Portal To North Entrance Of Bramhope Railway Tunnel At Se 255 438

The portal to the north entrance of the Bramhope railway tunnel, located on the Leeds to Thirsk Railway, was built between 1845 and 1849 under the engineering of Thomas Grainger. This structure is made of rock-faced sandstone and is designed in the Gothic style. It features a horseshoe archway surrounded by bolection-moulding and a large figured keystone. Above the archway is a machicolated cornice and a parapet made of plain slabs, each with a square hole, and a central raised coping that frames a cartouche adorned with emblems of a wheatsheaf, fleece, and fish.

To the left of the archway is a large cylindrical tower with three stages, marked by string courses and round-headed windows in each stage. This tower also has a machicolated cornice and a high embattled parapet with blind cruciform loops. On the right side, there is a smaller octagonal tower resting on a square base, featuring similar loops and corbelled battlements. The retaining wall extends on both sides of these towers, with the right side terminating in a turret and the left side being straight, likely with a similar termination that is concealed by vegetation. Additionally, there is a memorial to the workmen who lost their lives during the construction of this tunnel, which takes the form of a model of the tunnel located in the churchyard of Otley Parish Church in Otley.