(All photos © Philip Lindhurst)

Construction work on the LNWR's Northampton-Market Harborough line began in 1856, five years after it was originally proposed. The company's intention was to capitalise on the discovery of local ironstone. Richard Dunkley of Blisworth was awarded the contract to build it.

In March 1858, a landslide occurred at the northern end of Kelmarsh Tunnel - one cause of the line's delayed opening. The first passenger train encountered its gloom on 16th February 1859.

The route - initially just a single line - attracted a large volume of traffic. Twenty years on, a second parallel tunnel was bored at Kelmarsh, this one equipped with a ventilation shaft.

The route was deemed surplus to requirements in 1984. Like nearby Oxendon Tunnel, Kelmarsh's newer bore now accommodates the Brampton Valley Way.

Click on this icon for a gallery of Oxendon Tunnel pictures.