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Monday 4 Oct 2021

Victorian Leeds tunnel and enchanted portal showcased in hit railway TV series tonight

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

In tonight’s episode (Monday 4 October) of ‘The Architecture the Railways Built’, presenter Tim Dunn explores Bramhope Tunnel in Leeds.

The two-mile tunnel on the line between Leeds and Harrogate opened in 1849 and was one of the longest in Britain when it was built.

In this week’s episode, Tim steps inside a main line tunnel for the first time – just after midnight in January - with Network Rail’s Tunnel Engineer, Ian Wilson. He joins teams carrying out routine maintenance to make sure train services can continue running safely and reliably.

A well as finding out about the history of the tunnel and how it was built, Tim explores the Grade II listed north portal - which looks like a castle in the woods – and visits the memorial in Otley to remember the workers who lost their lives during the tunnel’s construction.

Ian Wilson, Tunnel Engineer for Network Rail, said: “Bramhope Tunnel is a vital part of West Yorkshire’s railway history and it was great to take Tim and the crew inside it.

“I’m looking forward to viewers finding out how it was built, the challenges it still brings today and how we continue to maintain it so trains can continue using it for years to come.”

Tim Dunn, Presenter, said: “Bramhope Tunnel has one of the most magnificent entrance portals you’ll ever see! I’m really pleased we are able to showcase it in this series of The Architecture The Railways Built. It’s fascinating to hear how important the railways were to Leeds in general and I’m grateful to Network Rail for giving us such amazing access to such a wonderful place, and also to Leeds Museum for letting us borrow John McGoldrick as to tell us all about it too.”

People can watch episode 4 tonight at 20:00 on Yesterday. The episode will also be available for catch-up on demand on UKTV Play.

ENDS