Tunnels and Weir in Hancocks Wood, Loftus
Perhaps one of reasons this website ever came to exist, as a small child I came here many times and always wanted to find out what was down the tunnels.
So I finally took the opportunity to don my wellies and head torch and have a look, pictures aren’t fantastic as I only had a pocket camera with me.
The largest tunnel is perhaps 25m long and turns underneath the railway embankment before emerging on the other side.
A second short tunnel leads into someone private garden, looks like they have a personal waterfall.
Nearby the main track also leads under the railway embankment, the bridge is surprisingly large suggesting this route used to be a lot more important than it is now.
I’m not sure why the weir exists, old maps seem to suggest it probably only arrived with the railway, and I can find no evidence of there ever being a building on the site, although the place always gave the impression to be there had been something here.
There a photo of the same area in the 1960s here
September 25th, 2008 at 8:20 am
What were the tunnels for? Did a railway line go through them? They look too narrow for that.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am
The larger tunnel is carrying Middle Gill under the railway embankment, the smaller tunnel is carrying a second smaller stream under the footpath.
The two streams merge in a shallow pool and flow over the weir.
The footpath then continues through the bridge under the embankment.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I must admit to being a regular visitor to this website. I find it informative, useful and just down right interesting!
Well done Mr Twigg for all you have achieved!
Matt
May 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
The embankment was a Viaduct, it was filled in when it started to subside because of mining.
Those culverts were installed to allow the streams to continue to flow.
May 14th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
You may well be right, but was that not the Kilton viaduct ?
http://www.hidden-teesside.co.uk/2007/09/11/echo-tunnel-liverton-mines-kilton-viaduct/
May 14th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Erm, yup I was thinking of the kilton viaduct. My bad!
May 15th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
The tunnels under the railway were probably built over the beck before spoil was tipped to form the embankment rather than diverting the beck which flowed into the weir which I believe was a secondary water source for the mill about a quarter mile down the footpath back towards Loftus, There used to be a sluice gate and a channel along side the footpath which took the water above the beck and onto a further holding pond which is now filled in with a bungalow built on the site. I was told about the mill on a school field trip about 20 year ago so it’s all I can remember at the moment