Norden Tunnel 2

Norden Tunnel 2 is a plateway tunnel built around 1807, with a plaque indicating partial rebuilding in 1848. It is constructed from coursed stone rubble, featuring dressed stone arch rings, and has a round arch shape that is approximately 23 metres long. The tunnel was created for Benjamin Fayle, a shipping agent and insurance broker from London, who leased the Norden clay pits from William Morton Pitt in 1804. By 1806, Fayle had built a plateway to transport clay from the pits to Middlebere Quay on Poole Harbour using a horse-drawn train. The tunnel was disused by 1845 and underwent rebuilding in 1848. The plateway continued to operate as a horse-drawn railway until about 1905, when a new line was established. Middlebere Plateway is recognized as one of the earliest railways in southern England. Currently, the tunnel carries a watercourse.