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Shrewley Tunnel - Grand Union Canal (GUC) - Warwickshire, England

Shrewley Tunnel is approximately 2 miles west of Hatton Top Lock and 3 miles south of Kingswood Junction

Grid ref: North Portal - 421310,267315 / South Portal - 421545,267045

MAP

Length 396m - 433yds with two way traffic.

Maximum craft size: 2.1m Beam, 1.93m Air draft

Approximate travel time through Shrewley Tunnel: 15 mins

We entered Shrewley Canal Tunnel at the northern portal, finding it to be probably the wettest canal tunnel we have passed through! The interior of the tunnel is unusually dripping wet and this has led to the creation of calciferous flow stone formations over most of the brickwork.

This section of the Grand Union Canal was originally the Warwick and Birmingham Canal.

The tunnel is lined with building brick and is wide enough for two boats to pass, with care!

The Shrewley Tunnel has no towpath inside so horsedrawn boats would have had to be 'legged' or towed through.

The tunnel was opened in 1799 when the Warwick and Birmingham Canal was completed and was necessitated by the presence of the village of Shrewley thereby preventing the construction of a cutting.

A little further north, at Rowington, there was no such problem and a deep cutting was used.

There are actually two Shrewley tunnels: at the northern portal, the towpath splits off and rises on a ramp and then enters a tunnel of its own, until it reaches Shrewley Common Road which crosses above the tunnel; having crossed this the path then descends on another ramp to reach the southern portal.

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