Hidden history of Leeds rail tunnel

By Ruby Kitchen
Published 2nd Jan 2020, 11:28 BST
Updated 2nd Jan 2020, 17:00 BST
Filmmaker Mark Currie at the memorial to the railway navvies killed during the construction of the Bramhope tunnel, one of the longest in the UK iin the grounds of Otley Parish Church.Filmmaker Mark Currie at the memorial to the railway navvies killed during the construction of the Bramhope tunnel, one of the longest in the UK iin the grounds of Otley Parish Church.
Filmmaker Mark Currie at the memorial to the railway navvies killed during the construction of the Bramhope tunnel, one of the longest in the UK iin the grounds of Otley Parish Church.
A hidden history behind the building of a north Leeds railway tunnel is to be opened up to the public in a special event.

The Bramhope Tunnel, opened 171 years ago, was constructed over the course of four years by more than 2,000 navigators or ‘navvies’ in what was said to be “dreadful” conditions.

Once built, it allowed for trade to grow between the burgeoning economies of Leeds and North Yorkshire, but its creation is shrouded in the chilling tales of the men who built it using only hand picks and crude explosives.