Report - Well Heads tunnel, Thornton, west Yorkshire, March 2022

[stranton]

visited solo & with @ACID- REFLUX
thankyou @Doug Judy for messaging me about the tunnel

The Well Heads tunnel is 662 yds long,
forming part of the great northern railway between Queensbury (north) & Keighley (south).
The south portal lies in a steep cutting,
is in average condition with a brick wall & a twin access door & hatch.
There's no air shafts,
there's refuges on both sides of the tunnel.
The roof is made of bricks & the walls are made of stone,
the floor is water & debris free except the last 20 yds.
The north portal is buried by the land owner, nothing remains of it at street level.
The tunnel opened 1st September 1882 (freight) & 1st April 1884 (passengers),
closed 11th November 1963 (passengers) & 11th August 1965 (freight).
The tunnel is 2/3 owned by the Department for transport & 1/3 owned by the land owner.

east portal

refuge

boundary between Department for transport & land owner ownership

west portal infill
(courtesy of the land owner)

thanks

3 of 4

 

[Bugsuperstar]

Loving that second shot.

 

[Mikeymutt]

Yeah that second shot is great.

 

[Tunnel Gricer]

Great Set, Happy to help

 

[stranton]

Great Set, Happy to help

thanks m8

 

[Bikin Glynn]

That sign is wierd, what does it mean? that beyond it is not rail property?

 

[Tunnel Gricer]

That sign is wierd, what does it mean? that beyond it is not rail property?

I wonder if because the Farmer / Landowner continuously tipped rubbish above the northern portal which caused its burial / inaccessibility the Rail Board withdrew ownership?

 

[stranton]

the land owner owns that part of the tunnel, so they can dump all there crap in the cutting & at the portal,
it shouldn't be allowed neither should the infilling at strines cutting.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

the land owner owns that part of the tunnel, so they can dump all there crap in the cutting & at the portal,
it shouldn't be allowed neither should the infilling at strines cutting.

why not out of interest? If they own it its theirs to do with as they please so long they dont contravene planning.
i assume its not listed so guess they could just full the whole thing in if they want?

Personally if I had a tunnel Id grate the end & use it as a massive garage!

 

[stranton]

it's ruining our railway relics & spoils plans for reuse,
(but no current plans for reuse of well heads).

annoying thing's, I couldn't get through so had to walk all the way back to accessible portal & across the fields.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

it's ruining our railway relics & spoils plans for reuse,
(but no current plans for reuse of well heads).

annoying thing's, I couldn't get through so had to walk all the way back to accessible portal & across the fields.

yeah from ours & a heritage point of view its bad but they must be a pain for landowners cos they r not easy things to "get rid of" & just lead to people wandering on their land.