The Grosmont Tunnels are two separate railway tunnels adjoining each other in the village of
Grosmont,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England. The first tunnel was built in 1835 and has now become a pedestrian route through to the
North York Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Geo ...
(NYMR) engine sheds on the south side of the hill.
The original tunnel was superseded by a new bore in the 1840s that was sited immediately west of the old tunnel. The 1830s tunnel is now the only original structure built by the
Whitby & Pickering Railway (W&P) that is under the care of the NYMR.
History
The first tunnel was started in 1834 and completed in 1835. It was located on the initial stretch of the horse operated W&P which had reached a point that was known as just 'Tunnel', which became known as Grosmont by 1894.
[The village name was taken from the Grandmontine priory that was located near to the village that was known as Growmond. The monks who founded the priory who had come from Grandimont in ]Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. Initially, services only ran between Whitby and Grosmont (Tunnel) as the tunnel was still being constructed when the horse tramway opened. The Tunnel Inn was built in the village to accommodate passengers (though the grade II listed building is now known by the name of The Station Tavern and is one of the first permanent surviving structures built by the Whitby & Pickering Railway). Not many of the structures from the original Whitby & Pickering Railway exist, and the Horse Tunnel is the only one which is maintained by the NYMR.
The first tunnel, which is long, is sometimes referred to as ''Grosmont Old Tunnel'' or as the ''Horse Tunnel'' as the initial railway was a horse operated tramway. Both bores tunnel under Lease Rigg, a hill just south of Grosmont which when the first tunnel was excavated, was found to contain iron ore. Various kilns sprung up in the area to exploit the mineral commercially.
The Horse Tunnel is castellated at its northern portal but plainer at the southern end. In his book, ''The North Yorkshire Moors Railway'', Michael Vanns states that in the early days of railway building, such castellations were significant of the railway company's individuality and also to assure passengers of the safety of the structure they were about to enter. The Horse Tunnel is believed to have been designed and built by
George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
, who was the overall engineer for the whole route from
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
to
Pickering. Because of its early construction date, it is reputed to be the oldest castellated tunnel in England and also one of the oldest passenger railway tunnels in England.
When the railway was upgraded to steam locomotion in the 1840s by the
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) was an English railway company that opened in 1839 connecting York with the Leeds and Selby Railway, and in 1840 extended this line to meet the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds. Its first c ...
(Y&NMR), the Horse Tunnel was not big enough to accommodate trains, so a longer tunnel, long, was constructed to the west and was double track throughout. The original tunnel was retained to allow access to the workman's cottages on the south side of the tunnel. It was designed by
John Cass Birkenshaw (the then architect for the Y&NMR), was grade II listed in 1989 and is still used by trains on the NYMR.
When the railway was re-opened as a heritage concern in 1973, the Horse Tunnel was used as an access point to the NYMR engine sheds which are located at the southern portal of both tunnels. The Horse Tunnel is now grade II* listed and is still in use as a thoroughfare to allow visitors to the NYMR access to viewing areas around the engine sheds. In the 2016 autumn gala on the NYMR, temporary track was laid through the tunnel to a gauge, thereby allowing steams trains to work through the Horse Tunnel for the first time in its 180-year history.
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
{{Tunnels in Yorkshire
Railway tunnels in England
Rail transport in North Yorkshire
Tunnels completed in 1835
Tunnels completed in 1847
Tunnels in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Moors Railway