Two Tunnels and Lakeside Grotto is a Grade II listed building in the Stroud local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 December 1986. Grotto, tunnel.

Two Tunnels and Lakeside Grotto

WRENN ID
grim-chancel-dew
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Stroud
Constituency
Stroud MP: Dr Simon Opher (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
1 December 1986
Type
Grotto, tunnel
Address
Two Tunnels and Lakeside Grotto, North Nibley
OS grid reference
ST 738 969
Coordinates
51.67075, -2.37919
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Two Tunnels and Lakeside Grotto are located in Stancombe Park, North Nibley, and were constructed around 1860 for Reverend David Edwards. The structure consists of a tunnel beneath a former driveway and another tunnel under a pathway leading to the lakeside grotto. The tunnels are made of ashlar and roughly hewn marlstone, with brick linings. The short tunnel runs straight under the driveway, while the longer tunnel runs beneath the pathway, dividing on either side of the lakeside grotto.

The entrances to the north tunnel and the northern entrance of the longer tunnel are round-arched and made of ashlar marlstone. At the junction of the tunnels, there is a small slit that provides a view into the narrow end of the grotto, which widens towards the lake's edge. Inside the grotto, there is a sequence of small rock pools with running water. The southern entrances are formed by large marlstone blocks arranged in a naturalistic style. Just inside the northern entrance of the longer tunnel, there is a niche containing a carved lion statue that has a somewhat Chinese appearance. This feature is part of a larger collection of elements in the extensive Regency and early Victorian landscaped park and pleasure garden.

Local climate

Two Tunnels and Lakeside Grotto receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 56% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 50% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 36 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 64% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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