Building the last Main Line Railway

Catesby Tunnel and Viaduct: gcrcs161

A wonderful snapshot of tunnel construction at the end of the nineteenth century, this photograph is thought to have been taken at Catesby's south portal around 1897.

The wooden 'centring' is still in place around the arch, and lengths of timber have been employed to shore up the planking of the portal's temporary facade. The 'serated' finish to the brickwork was to provide a keyed finish to which the tunnel's stone facade will be secured.

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