1. The History
Located in a 70-feet deep cutting, north-east of the city of Nottingham, the former railway tunnel at Mapperley was constructed in the early 1870s. Opening for traffic in 1875, it was 1,132yds in length and was built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) as an extension to the Derbyshire & Staffordshire railway. Linking Colwick Junction, in Nottingham, to Egginton Junction in South Derbyshire, to the east of the tunnel was Netherfield station and Radcliffe on Trent, past Gedling Colliery and the huge sidings of Colwick. Going west, the line went to Bulwell in one direction and Bestwood Colliery in the other. Known as the 'back line' because it skirted round the back of Nottingham its main reason for construction was to serve Notts and Derbyshire coalfields. However, it was quickly extended to passenger traffic.
Old O/S map showing the still accessible eastern section of the tunnel:
It was constructed by sinking six shafts with steam engines being used at each for hoisting up the spoil which was taken away and used to form a nearby embankment. Three of the shafts were subsequently retained as ventilators. At its deepest point track level was 210 feet below ground. The tunnel was lined with approximately five million bricks. The tunnel was plagued with subsidence due to mining and a severe roof collapse on 23rd January, 1925 caused 150 tonnes of rubble to block the line as a 12-yard section of roof came down. It was repaired and the entire length roof of the tunnel lined with cast iron ribs to try and prevent further collapses. In 1950, a structural survey conducted by the newly formed British Railways found the tunnel to be subsiding. An immediate speed restriction was put in place and passenger trains were diverted from the now dangerous tunnel. Subsidence continued to plague the tunnel until it finally closed on the 4th April 1960 after a second serious collapse.
The tunnel’s western portal, pictured in its heyday while still carrying passenger traffic:
And the former Gedling colliery it helped to serve:
On closure, the west portal was buried and backfilled for a distance of around 585 yards, almost as far as the centre air shaft with its infamous tower of fly tipped debris. The remaining 545 yards to the eastern portal remain open, although the first 150 yards of the eastern portal are in a poor state of repair, with sections of brick totally collapsed. It was thought that the spoil removed for the house building programme that tool place on the former Gedling Colliery site would be used to backfill the east portal, sealing Mapperley Tunnel for good. Fortunately, this didn’t happen. Then in 2020, with the announcement of the building of the 3.8km, single carriageway Gedling Access Road (GAR) linking the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains, it was again feared that it might be the end of the tunnel. Again, though it was decided to leave this little piece of Mapperley’s railway history intact. Hence its imposing brick east portal still stands proud, flanked by two impressive buttresses, either side of the entrance, with its unusually high headwall. Just inside the tunnel is 12-inch square beam (one of three originally) that straddles the tunnel most likely to support a working platform.
Trackside view of the now buried western portal after the tunnel’s closure:
2. The Explore
So, after a couple of failures in Nottingham itself, myself and my non-forum member decided for the banker of Mapperley tunnel. We parked up on the new estate and made our way over to the cutting when the tunnel was located with relative ease. I went through a stage of doing a run of tunnels a few years but hadn’t done one for a while. In the end it turned out to be a good explore. It’s an interesting tunnel and has quite a lot of photographic opportunities, what with the mineralisation, the crap-stack and the bits and bobs that were laying around. Ended up spending a good two hours in the tunnel getting pictures. However, we didn’t venture much beyond the crap-stack.
3. The Pictures
Old car in the tramway cutting to the north of the tunnel:
Looks vaguely railway related:
This looks like a quarry, but it is in fact the holding siding for Gedling colliery that were cut into the rock:
Above here are what appears to be some sort of tubs for coal, maybe?
Into the cutting:
On to the tunnel itself:
And its imposing façade:
Collapsed refuge just inside the tunnel’s entrance:
Rusty old box:
An old rail "chair":
Refuge No.19:
The iron tunnel braces:
Refuse No.23:
The mineralisation is something else:
Christmas grotto refuge:
People pay for these types of effects for their water features in their garden:
Refuge No. 25:
The first airshaft:
Located in a 70-feet deep cutting, north-east of the city of Nottingham, the former railway tunnel at Mapperley was constructed in the early 1870s. Opening for traffic in 1875, it was 1,132yds in length and was built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) as an extension to the Derbyshire & Staffordshire railway. Linking Colwick Junction, in Nottingham, to Egginton Junction in South Derbyshire, to the east of the tunnel was Netherfield station and Radcliffe on Trent, past Gedling Colliery and the huge sidings of Colwick. Going west, the line went to Bulwell in one direction and Bestwood Colliery in the other. Known as the 'back line' because it skirted round the back of Nottingham its main reason for construction was to serve Notts and Derbyshire coalfields. However, it was quickly extended to passenger traffic.
Old O/S map showing the still accessible eastern section of the tunnel:
It was constructed by sinking six shafts with steam engines being used at each for hoisting up the spoil which was taken away and used to form a nearby embankment. Three of the shafts were subsequently retained as ventilators. At its deepest point track level was 210 feet below ground. The tunnel was lined with approximately five million bricks. The tunnel was plagued with subsidence due to mining and a severe roof collapse on 23rd January, 1925 caused 150 tonnes of rubble to block the line as a 12-yard section of roof came down. It was repaired and the entire length roof of the tunnel lined with cast iron ribs to try and prevent further collapses. In 1950, a structural survey conducted by the newly formed British Railways found the tunnel to be subsiding. An immediate speed restriction was put in place and passenger trains were diverted from the now dangerous tunnel. Subsidence continued to plague the tunnel until it finally closed on the 4th April 1960 after a second serious collapse.
The tunnel’s western portal, pictured in its heyday while still carrying passenger traffic:
And the former Gedling colliery it helped to serve:
On closure, the west portal was buried and backfilled for a distance of around 585 yards, almost as far as the centre air shaft with its infamous tower of fly tipped debris. The remaining 545 yards to the eastern portal remain open, although the first 150 yards of the eastern portal are in a poor state of repair, with sections of brick totally collapsed. It was thought that the spoil removed for the house building programme that tool place on the former Gedling Colliery site would be used to backfill the east portal, sealing Mapperley Tunnel for good. Fortunately, this didn’t happen. Then in 2020, with the announcement of the building of the 3.8km, single carriageway Gedling Access Road (GAR) linking the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains, it was again feared that it might be the end of the tunnel. Again, though it was decided to leave this little piece of Mapperley’s railway history intact. Hence its imposing brick east portal still stands proud, flanked by two impressive buttresses, either side of the entrance, with its unusually high headwall. Just inside the tunnel is 12-inch square beam (one of three originally) that straddles the tunnel most likely to support a working platform.
Trackside view of the now buried western portal after the tunnel’s closure:
2. The Explore
So, after a couple of failures in Nottingham itself, myself and my non-forum member decided for the banker of Mapperley tunnel. We parked up on the new estate and made our way over to the cutting when the tunnel was located with relative ease. I went through a stage of doing a run of tunnels a few years but hadn’t done one for a while. In the end it turned out to be a good explore. It’s an interesting tunnel and has quite a lot of photographic opportunities, what with the mineralisation, the crap-stack and the bits and bobs that were laying around. Ended up spending a good two hours in the tunnel getting pictures. However, we didn’t venture much beyond the crap-stack.
3. The Pictures
Old car in the tramway cutting to the north of the tunnel:
Looks vaguely railway related:
This looks like a quarry, but it is in fact the holding siding for Gedling colliery that were cut into the rock:
Above here are what appears to be some sort of tubs for coal, maybe?
Into the cutting:
On to the tunnel itself:
And its imposing façade:
Collapsed refuge just inside the tunnel’s entrance:
Rusty old box:
An old rail "chair":
Refuge No.19:
The iron tunnel braces:
Refuse No.23:
The mineralisation is something else:
Christmas grotto refuge:
People pay for these types of effects for their water features in their garden:
Refuge No. 25:
The first airshaft:
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