Kennet And Avon Canal Tunnel (Under Cleveland House And Sydney Road)

Kennet and Avon Canal Tunnel (under Cleveland House and Sydney Road)

A canal tunnel dating from around 1800, engineered by John Rennie. The tunnel and portals are constructed from limestone ashlar.

The tunnel widens towards the south as it exits Sydney Gardens and measures around 54 metres in length. The north front, facing Sydney Gardens, features a semi-elliptical arch with radial voussoirs and vermiculated rustication extending beyond slightly projecting smooth ashlar piers. The piers have coved niches set under recessed panels with swags. Above the centre of the arch is a large raised ashlar panel articulated by a central mask of a female head, representing Sabrina, the spirit of the Severn, flanked by swags. A cornice and plain parapet step forward over the piers and central panel. The southern front, lying outside Sydney Gardens, is of plain limestone ashlar with a central projecting keystone at the top of the arch and a plain parapet set slightly forward. The elliptical tunnel interior is lined in limestone ashlar.

The tunnel was constructed around 1800, following the cutting of the canal which commenced in 1799. Sydney Gardens were laid out as commercial pleasure grounds between 1792 and 1794, initially designed by the architect Thomas Baldwin and later by Charles Harcourt Masters from 1794. They opened on 11 May 1795 as Sydney Gardens Vauxhall and rapidly became a popular entertainment destination, hosting public breakfasts, promenades and galas. The main building was the Sydney Tavern, now the Holburne of Menstrie Museum, which stood at the western end of the central walk and contained tea and card rooms, a ballroom, coffee room and public house. In 1799, a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal (authorised in 1794 and opened in 1810) was cut through the gardens. The canal company and the proprietors of Sydney Gardens agreed in 1795 that decorative bridges and tunnels would be added to enhance the picturesque appeal of the pleasure grounds. The canal company paid £2,100 and covered the cost of providing the bridges and tunnels as compensation. During the early 19th century, additional features and structures were introduced to add variety and surprise in accordance with landscape design principles of the period. From around 1839, a section of the Great Western Railway was constructed through the gardens. Later in the 19th century, further ornamental structures were introduced, though these were largely cleared away after World War Two. In 1891, when the original 99-year lease expired, the entire site was sold with the intention of replacing the Tavern with a large hotel and remodelling the grounds; this plan was abandoned. In 1908, Bath City Council purchased the site and the gardens were opened to the public as a municipal park in 1913. The Tavern was remodelled by Sir Reginald Blomfield into the Holburne of Menstrie Museum. The gardens remain in use as a public park and the tunnel is almost entirely unaltered since its construction. It forms part of an important group of four bridges and tunnels on the canal as it passes through Sydney Gardens.