Thames Tunnel - Marc Brunel's Underwater tunnel

Brunel's Thames Tunnel, The Method of Work Whereby
a Number of Labourers Could Work Side by Side
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The Thames Tunnel was the first tunnel under a navigable river. Marc Brunel had patented a "Tunnelling Shield" designed to improve the way tunnels were built and protect workers from cave-ins. The idea would allow longer tunnels to be built quickly with less risk.

He first presented his idea to the Tsar of Russia in 1814, but being a practical man the Tsar opted to build a bridge instead.

Brunel's Thames Tunnel, a Cross-Section Showing
the Tunnel and Ships Sailing on the River
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Attempts to build tunnels under the Thames had been made before, but had always failed. In part this was because of the fine sandy soil to be found under the river that resulted in collapses.

Brunel's Tunnelling Shield, where the workers digging out the tunnel moved forward inside a wooden frame while immediately behind them the bricklayers bricked up the tunnel walls, was ideal to reduce this risk. The precision was such that only 4 and a half inches of soil was exposed at any time, and that only when the shield had just been moved forward.

In 1823 Marc Brunel produced plans for a tunnel under the Thames, and funding was quickly found from private investors. It helped that the other holder of the tunnelling shield patent was Thomas Cochrane, a colorful character who was the inspiration for Hornblower, Aubrey and other naval heroes.

The project began in 1825.

Although the dangers of cave-ins were reduced, there were other hazards. Bazalgette's famous sewers would not be built until 1858, and the Thames was being used as an open sewer. The filthy water seeping in made the workers sick.

When the chief engineer was taken ill in 1826, Marc Brunel replaced him with his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel, on what would be his son's first project.

Building the Thames Tunnel,, circa 1830
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The dangers of flooding were reduced but not removed. In 1827 the tunnel flooded suddenly and the breach had to be repaired by blocking the hole in the river bed from above.

More serious was the collapse and flooding in 1828. Six men died. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, working alongside them, was knocked unconscious and nearly drowned. He was rescued by a Mr Beamish, who pulled him out of the floodwater, but had sustained injuries that would affect him the rest of his life.

One of the worst aspects of the floods were that afterwards the tunnel workers had to collect the injured and dead themselves. In the 1800's there were no specialised rescue services, and no one had dug a tunnel like this before, leaving them the only people with the knowledge for that grim task.

Financial problems following the flood lead to construction being abandoned for seven years.

(During this period Isambard Kingdom Brunel while recovering from his injuries, heard about the competition to design the Clifton Suspension bridge and entered.)

Opening of Thames Tunnel
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Marc Brunel finally succeeded in raising funds in 1836 and construction continued.

The tunnel was finally completed in 1841, and the plan to widen it to take horse drawn carriages was abandoned due to the ever increasing costs. Drained by a pump room in Rotherhithe, it was opened to the public in 1843 and rapidly became a major tourist attraction.

One Train Emerges from the Railway Tunnel
Beneath the Thames into the Station at Wapping
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Originally meant as a via method of transport between the north and south sides of the river, the fact it could only take foot traffic limited it. The tunnel became a curiosity for sightseers, and remained this way until 1865.

In 1865 the East London Railway Company purchased it, and adapted the tunnel to take rail traffic. Originally these were steam trains but in 1913 the tunnel was adapted to take electric locomotives.

When the London Underground was formed, the tunnel became part of it.

It has remained part of the London Underground network to the modern day. Subsumed by the tube, it now carries the East London Line. Few people give a thought when travelling through it for the age of the tunnel, or the fact that this short stretch was bought with such effort, cost, and lives.

The Tunnel is currently closed due to the Crossrail project (A.k.a the London Overground link) which is overhauling London's transport infrastructure prior to the Olympics and should re-open in 2010.