Keep Standedge Tunnel Open For All

Aim

Raise at least £10,000 to help fund a new trip boat for Standedge Tunnel, and keep Standedge open for everyone

One of the true wonders of Britain’s canal network, Standedge Tunnel is the UK's longest, deepest, and highest canal tunnel, spanning 3.25 miles beneath the Pennines between Marsden, near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, and Diggle in Greater Manchester.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal’s restoration and reopening in 2001.  It was then that our charity’s trip boat was launched to enable the public to explore Standedge Tunnel and experience for themselves this important part of our industrial heritage. 

Now we need your help to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the scale and ingenuity of the tunnel. Our trip boat has reached the end of its life, and we’re building a brand-new, accessible trip boat so future generations of intrepid explorers can continue to experience the two-hour trip through the tunnel, and to make Standedge accessible for all.  

Why Standedge Matters 

Standedge Tunnel is an extraordinary piece of canal engineering and one of the most ambitious canal tunnels ever built.  

Dug by hand over 17 years, the tunnel - constructed to enable the movement of goods across the country along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal - was completed in 1811 and was a monumental feat of Industrial Revolution engineering,  

Following its closure to navigation in 1944 and decades of abandonment, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Standedge Tunnel were brought back to life with the support of national and local partners, volunteers, and the Millennium Commission. Thanks to an enormous restoration effort, the canal and tunnel were officially reopened in 2001, with a royal visit from HRH the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III). Since then, the canal and tunnel have been a thriving part of the national waterway network.  

The Problem 

After decades of operation and many thousands of passengers, our trip boat has reached the end of its working life. And without a replacement, this unique visitor experience on the canal network could disappear, depriving the region, schools and communities of access to this incredible, historically important destination. We want to build a modern, purpose-built trip boat that will serve Standedge Tunnel for decades to come. Most importantly, the new boat will be fully accessible, offering a better experience for those in wheelchairs. The new design will ensure people of all abilities can enjoy the journey through the tunnel.  

The Solution 

The new trip boat design has been completed, and we need your help as construction begins. Friends of Standedge have already done an amazing job, raising thousands of pounds locally to help kick start the work, and we’re asking the public to help us finish the job, and help ensure everyone gets the opportunity to enjoy a trip through the tunnel. 

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Huddersfield Canal’s reopening in May 2001, we are launching this Crowdfunder so we can secure the future of one of the canal network’s most memorable ‘bucket list’ experiences. With your help, we can ensure that future generations can continue to travel through Standedge Tunnel and experience over 200 years of living history and one of Britain’s greatest canal engineering achievements.  

Catherine Clayton

Area Operations Manager, Yorkshire and North East

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 13th July 2026 at 10:25am