There are many railway tunnels in the city of Nottingham, they were largely built by three railway companies in the late 1800’s. These companies were the Great Northern, Great Central and the Nottingham Suburban railways.
We visited Mapperley Tunnel, completed in 1875 and at 1044 meters or 1132 yards is a substantial link in the Derbyshire and Staffordshire extension of the Great Northern Railway.
The tunnel nearly collapsed in 1925 when the nearby Gedling Colliery mined a little too close to the tunnel roof. This was repaired and the tunnel put back in to use the same year.
Twenty-five years later 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. The subsidence continued and the decision to close the tunnel in 1960 sealed the fate of this magnificent Mapperley tunnel.
Above ground, a new link road is being constructed and will pass over the top of the Mapperley Tunnel, the single carriageway Gedling Access Road will link the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains. The road will run parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane and through the centre of the old Gedling Colliery site to serve the vast, £140m Chase Farm housing estate.
Ant on the left with his powerful beam torch.
The 'Crap Stack' and I lol. The rail beams added to support the tunnel roof can be clearly seen here.
This grille likely dates back to the 1875 opening date and one was fitted over the center line drainage.
50% of the Tunnel has been backfilled with rubble.
Ant's beam torch illuminating the decades of litter that has been dropped down one of the vents near the centre of the tunnel, 550 meters in from the portal.
The virtually intact tunnel lies dormant and derelict.
The beams bent to the radius of the tunnel roof were fitted in 1925 after the first collapse.
The 'Crap Stack' mound of litter was amazing to see, it is a lot bigger than the photographs portray. It is rumored that someone cut up a caravan and dropped it down the vent. We found a rear panel from a caravan down the bottom of the pile and a four ring electric hob/oven too.
I also filmed the explore and it is available here; https://youtu.be/BDzN55kTQEU
We visited Mapperley Tunnel, completed in 1875 and at 1044 meters or 1132 yards is a substantial link in the Derbyshire and Staffordshire extension of the Great Northern Railway.
The tunnel nearly collapsed in 1925 when the nearby Gedling Colliery mined a little too close to the tunnel roof. This was repaired and the tunnel put back in to use the same year.
Twenty-five years later 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. The subsidence continued and the decision to close the tunnel in 1960 sealed the fate of this magnificent Mapperley tunnel.
Above ground, a new link road is being constructed and will pass over the top of the Mapperley Tunnel, the single carriageway Gedling Access Road will link the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains. The road will run parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane and through the centre of the old Gedling Colliery site to serve the vast, £140m Chase Farm housing estate.
Ant on the left with his powerful beam torch.
The 'Crap Stack' and I lol. The rail beams added to support the tunnel roof can be clearly seen here.
This grille likely dates back to the 1875 opening date and one was fitted over the center line drainage.
50% of the Tunnel has been backfilled with rubble.
Ant's beam torch illuminating the decades of litter that has been dropped down one of the vents near the centre of the tunnel, 550 meters in from the portal.
The virtually intact tunnel lies dormant and derelict.
The beams bent to the radius of the tunnel roof were fitted in 1925 after the first collapse.
The 'Crap Stack' mound of litter was amazing to see, it is a lot bigger than the photographs portray. It is rumored that someone cut up a caravan and dropped it down the vent. We found a rear panel from a caravan down the bottom of the pile and a four ring electric hob/oven too.
I also filmed the explore and it is available here; https://youtu.be/BDzN55kTQEU
Last edited:
