Monument record MDR9242 - Burbage Tunnel, near Edgemoor Farm; Cromford & High Peak Railway
Type and Period (2)
- RAILWAY TUNNEL (Georgian to Victorian - 1830 AD to 1892 AD)
- RAILWAY TUNNEL PORTAL (Georgian to Hanoverian - 1830 AD to 1833 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The Burbage Tunnel is 580 yards (530.35 metres) long and dates between 1830 and 1833. Lined with sandstone blocks, the southern portal, near Tunnel Farm, has been bricked across with bricks, but the sandstone entrance arch stands intact. The north end of the tunnel is blocked 30 yards (27.43 metres) inside by a sandstone block wall. (1, 2)
The Burbage Tunnel was the longest tunnel on the Cromford and High Peak Railway (CHPR). It was opened in 1831 but was subsequently closed in 1892 with the abandonment of the Ladmanlow - Whaley Bridge section of the line. It is now used for a telecommunications cable and is blocked at each end [1984]. The track bed of the railway is walkable to both portals but there is no public right of way over the top. (3)
Details of the tunnel are unknown as the entrances have been blocked up. The southern portal is constructed of gritstone blocks, which are well dressed and with fine tooling marks. The portal is flanked on either side by sloping buttresses. The tunnel arch is approximately 6m wide and 5m high. The northern portal matches the southern one, but the final 3m of the tunnel mouth had collapsed and had been removed prior to the tunnel being blocked up. (4)
Sources/Archives (14)
- <1> SDR19111 Index: Council for British Archaeology (CBA). CBA Industrial Archaeology Report Card. Burbage Tunnel.
- <2> SDR18918 Unpublished document: County Treasure Recording Form. 11.2, with photos (n.d.).
- <3> SDR4751 Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D. 1984. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology - A Gazetteer of Sites. Part I. Borough of High Peak. p 7.
- <4> SDR19352 Archive: Jessop, O. 2003. Cromford & High Peak Railway and Peak Forest Tramway Survey. ARCUS 738b. Feature number: 321.
- <5> SDR19353 Photograph: ARCUS. 2003. Cromford & High Peak Railway and Peak Forest Tramway Survey, Project 738b. Digital photograph. 415-6, 432-33.
- <6> SDR18789 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1882. OS County Series, 1st edition, scale 1:2500 (c. 25" to one mile). XIV.16.
- <7> SDR19343 Bibliographic reference: Jones, N & Bentley, M. 2000. Scenes from the Past: 37 (Part One) Railways of the High Peak. 'Whaley Bridge to Friden'. p 23.
- <8> SDR18890 Bibliographic reference: Marshall, J. 1996. The Cromford & High Peak Railway. p 65, 39.
- <9> SDR19340 Bibliographic reference: Blakemore, M & Mosley, D. 2003. Railways of the Peak District. p 51.
- <10> SDR19342 Unpublished document: Featherstone, P.. 1971. Standing Archaeological Features on the Cromford and High Peak Railway.
- <11> SDR10751 Bibliographic reference: Nixon, F. 1969. The Industrial Archaeology of Derbyshire. p 233.
- <12> SDR19348 Bibliographic reference: Nicholson, C P & Barnes, P. 1975. Railways in the Peak District. p 16.
- <13> SDR19339 Article in serial: Baxter, B. 1949. 'Early railways in Derbyshire', Engineering. Vol. 167, pp 573-576. p576.
- <14> SDR19345 Article in serial: Marshall, J. 1981. 'High Peak Sesquicentenary, part one,' Railway Magazine. July edition, pp 322-325. p 425.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | SK 03227 73857 (point) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BUXTON, HIGH PEAK, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | HARTINGTON UPPER QUARTER, HIGH PEAK, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR1790
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Feb 14 2012 8:48AM