The tunnel is 502 yards (459 m) long.[1] It is named after Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury (1729–1814), the local landowner, who, when the canal was being built, would not allow a deep cutting through his land, and insisted on a tunnel instead.[2]
At the eastern end of the tunnel is a plaque commemorating its construction:
The Kennet and Avon Canal Company Inscribe this TUNNEL with the Name of BRUCE In Testimony of the Gratitude for the uniform and effectual Support of The Right honourable THOMAS BRUCE EARL of AILESBURY and CHARLES LORD BRUCE his Son through the whole Progress of this great National Work by which a direct communication by Water was opened between the Cities of LONDON and BRISTOL ANNO DOMINI 1810
The tunnel has red brick portals, capped with Bath stone, each with a decorative plaque of Pennant stone. Construction was begun in 1806 and finished in 1809. It is lined with English bond brickwork and has a wide bore to cope with the 'Newbury Barges' used on this canal.[3]
There is no towpath through the tunnel, so walkers and cyclists must walk across the top of the hill. When canal boats were still pulled by horses, the boatmen had to haul boats through the tunnel by hand, pulling on chains that ran along the inside walls.
The tunnel is about 1.3 miles (2 km) north of Burbage village. To the north lies the Savernake Forest which is open to the public with footpaths, drives and picnic sites, hence the tunnel is also sometimes known as the Savernake Tunnel.
The main Paddington to Penzance 'Berks and Hants' railway line crosses the tunnel diagonally; both portals can be seen (from different points along the railway) from the windows of passing trains with the canal running close to the railway at each end.
^"History & Museum". Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
^. Kennet and Avon Canal. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
January 01, 1970
bruce, tunnel, summit, pound, kennet, avon, canal, between, wootton, lock, crofton, locks, wiltshire, england, eastern, portal, seen, 1992, overviewlocationwiltshire, englandcoordinates51, 3677, 6627, 3677, 6627os, grid, referencesu23586323statusopenwaterwayke. The Bruce Tunnel is on the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal between Wootton Top Lock and Crofton Locks in Wiltshire England Bruce TunnelBruce Tunnel Eastern Portal as seen in 1992 OverviewLocationWiltshire EnglandCoordinates51 22 04 N 1 39 46 W 51 3677 N 1 6627 W 51 3677 1 6627OS grid referenceSU23586323StatusOpenWaterwayKennet and Avon CanalOperationConstructed1806 1809OwnerCanal amp River TrustTechnicalLength502 yards 459 m TowpathNo The tunnel is 502 yards 459 m long 1 It is named after Thomas Brudenell Bruce 1st Earl of Ailesbury 1729 1814 the local landowner who when the canal was being built would not allow a deep cutting through his land and insisted on a tunnel instead 2 At the eastern end of the tunnel is a plaque commemorating its construction The Kennet and Avon Canal Company Inscribe this TUNNEL with the Name of BRUCE In Testimony of the Gratitude for the uniform and effectual Support of The Right honourable THOMAS BRUCE EARL of AILESBURY and CHARLES LORD BRUCE his Son through the whole Progress of this great National Work by which a direct communication by Water was opened between the Cities of LONDON and BRISTOL ANNO DOMINI 1810 The tunnel has red brick portals capped with Bath stone each with a decorative plaque of Pennant stone Construction was begun in 1806 and finished in 1809 It is lined with English bond brickwork and has a wide bore to cope with the Newbury Barges used on this canal 3 There is no towpath through the tunnel so walkers and cyclists must walk across the top of the hill When canal boats were still pulled by horses the boatmen had to haul boats through the tunnel by hand pulling on chains that ran along the inside walls The tunnel is about 1 3 miles 2 km north of Burbage village To the north lies the Savernake Forest which is open to the public with footpaths drives and picnic sites hence the tunnel is also sometimes known as the Savernake Tunnel The main Paddington to Penzance Berks and Hants railway line crosses the tunnel diagonally both portals can be seen from different points along the railway from the windows of passing trains with the canal running close to the railway at each end See also edit nbsp United Kingdom portal nbsp Transport portal Locks on the Kennet and Avon CanalReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Tunnel Allsop Niall 1987 The Kennet amp Avon Canal Bath Millstream Book ISBN 0 948975 15 6 History amp Museum Kennet and Avon Canal Trust Retrieved 21 November 2010 Bruce Tunnel Kennet and Avon Canal Archived from the original on 25 May 2011 Retrieved 22 September 2006 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bruce Tunnel amp oldid 980086042, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
