I went looking for the Dark Tunnel in Daisy Nook last week, inspired by a picture postcard which showed the tunnel sometime around 1900.
The card was one of a handful, some of which were addressed to Mrs. Robinson at 16 Ben Brierley Terrace, Daisy Nook, Ashton Under Lyne.
But a search for the tunnel and the terrace proved a failure.
Nor were the maps of the period much success.
Eventually I found a reference to the Tunnel which was known as Boodle Tunnel was opened out in the 1920s and offers up the strong possibility that I did walk its route.
Photographs from the 1940s and early 1960s show the opened up route and I guess it is back to the maps to plot its position.
But of Ben Brierley Terrace, have found nothing.
And as I don’t have access to the directories for the area I will be forced back on interrogating the census returns for the terrace unless someone can help out.
Location; Daisy Nook
Picture; The Dark Tunnel, circa 1900, from the collection of David Harrop
Have a look at Hollingwood canal society website. If you parked on the Daisy Nook main car park and walked along the path past the replica canal boat/children's play area you will have walked the route of the "dark tunnel"
ReplyDeleteIf you download the walking map of Daisy Nook Park it shows Boodle Woods and the Dark Tunnel. Under Oldham Parks. letsgoforawalk_daisynook.pdf
ReplyDeleteMentions Dark tunnel under Green walks. Not bad considering Im in Vancouver!
Funnily enough we did the walk using that very map, and later I visited the canal site. What I couldn't work out was the mismatch between the old picture of the Dark Tunnel and the present stretch of the canal ..... until I came across the reference to the tunnel being opened up in the 1920s, ... then it all made sense
DeleteYep not bad from Vancouver .....
Hi Andrew, The woods are called Boodle woods .If you walk down Daisy Nook just past Hencote there are woods facing the Garden centre . If you walk into those woods you can see the remains of houses in the soil. The footings were not substantial. I did find a cast iron fire place surround. It seems logincal that that could be daisy nook terrace.
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