Lydgate Tunnel, Saddleworth

The Lydgate Tunnel is a disused Victorian railway tunnel located beneath the village of Lydgate, between Grotton and Grasscroft in Saddleworth, now part of Greater Manchester. It was built in the mid-19th century as part of a branch railway linking Oldham with Greenfield and Delph, a route locally known as the “Delph Donkey.”

Construction began in 1854 under the London and North Western Railway and was completed in 1856. The tunnel was engineered through difficult geology, including shale, clay, limestone and coal seams, which made construction challenging. Measuring approximately 1,220 metres in length, it was the longest railway tunnel in the Oldham area at the time. To aid excavation and ventilation, six vertical shafts were sunk from the surface down to tunnel level; several of these later functioned as permanent air vents and are now capped.

The first train passed through the tunnel in July 1856, and for nearly a century it carried both passengers and goods, serving local industry and communities in Saddleworth. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1955, reflecting wider declines in branch line use, although freight traffic continued for several more years. The line was fully closed in 1964, and the tracks were subsequently removed.

Following closure, the tunnel was sealed and has remained unused. Although hidden beneath modern housing and roads, it has been periodically inspected and maintained to ensure structural safety, including repair work to brickwork.