In November 1846, work started on the first of three
Standedge railway tunnels. It was completed two years later at a cost
(including the approaches) of £201,608. Again the work was carried
out by candlelight and over 150,000 lbs of candles were used, costing
£3,618. The full length of the railway tunnel was 3 miles 60 yards.
The line opened for business on 1st August 1849, when the L & N
W Railway Company issued its first timetable for Saddleworth.
A second railway tunnel was finished in 1870 and a third one in 1894.
Standedge is unique in having four tunnels - three railways and one
canal - almost parallel to each other under the moors.
The canal and railway tunnels remain one of the greatest feats of British
engineering because of the enormous task of carrying water through the
Standedge hills. The tunnels can be found at the east of the village,
the canal tunnel off Sam Road and the railway tunnel not far from the
Diggle Hotel.
In 1847 a large water wheel was erected at Diggle Mill, the brainchild
of William Broadbent. Constructed seven years before the famous Laxey
wheel on the Isle of Man, the Diggle wheel was the largest in England.
The wheel was 64 feet 8 inches in diameter, 7 feet wide, with an axle
9 feet 9 inches long. Its 192 buckets each held 36 gallons of water
and each revolution took 45 seconds. It was probably made at the Foundry
Mill, Marsden, and assembled for fit etc., on the local cricket pitch
opposite the foundry - later to become Marsden AFC.
In December 1924, during the course of the wheels demolition, a report
in the Oldham Standard under the title ‘World’s Largest
Water Wheel’ highlighted its dominance: -
‘... It rears its bulk out of an encircling belt of trees and
has a drive up to the front almost like that of a small country mansion.
From the front there is a magnificent view of the Diggle Valley, while
behind the wildest of moors roll away beyond the rifle range to the
Wessenden Valley.
... Forty years ago, when no other mill in England had known the use
of electric lighting, the wheel provided the energy for a blaze of such
lights, which could be seen from all parts of the Diggle Valley.’
Today Diggle is once again a thriving community. Tourists are flocking
to the area, thanks to the restoration of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
and the re-opening of the historic Standedge Canal Tunnel. Visitors
are able to enjoy the delights of the sculpture trail along the canal’s
towpath, feed the ducks in the pond at Diggle Fields and marvel at the
most impressive flight of locks on the canal as it makes the final climb
to its summit.
The lights are certainly on again in Diggle. Last month the Hanging
Gate’s landlord introduced official Christmas lights to the village,
probably for the first time. The Diggle Brass Band is in the ascendancy,
winning contest after contest. There is even enthusiastic talk of holding
a band contest in the village on Whit-Friday. And if that does go ahead
- it will be another first in Diggle.
David Needham
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