Flight to a tunnel

The iconic Crofton Pumping Station stands against the sky beside lock 60. A place of happy memories for us and one of our favourite mooring spots when we cruised from our mooring on the K and A.

Crofton pumping station

Crofton Pumping Station - not in steam today, sadly

We were on our own in the Crofton flight after lock 60 as the other narrowboat stopped for water and to moor ....

We were not aware that this sport had caught on on the K and A, but it looks like fun!

canal boarding

Canal boarding

We reached the top lock and the summit of the K and A, it was all down hill from now on!

Crofton top lock

In Crofton Top lock

The summit pound was ahead and so was Bruce (or Savernake) Tunnel.

Summit

Summit towards Wolfhall Bridge

Bruce Tunnel carries Savernake Road, Savernake Forest and the railway. It is 502 yards long and the only tunnel on the Kennet and Avon Canal. It was named after Thomas Brudenell-Bruce (First Earl of Ailesbury), a local landowner who would not allow the canal engineers to build a deep cutting through his land, but insisted on a tunnel instead.

Bruce Tunnel

Bruce Tunnel east portal

Both portals are built of red brick and capped with Bath stone. The stone plaques are of Bristol pennant limestone. It was built to accommodate the wide Newbury Barges It has no towpath so boats were legged through.

NB. I have struck out the bit about Newbury Barges, despite British History on-line and Wikipedia both stating this. The Kennet and Avon Trust Archivist, Elaine Kirby, confirmed with me that the Newbury Barges were too big for the canal that officially begins at Newbury Lock. Newbury Lock is not big enough for a 109 foot by 17 foot barge!

limestone plaque

Stone commemorative plaque - limestone weathers badly!

The tunnel  is lined with English bond brickwork and is in very good condition

In Bruce Tunnel

In Bruce Tunnel

Emerging the other end we were in a tree lined cutting

cutttring at west end

  It was onwards towards Burbage Wharf ....

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