More information : Wyke Tunnel was originally built as part of the Weymouth and Portland Railway (NMR AMIE number 867955, LINEAR1927), a branch line that connected with the Weymouth-Dorchester main-line. It was an important rail link serving the local communities, naval base, and stone industry on the Isle of Portland. Construction of this branch line started at the end of 1862 and was completed by April 1864, and it is probable that the tunnel was built circa 1863. For a short line it had a complex history, built in three separate sections and operated jointly by two rival railway companies. It was closed to passengers in 1952 and to freight traffic in 1965. The track has been gradually removed and some of the railway structures have been demolished. In 2000 the former branch line became the Rodwell Trail for the use of cyclists and walkers.
Wyke Tunnel dates from circa 1863 and is approximately 55m long. There are wide semi-circular arches to both the north and south portals which have dressed stone voussoirs. The walling above the arches and to the abutment walls at either side are built of coursed stone rubble. The tunnel itself is lined with masonry and bricks.
As set out in the Principles of Selection (2007) and the English Heritage Selection Guide for Transport Buildings (2007) rigorous selection is required when recommending railway structures built after circa 1860 for designation. This reflects both the quantity of what remains and the standardisation of design.
Wyke Tunnel is quite late in date being constructed in circa 1863; many of the most interesting and pioneering railway buildings date from the 1840s and 1850s. Although the applicant has indicated that it is of a design by Brunel, the tunnel is plain in appearance and does not exhibit any unusual engineering qualities in the form of its construction. The surrounding landscape has not changed too greatly, but the tunnel is undeniably separated from its original context as a railway structure, as the track and ancillary railway buildings have now been largely removed. Furthermore, Wyke Tunnel does not compare well with listed examples of similar structures which are generally earlier in date, such as Hog Hill Tunnel in the Wear Valley, County Durham, of 1832-33; or have good architectural detailing, such as Toad Moor Railway Tunnel, in Ripley, Derbyshire which was built in 1840; and the railway tunnel in Gisburne Park, Ribble Valley, Lancashire of 1880 with its octagonal turrets flanking the portals and embattled parapets.
Although of local interest as one of the surviving structures on the Weymouth and Portland branch line and a local feat of engineering worthy of note, Wyke Tunnel does not have sufficient special interest to merit inclusion on the list. (1)
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