Archaeological News: Outram’s tunnel could be the oldest in the world:
The secrets of one of the oldest railway tunnels in the world, between Crich and Bullbridge, are set to be revealed as part of a two-year project.
The Derbyshire Archaeological Society has been given £17,900 by the national Heritage Lottery Fund to dig at points along the one-and-a-half-mile route known as the Butterley Gangroad to gather information from inside the structure, which was built in 1793.
Project leader Trevor Griffin believes the line, engineered by Ripley’s Butterley Company founder Benjamin Outram, will help reveal the history of a fascinating local relic.
He said: “It’s got a claim to being the oldest railway tunnel in the world, but it could have been reconstructed at some stage.
