Building record 6297/1/4 - South ventilation shaft, Kilsby Tunnel

Ventilation shaft. c.1838. Engineer Robert Stephenson. Random blue and red brick with stone dressings. Circular with square recesses around the base, machicolated stone frieze and castellated parapet. The London to Birmingham railway was built in 1833-38 under the supervision of Robert Stephenson. The Kilsby Tunnel was opened in 1838 and is approx. 2,194 metres long. The ventilation shafts were built from the top downwards, small portions of the wall being excavated at a time. The base of the :> e the tunnel are shown in lithographs by J.C. Bourne of c.1838 in The Science Museum, London. (J.C. Jeaffreson, Lofe of Robert Stephenson, 1864, Vol.1, p.201; D. Beckett, Stephenson's Britain, 1984, p.99).

{5} Undated photo;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 2/174 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F04 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Starmer G.H., 1996, Some Transport Features Between Weedon and Junction 18 On The M1, (unchecked) (Report). SNN3582.

<4> Burman, A., 2003, The Wild West Town Of Kilsby, (checked) (Article). SNN103927.

<5> Photographs of buildings in Kilsby (Photographs). SNN112704.

Record last edited

Oct 6 2021 10:58AM