Queensbury Tunnel, Yorkshire
The currently unlisted Queensbury Tunnel in Yorkshire was built between 1874-78 by John Fraser.
Queensbury Tunnel is a disused railway tunnel that connects Holmfield and Queensbury in West Yorkshire, England. The now rapidly deteriorating tunnel symbolises the irreplaceable infrastructure legacy left to us by the Victorians. Built by the Great Northern Railway, it was the longest tunnel on the company's network at the time of its opening in 1878. It is currently abandoned and flooded with water, and is at the centre of a heated debate between campaigners. The campaigners want the tunnel restored to be a cycle path, whereas the Department for Transport (DfT) wants to fill in sections of the tunnel with concrete and then leave it to collapse. We hope it will be used to give new life to the communities it connects rather than being lost forever.
Christopher Costelloe, Director of the Victorian Society, said: ‘Queensbury Tunnel could be the heart of a new transport revolution, bringing cyclists and tourists to this part of Yorkshire. If it is filled-in this irreplaceable asset will be lost for ever. Bath’s Two Tunnels cycleway has been a triumphant success and there is no reason why Yorkshire – now the beating heart of British cycling - couldn’t do the same.’
