In November 1937 the Great Western Railway were setting in motion plans to construct an underground tunnel approximately 1 mile in length fit with a narrow gauge track beneath a valley to link Monkton Farleigh Ammuniton Depot to a nearby railway.
The purpose of this tunnel was to transport & handle 1000 tons of ammunition daily from the railway to the yard where it would be sorted and then loaded into carts and make the journey up the incline tunnel way via conveyors to the nearby ammunition depot.
The depot would now have a secure route that was invisible to aerial reconnaissance allowing for operations to go relatively unnoticed.
The tunnel runs from the west side of the depot to the underground loading platform near the railway at a constant gradient of 1:81/2.
In the mid 1980's the tunnel was used as a museum where tourists could go and visit the underground workings and see things such as wagons left behind. This would last until 1990.
The underground depot has since sold parts of its site to a security company for secure storage who have ensured the connection to the tunnel back filled.
In the years following it has seen various fires, graffiti and more recently the current land owner has installed 2 sets of palisade fencing around the perimeter in a failed attempt to keep people out.
The purpose of this tunnel was to transport & handle 1000 tons of ammunition daily from the railway to the yard where it would be sorted and then loaded into carts and make the journey up the incline tunnel way via conveyors to the nearby ammunition depot.
The depot would now have a secure route that was invisible to aerial reconnaissance allowing for operations to go relatively unnoticed.
The tunnel runs from the west side of the depot to the underground loading platform near the railway at a constant gradient of 1:81/2.
In the mid 1980's the tunnel was used as a museum where tourists could go and visit the underground workings and see things such as wagons left behind. This would last until 1990.
The underground depot has since sold parts of its site to a security company for secure storage who have ensured the connection to the tunnel back filled.
In the years following it has seen various fires, graffiti and more recently the current land owner has installed 2 sets of palisade fencing around the perimeter in a failed attempt to keep people out.
