Trent And Mersey Canal South Portal Of Preston Brook Tunnel

The south portal of the Preston Brook Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal tunnel mouth built around 1777 by James Brindley. It is constructed of stone-dressed dark brick and features a narrow elliptical opening surrounded by a ring of rusticated stone voussoirs, three of which have been replaced with brick and a concrete insert at the base of the left side. Above the arch, there is a plain stone band at ground level and flush stone coping. The structure includes plain rectangular end piers and sandstone wing walls with projecting stone copings. Above the tunnel mouth keystone, a plain flush stone is inscribed with the words "PRESTON TUNNEL." Notably, the tunnel does not have a towpath, as the horse track crosses the canal just behind the portal.