Clayton Tunnel

2022. Northern end of tunnel

Clayton Tunnel, north of Brighton.

Built by the London and Brighton Railway

Constructed 1838-1841.

2259 yards (1 1/4 miles) long. Ten air shafts.

Engineer: John Urpeth Rastrick.

Castellated portal and cottage at north end. The cottage is out of character with the rest of the tunnel entrance and was surely a later addition. This assumption is supported by a statement in an 1842 newspaper report: 'All the entrances to the tunnels are very simple and neat. That, however, on the London side of the Clayton tunnel is a beautiful exception. It consists of a very pretty facing of brickwork and stone, a castellated parapet, and a neat octagonal tower on each side of the tunnel entrance, with apartments within them for the policeman. Placed the midst of a deep cutting, these towers, with their old-fashioned loop-holes, present a formidable and menacing appearance to intruders.'

See here for information and impressive photographs.

NOTE: Although the northern portal can be viewed from the nearby road bridge, this is definitely not recommended, as it involves crossing the fast, dangerous A273 road near a busy junction.

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