Thames Tunnel - Revision history

Bruce: /* Sources */

2026-02-17T08:54:03Z

Sources

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:54, 17 February 2026
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	= Sources =		= Sources =
			https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Tunnel
	----		----
	<br>		<br>
	--‐-		--‐-

Bruce: /* Influences */

2026-02-17T08:53:34Z

Influences

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:53, 17 February 2026
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	== Influences ==		== Influences ==
			The construction of the Thames Tunnel showed that it was indeed possible to build underwater tunnels, despite the previous scepticism of many engineers. Several new underwater tunnels were built in the UK in the following decades: the Tower Subway in London; the Severn Tunnel under the River Severn; and the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Brunel's tunnelling shield was later refined, with James Henry Greathead playing a particularly important role in developing the technology.

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Conversion into a railway tunnel */

2026-02-17T08:52:27Z

Conversion into a railway tunnel

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:52, 17 February 2026
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	== Conversion into a railway tunnel ==		== Conversion into a railway tunnel ==
			The tunnel was purchased in September 1865 at a cost of £800,000 (equivalent to £97 million in 2023) by the East London Railway Company, a consortium of six mainline railways which sought to use the tunnel to provide a rail link for goods and passengers between Wapping (and later Liverpool Street) and the South London line. The tunnel's generous headroom, resulting from the architects' original intention of accommodating horse-drawn carriages, also provided a sufficient loading gauge for trains.

			The line's engineer was Sir John Hawkshaw who was also noted, with W. H. Barlow, for the major re-design and completion of Isambard Brunel's long-abandoned Clifton Suspension Bridge at Bristol, which was completed in 1864.

			The first train ran through the tunnel on 7 December 1869. In 1884, the tunnel's disused construction shaft to the north of the river was repurposed to serve as Wapping station.

			The East London Railway was later absorbed into the London Underground, where it became the East London line. It continued to be used for goods services as late as 1962. During the Underground days, the Thames Tunnel was the oldest underground piece of the Tube's infrastructure.

			== Influences ==

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Pedestrian usage */

2026-02-17T08:50:37Z

Pedestrian usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:50, 17 February 2026
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	Other opinions of the tunnel were more negative; some regarded it as the haunt of prostitutes and "tunnel thieves" who lurked under its arches and mugged passers-by.		Other opinions of the tunnel were more negative; some regarded it as the haunt of prostitutes and "tunnel thieves" who lurked under its arches and mugged passers-by.

			== Conversion into a railway tunnel ==

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Pedestrian usage */

2026-02-17T08:47:34Z

Pedestrian usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:47, 17 February 2026
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	== Pedestrian usage ==		== Pedestrian usage ==
	Although it was a triumph of civil engineering, the Thames Tunnel was not a financial success and had little practical benefit. It had cost £454,000 to dig and another £180,000 to fit out – far exceeding its initial cost estimates. Proposals to extend the entrance to accommodate wheeled vehicles failed owing to cost, and it was used only by pedestrians. It became a major tourist attraction, attracting about two million people a year, each paying a penny to pass through, and became the subject of popular songs. The American traveller William Allen Drew commented that "No one goes to London without visiting the Tunnel" and described it as the "eighth wonder of the world". However, when he saw it for himself in 1851, he pronounced himself "somewhat disappointed in it" but still left a vivid description of its interior, which was more like an underground marketplace than a transport artery.		Although it was a triumph of civil engineering, the Thames Tunnel was not a financial success and had little practical benefit. It had cost £454,000 to dig and another £180,000 to fit out – far exceeding its initial cost estimates. Proposals to extend the entrance to accommodate wheeled vehicles failed owing to cost, and it was used only by pedestrians. It became a major tourist attraction, attracting about two million people a year, each paying a penny to pass through, and became the subject of popular songs. The American traveller William Allen Drew commented that "No one goes to London without visiting the Tunnel" and described it as the "eighth wonder of the world". However, when he saw it for himself in 1851, he pronounced himself "somewhat disappointed in it" but still left a vivid description of its interior, which was more like an underground marketplace than a transport artery.

			Other opinions of the tunnel were more negative; some regarded it as the haunt of prostitutes and "tunnel thieves" who lurked under its arches and mugged passers-by.

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Pedestrian usage */

2026-02-17T08:44:50Z

Pedestrian usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:44, 17 February 2026
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	== Pedestrian usage ==		== Pedestrian usage ==
			Although it was a triumph of civil engineering, the Thames Tunnel was not a financial success and had little practical benefit. It had cost £454,000 to dig and another £180,000 to fit out – far exceeding its initial cost estimates. Proposals to extend the entrance to accommodate wheeled vehicles failed owing to cost, and it was used only by pedestrians. It became a major tourist attraction, attracting about two million people a year, each paying a penny to pass through, and became the subject of popular songs. The American traveller William Allen Drew commented that "No one goes to London without visiting the Tunnel" and described it as the "eighth wonder of the world". However, when he saw it for himself in 1851, he pronounced himself "somewhat disappointed in it" but still left a vivid description of its interior, which was more like an underground marketplace than a transport artery.

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Completion */

2026-02-17T08:42:12Z

Completion

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:42, 17 February 2026
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	The Thames Tunnel was fitted out with lighting, roadways and spiral staircases during 1841–1842. An engine house on the Rotherhithe side, which now houses the Brunel Museum, was also constructed to house machinery for draining the tunnel. The tunnel was finally opened to the public on 25 March 1843.		The Thames Tunnel was fitted out with lighting, roadways and spiral staircases during 1841–1842. An engine house on the Rotherhithe side, which now houses the Brunel Museum, was also constructed to house machinery for draining the tunnel. The tunnel was finally opened to the public on 25 March 1843.

			== Pedestrian usage ==

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Completion */

2026-02-17T08:40:50Z

Completion

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:40, 17 February 2026
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	In 1835, the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi parodied the construction of the Thames Tunnel in lines 126–129 of the poem "Palinodia al Marchese Gino Capponi".		In 1835, the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi parodied the construction of the Thames Tunnel in lines 126–129 of the poem "Palinodia al Marchese Gino Capponi".

	Impeded by further floods (23 August and 3 November 1837, 20 March 1838, 3 April 1840)~~[5]~~ fires and leaks of methane and hydrogen sulphide gas, the remainder of the tunnelling was completed in November 1841, after another five and a half years. The extensive delays and repeated flooding made the tunnel the butt of metropolitan humour.		Impeded by further floods (23 August and 3 November 1837, 20 March 1838, 3 April 1840) fires and leaks of methane and hydrogen sulphide gas, the remainder of the tunnelling was completed in November 1841, after another five and a half years. The extensive delays and repeated flooding made the tunnel the butt of metropolitan humour.

			The Thames Tunnel was fitted out with lighting, roadways and spiral staircases during 1841–1842. An engine house on the Rotherhithe side, which now houses the Brunel Museum, was also constructed to house machinery for draining the tunnel. The tunnel was finally opened to the public on 25 March 1843.

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Completion */

2026-02-17T08:28:05Z

Completion

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:28, 17 February 2026
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	== Completion ==		== Completion ==
			In December 1834 Marc Brunel succeeded in raising enough money, including a loan of £247,000 from the Treasury, to continue construction.

			Starting in August 1835 the old rusted shield was dismantled and removed. By March 1836 the new shield, improved and heavier, was assembled in place and boring resumed.

			In 1835, the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi parodied the construction of the Thames Tunnel in lines 126–129 of the poem "Palinodia al Marchese Gino Capponi".

			Impeded by further floods (23 August and 3 November 1837, 20 March 1838, 3 April 1840)[5] fires and leaks of methane and hydrogen sulphide gas, the remainder of the tunnelling was completed in November 1841, after another five and a half years. The extensive delays and repeated flooding made the tunnel the butt of metropolitan humour.

	= Sources =		= Sources =

Bruce: /* Closure */

2026-02-17T08:26:21Z

Closure

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:26, 17 February 2026
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	== Closure ==		== Closure ==
	Six men died when the tunnel flooded again the following year, on 12 January 1828, just four days after a visit by Don Miguel, soon to become Regent of Portugal. Isambard himself was extremely lucky to survive the flooding. The six men had made their way to the main stairwell, as the emergency exit was known to be locked. Isambard instead made for the locked exit. A contractor named Beamish heard him there and broke the door down, and an unconscious Isambard was pulled out and revived.~~[8]~~ He was sent to Brislington, near Bristol, to recuperate. There he heard about the competition to build what became the Clifton Suspension Bridge.		Six men died when the tunnel flooded again the following year, on 12 January 1828, just four days after a visit by Don Miguel, soon to become Regent of Portugal. Isambard himself was extremely lucky to survive the flooding. The six men had made their way to the main stairwell, as the emergency exit was known to be locked. Isambard instead made for the locked exit. A contractor named Beamish heard him there and broke the door down, and an unconscious Isambard was pulled out and revived. He was sent to Brislington, near Bristol, to recuperate. There he heard about the competition to build what became the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

	== Completion ==		== Completion ==