| The Earl of Dudley gouged miles of canals under his Black Country land to enable the lime to be mined and shipped out in the late 18th century. Nowadays they form one of the attractions of the Black Country Working museum, with an opportunity to explore the caves by narrowboat, and even to "leg" your way through the tunnels.
The waterway links Dudley - in the heart of the Midlands - to the River Severn, thanks to a two-mile tunnel. It needed two leggers to "walk" a train of eight barges through from one side to the other, providing the motive power by lying on their backs and using their feet on the roof of the tunnel, to push the boat forward. Meanwhile, the horse that had been powering the barge in day light, was finding its own way over the hill to rejoin the barge on the other side, there being no tow path within the tunnel system. |
1. Access to the Dudley Tunel 640x480 DSCF8227.JPG 2005-05-29 12:27:58 |
2. Lime tunnel 640x480 DSCF8229.JPG 2005-05-29 12:32:51 |
3. Lime tunnel, and wharf within the system. 640x480 DSCF8230.JPG 2005-05-29 12:32:54 |
4. Lime tunnel 640x480 DSCF8231.JPG 2005-05-29 12:32:59 |
5. Access to the Dudley lime mine 640x480 DSCF8232.JPG 2005-05-29 12:33:36 |
6. A modern tunnel (left) and an original one from the 1770s (right) 640x480 DSCF8233.JPG 2005-05-29 12:34:09 |
7. In the modern tunnel 640x480 DSCF8235.JPG 2005-05-29 12:34:47 |
8. In the modern tunnel 640x480 DSCF8236.JPG 2005-05-29 12:36:09 |
9. In one of the 18th century tunnels 640x480 DSCF8242.JPG 2005-05-29 13:01:11 |
10. In one of the 18th century tunnels 640x480 DSCF8243.JPG 2005-05-29 13:01:17 |
11. Access shaft 640x480 DSCF8241.JPG 2005-05-29 12:58:50 |
12. The lake is in the centre of a collapsed mining area, deliberately brought down 640x480 DSCF8244.JPG 2005-05-29 13:03:12 |
13. Concretion from the lime 640x480 DSCF8250.JPG 2005-05-29 13:13:37 |
14. Another access shaft 640x480 DSCF8248.JPG 2005-05-29 13:08:40 |
15. Passing - and loading - area 640x480 DSCF8247.JPG 2005-05-29 13:06:49 |
16. Roof with CTRL-style lining 640x480 DSCF8240.JPG 2005-05-29 12:55:39 |
17. Exit tunnel 360x480 DSCF8245.JPG 2005-05-29 13:04:35 |
18. A canal barge emerges from the mine 640x480 DSCF8234.JPG 2005-05-29 12:34:23 |
