Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre
Waters road, Marsden, Huddersfield. HD7 6EW. 01484 844298
Standedge Tunnel is an incredible feat of engineering sitting beneath the Yorkshire Pennines. At 3.25 miles it is the longest canal tunnel in Britain which opened in 1811 after 17 years of construction under renowned engineers Benjamin Outram and Thomas Telford. The achievement allowed goods to be transported between northern towns by narrowboat for over 100 years. However, following the railway taking traffic from the canals, Standedge Tunnel stood derelict for decades until undergoing a 20 year restoration programme and opening once again to boats in 2001 along with visitor centre, play areas and Watersedge Café. Once a thriving service to the industrial revolution, the tunnel now sees private leisure boats and day-trippers travelling through, while enjoying the exhibitions and special events the attraction has to offer.
