Brunswick Tunnel, Harrogate - June 2008

On a boring afternoon sqwasher and I decided to visit Brunswick Tunnel. Sqwasher had visited back in Jan with a couple of others and a couple of articles had been written by the local rag since then, so we wanted to see if we could still get in.
As we arrived we found that the bushes and trees from the surrounding area had been cut down and used to fill in the space in front of the portal. How environmentally friendly is that! We could not believe the mess that they had left instead of taking more appropriate measures to seal the portal. Once inside, the cameras came out and we began to explore the old railway tunnel I had heard so much about. The tunnel, which is 415 yards long, is 160 years old has the remains of a WW2 bomb shelter within it.
Here are my best pics from the trip:-

The only accessible portal left!



From inside looking back.





The shelter appears!



Inside what was the shelter. The supports for benches on either side and bits of roofing felt now dangling from the roof! Areas where the toilets were, just visable in the far corners.





Across the top of the shelter with the portal visible in the distance.



The blocks where the toilets once were.



The stairs leading up next to the now buried portal and to the shelter entrance.





Sqwasher checking out the 1930's construction!



Playing with the torch!



The mould was flourescent with the blue lens on the torch.





A last view as we walked away, the area where trees and bushes were cut from evident.



Thanks for looking.

Cheers Freebird, some awesome photographs and nice write up. I love the black and white picture (number 2) The graffiti on the red pic of the steps looks like it was done with a brush. Can you imagine the hassle of taking a paint pot and brush out with you if you wanted to do graffiti? Would you have to take a screw driver to get the lid off and a stick to stir it? White spirit? You'd need a van.
It must have been a horrid place to spend hours on end during an air raid. Good work you two.

Where is this place anyway? And more specificaly, that portal. If you're kind enough to let me know, PM me the info

This was my fifth visit to this gem of a tunnel & i wanted freebird to see this beauty for herself 'in the flesh' so to speak! While i can't compete with her long exposure shots (my MAXIMUM setting is only 4 (FOUR!) seconds!) i thought the addition of some tealights might add something different to any previous pics i have. I hope you enjoy these too folks.....

The portal hiding away-it was persisting it down here so please excuse the drop on the pic.


Freebird just inside the portal.


Looking along the length of the tunnel towards the portal.


Time for a bit of torchwork!


Then the shelter looms out of the darkness. Yes thats a bloody shopping trolley by the way!


Now inside the shelter you realise how big this really is!


The backlighting by freebird, the tealights by Ikea!


This pic turned out a little dark but i like the effect through the doorway.


The tealights were placed on each of the supports for the benches that would of originally been there.


A black & white shot by way of a change.


Looking through the shelter with the portal just visable in the distance.


Looking up towards the buried portal with the portal stones visable at the top.


A final view down the staircase through the shelter & with the portal 415 yards away!


Thanks for looking & if you want to see more pics please feel free to check out our Flickr pages. Cheers.