Marsden area (3)

A short distance to the west of Marsden is the entrance to Standedge Tunnel, which takes the canal through to Lancashire. This has the distinction of being the longest (approx 5.2km; 3.25 miles), highest above sea level (196m; 643 feet) and deepest below the surface (194m; 636 feet) of any canal tunnel in Britain. There isn't a towpath through the tunnel, so boats had to be 'legged' through - men would have to lie down on top of them and 'walk' along the sides and roof of the tunnel. And because it was narrow, boats had to wait to go through in convoy, one direction at a time.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was never a great success. Other canals across the Pennines were wider and didn't have tunnels, and then in due course the railways came to take their business. Just to the left of this picture are the entrances to the Standedge railway tunnels: the first was opened in 1848, and others followed in 1871 and 1894.

In 1944 the canal was largely abandoned, but that wasn't the end. After much hard work it reopened in 2001, although the traffic now is of the leisure variety rather than commercial.

(Part of the Yorkshire collection)

Picture taken: May 2024

Page last updated: 7 September 2024