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Patcham Tunnel

Railway tunnels in EnglandTunnels completed in 1841Tunnels in East SussexUse British English from January 2017
Patcham Tunnel, north end
Patcham Tunnel, north end

Patcham Tunnel (or Compulsory Tunnel) is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the South Downs between Preston Park and Hassocks in East Sussex, England. It is 446 metres (488 yards) long. Its construction was neither necessitated by the local geography nor originally intended but, following the objections of a local landowner, the tunnel's creation was specifically stipulated by Parliament in the authorising Act. Accordingly, the London and Brighton Railway had their line directed through a purpose-built tunnel instead of a cutting. Patcham Tunnel was constructed between 1840 and 1841; the work was beset by a collapse part-way through. Entering service as intended, the tunnel has demonstrated a tendency to flood and has been repeatedly attributed for causing sporadic cancellations of services on the Brighton Main Line.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Patcham Tunnel (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Patcham Tunnel
Windmill Drive, Brighton Westdene

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
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Wikipedia: Patcham TunnelContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.864444444444 ° E -0.15638888888889 °
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Address

Windmill Drive

Windmill Drive
BN1 5HJ Brighton, Westdene
England, United Kingdom
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Patcham Tunnel, north end
Patcham Tunnel, north end
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Nearby Places

All Saints Church, Patcham
All Saints Church, Patcham

All Saints Church is the Anglican parish church of Patcham, an ancient Sussex village which is now part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. A place of worship has existed on the hilltop site for about 1,000 years, but the present building has Norman internal features and a 13th-century exterior. Several rounds of restoration in the Victorian era included some structural additions. A wide range of monuments and wall paintings survive inside, including one commemorating Richard Shelley—owner of nearby Patcham Place and one of the most important noblemen in the early history of Brighton. The church, which is Grade II* listed, continues to serve as the Anglican place of worship for residents of Patcham, which 20th-century residential development has transformed from a vast rural parish into a large outer suburb of Brighton. Patcham's first church served a large rural area north of the fishing village of Brighthelmston—the ancient predecessor of Brighton. A nucleated settlement developed around this building, which was reconstructed during the Norman era. A wide-ranging series of alterations were carried out by Victorian church restorers to improve the building's structural condition and provide more space to cater for the growing population. As Patcham developed into a suburb in the 20th century, more churches opened in the area and were administered from All Saints Church. The building's plain exterior contrasts with its well-preserved and, in parts, ancient interior whose features include wall paintings and stone memorials. The churchyard has a set of Grade II-listed tombs.