". Dorset Life. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- Otter, R.A. (1994). Civil Engineering Heritage: Southern England. Thomas Telford. ISBN 9780727719713.
- Hookings, Margaret (22 October 2009). "Tunnel to undergo major refurbishment". View from Beaminster. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Historic tunnel re-opens after extensive works". This is Dorset. 1 December 2009.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - Morris, Stephen (17 July 2012). "Two feared dead in Dorset landslide". Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- Morris, Steven (19 July 2012). "Beaminster tunnel landslip deaths: police force refers itself to IPCC". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
50°49′34″N 2°45′25″W / 50.826°N 2.757°W / 50.826; -2.757
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