1955 Ordnance Survey map of the west portal of tunnel1955 Ordnance Survey map of the east portal of tunnel
The Lapal Tunnel (old spelling Lappal Tunnel) is a disused 3,795-yard (3,470 m) canal tunnel on the five mile dry section of the Dudley No. 2 Canal in the West Midlands, England.[2] It takes its name from the settlement of Lapal.
History
The narrow brick-lined tunnel, built in 1798 by William Underhill, had no towpath. It had a very small bore — at 7 feet 9 inches, barely wider than the boats which used it, with a headroom of only 6 feet. Boats originally took about three hours to complete the passage by legging or poling, so in 1841 a steam engine was built at the Halesowen end which drove a scoop wheel to load the tunnel with water. Stop gates could be opened at either end to assist boats along the tunnel in either direction.
The tunnel suffered many collapses, and after a collapse in 1917 due to mining subsidence it was abandoned. It runs under Lapal, the M5 motorway near junction 3 and Woodgate Valley Country Park. The canal between Halesowen and Selly Oak is disused and some sections have been filled in as the tunnel was considered uneconomic to repair. A short un-navigable length remains in the grounds the Leasowes, once a garden belonging to the poet William Shenstone (1714–1763), and now a public park and golf course.[3]
To the north of Halesowen, the canal is in good repair and is used by boats accessing Hawne Basin. The canal north of Halesowen includes the Gosty Hill Tunnel which at 557 yards (509 m) is much shorter than the Lapal Tunnel. [4] It was built at the same time and has similar cross sectional dimensions.[5]
They originally aimed to restore the tunnel, but a study in 2007 showed this to be unfeasible.[6] The study showed that an "up and over" solution would be possible, though at a cost that makes its achievement in the foreseeable future somewhat unlikely.
The restoration of a short section of the canal from the junction with the Worcester Birmingham Canal to Selly Oak Park is probably achievable. The recently built supermarket on the line includes allowance for the restoration.
