The Dark Arch

The Dark Arch is a tunnel built in 1813 to hide coal traffic from Parlington Hall for Richard Oliver Gascoigne. It is made of coursed limestone, likely sourced from the estate's own quarries.

Located at the mid-point of Parlington Lane, the tunnel is set in a cutting several meters deep, making it less visible from the former site of the hall. The tunnel is approximately 75 meters long and follows the gentle curve of the lane. It features segmental-arched portals at both ends, with plain voussoirs that rise from quoined jambs. Inside, the walls are also made of limestone 'brick' and lead up to a segment-arched vaulted ceiling. The roof includes four surviving air grates.

On both sides of the tunnel portals, high limestone walls with rounded copings extend north-east alongside Parlington Lane and south-west towards Gamekeeper's Cottage, forming the walls of the cutting. A section of walling to the north-east that originally connected the Dark Arch to the nearby Light Arch has been removed, but some of the footings are still visible.