Offham tramway tunnels, portals, parapets and retaining walls

The tramway includes two parallel tunnels which take the track bed underneath the A275. These tunnels slope downwards from west to east with an incline of 1 in 3.5 and are 22m long. The tunnels have slightly flattened semi-circular barrel vaults which are separated from each other by a brick wall 0.45m thick. At the west end of the tunnel the entrance is about 1.5m from ground level to crown of vault, and at the east end is 8m from ground level to crown of vault. The internal height of the tunnels is about 2m from track bed to crown of vault, although this is an estimation since there is a substantial build-up of soil within each of the tunnels, particularly at the west end where clearance between soil build-up and crown of vault is greatly reduced. The interior of the tunnels appears to be lime wash or plaster rendering over red brick.

The faces of the walls above the tunnel entrances are battered to about 13 degrees from the vertical. That to the west end is of red brick in English Bond construction with a soldier course at the top. The face of this end of the tunnels has been repaired using mainly new bricks but with a few original bricks.

At the east end the central 1809 tunnel walls are in header bond and have three later supporting buttresses. Flanking this central area are retaining walls which are extended at both the north and south sides and of mixed construction, some parts underpinned by concrete. The lowest part of the retaining walls are constructed of flint rubble and are thought to pre-date the tramway as they are battered to a steeper angle than the tunnel entrances. The upper part of this east face of the tunnel entrance and retaining wall is topped by a later phase of brick construction in English Bond with a thick parapet wall surmounted by a cement coping. Iron gates bearing the date 1809 were erected at the entrance to the east portal in 1994 by East Sussex County Council.