| Standedge Canal Tunnel |
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The Standedge Canal Tunnel is a Tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal on the edge of Greater Manchester in northern England . It connects Diggle to Marsden below the Pennines and is the longest, deepest and highest Canal tunnel in Britain . It is 5,456 yards (4989 m) long, 638 feet (194 m) underground at the deepest point and 645 feet (197 m) above sea level. Benjamin Outram was the consulting engineer for the construction of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (then known as the Huddersfield Canal), which links the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne and Huddersfield through the tunnel. However, Outram had so many commitments that construction took place under the supervision of a young and inexperienced surveyor, Nicholas Brown. Work on the tunnel was fraught with difficulty and progress was slow. In circa 1801 , Outram resigned from his post in order to devote himself entirely to work at Benjamin Outram and Company, which was expanding rapidly. Following his resignation, Thomas Telford was called in to advise on the tunnel's completion. Eventually it opened in 1811 , and the canal then became a through route 13 years after the rest of it had been completed and 17 years after work first began. After the canal became derelict, the tunnel always remained navigable although it was never used. It was reopened on 1 May 2001 after restoration costing more than £5 million. SEE ALSO Canals Of The United Kingdom EXTERNAL LINK
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