Inspection for Harecastle
A VITAL inspection of the Grade II-listed structure of Harecastle on the Trent & Mersey Canal has started today, Wednesday.
One of the longest canal tunnels on Britain’s canal network, it goes under the microscope as Canal & River Trust carries out its inspection.
Inspection platform
The trust’s tunnel specialists will use a boat mounted with an inspection platform to travel through the tunnel—believed to be the most haunted on the canal network.
The surveyors will painstakingly record the condition of the tunnel, assessing any structural changes, including checks for leaks, cracks and damaged brick work.
There are two tunnels at Harecastle. The first tunnel, now disused, was designed by the ‘Father of the Canals’ James Brindley and completed in 1777: however, as demand for coal and freight increased, its limited capacity became a problem, and the second Telford tunnel was commissioned. Construction started 200 years ago, in 1824, and the tunnel opened in 1827.
Marvel of Industrial revolution
Jonathan Muir, senior tunnel surveyor at Canal & River Trust, explained:
“Built two centuries ago, Harecastle Tunnel is a marvel of the industrial Revolution. It is vital that we give it the care and attention that it deserves, with every part of the network an important piece of the jigsaw to keep the canals open and alive.
“Inspecting the tunnel means travelling slowly through the tunnel, tapping the old bricks to ensure their structural integrity, measuring the profile of the tunnel to check for any movement, and monitoring for any leaks or cracks. The inspection will determine what maintenance and conservation repairs our charity needs to programme in.”
As to its haunting, the tunnel has the reputation of one of the most haunted canal tunnels as home to the infamous Kidsgrove Boggart. It is said that a woman arrived in Kidsgrove on her way to join her husband in London. She accepted a lift with some boatmen and was murdered for the valuables in her luggage. Her body was hidden in a culvert off the main tunnel leading to Goldenhill Colliery, known as ‘Gilberts Hole’: when her body was found, she had been beheaded.
During Halloween half term, the Canal & River Trust runs free boat trips through ‘Scarecastle’ Tunnel, but alas is fully booked.