OpenTube

How NOT to Build a Tunnel to France (Or a Bridge!)

Paul Whitewick

643,976 views

#Channel #Tunnel #abandoned

Welcome to this weeks little production in which we try and look at the crazy attempts the Victorians dreamt up to cross the English channel. With a particular emphasis on Railways, roads, tunnels and bridges of course!

A few notes:
1) We have changed the Title from "How not to Cross the English Channel" on account of the recent events.
2) When I keep saying, "Built in 1994", clearly this took a couple of decades, and I mean "Opened in 1994".
3) Credits below unless otherwise mentioned within the film. But special mention to Paul Isles of Locations Photography: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wedding...
4) Also significant special mention to Graeme Bickerdike, his website credited below has some amazing detail on the subject.

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Sources as follows:
http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunn...
https://www.google.co.uk/books/editio...
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...
http://www.dover.freeuk.com/port/chun... - really good
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aim%C3%...
https://www.google.co.uk/books/editio...
Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
https://www.quora.com/Has-there-ever-...
http://www.strangehistory.net/2015/04...

Credit:
Pictures: As stated within the video.
If not stated: Public Domain.
Music: All EpidemicSound.com - Paid license.
Maps: Google Maps
Maps: Google Maps within Graphics.
All other footage and Pictures: own Work.

20 Comments

@stevecabinet 1 year ago

My dad worked on the tunnel that was started in the 1970’s. I was about 10 years old when I first went into it with him , I can remember sitting on the TBM ( the mole ) it felt like sitting on thunderbird two !
I drove the little train into the tunnel ( a loco I think he called it ) we went to the face . I remember it was very warm down there . On the return to the surface , I asked what the swinging lights where ahead . Dad said , go slowly as it looks like there has been a cave in . At that age I found this very exciting, I stayed in the loco a little way back from the cave in. Watching my dad and two other guys move this huge lump of chalk ( the size of a small car ) off the tracks . Once moved , they jumped into the loco and I drove it out into daylight .
What an exciting experience for a 10 year old 🙂
My dad is now 90

@natesturm448 4 years ago

A floating railway has to be the most steampunk thing I've ever seen.

@pvuccino 4 years ago

I still remember the "Asterix" comic, where Asterix and Obelix sail through the English Channel from Roman Gaul to Roman Britannia, but they end up in a thunderstorm. An annoyed Obelix remarks that they should build a tunnel underneath to avoid all of this, and Asterix responds with "Yes, I've heard they already started digging! But I guess it's going to take a while..." lol

@joelthomastr 4 years ago

0:21 "One thing that struck me as odd was why it took until as recently as 1994 to cross the body of water between England and France."
Hmm I can think of two reasons:
1. England
2. France

@TheVocalMale 4 years ago

Shame about the boring machine being left encased in the tunnel - it would make a superb display piece in a museum. That would have been amazing to see.

@philsharp758 4 years ago

In the 1910’s when German invasion was feared, the minister responsible said that such a scenario was impossible “As they would never get past the ticket barrier at Charing Cross.”

@GreenJimll 4 years ago

I like how at 1:32 Paul carefully opens the gate to walk through rather than just walks round it like lots of other people obviously do. Very well behaved boy. :-)

@therenewedpoet 4 years ago

There was a window in time where “balloons” were all we had, and we darn well we’re going to use them

@dfgaJK 1 year ago

1:02 OR Hovercraft!!!!

@alexanderSydneyOz 1 year ago

I think the 18 century 'proposals' failed to materialise for far more fundamental reasons, than the Napoleonic wars!

@duncan1234 1 year ago

I love that all the cars and trucks are driving backwards @0:58!

@Soundbrigade 4 years ago

There was an anecdote (hope no-one has shared it already) about a father and his son offering to dig the tunnel. The father would start digging from England and the son from France.
- But what if you miss each other?
- well, then you get to tunnels at the price of one ….

@adrianbaker5916 4 years ago

You'd have to take a ferry or a plane of course. Someone forgot about the Hovercraft.

@Ben31337l 4 years ago

0:58 that's some very good coordinated reversing of the vehicles on the ramp.

@captburnout 4 years ago

I remember in the early 1970s they started to build a road tunnel under the channel but it only got a few hundred metres before it was abandoned.

@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 4 years ago

In Denmark, on the coast of the island of Lolland, we have just started building the "Fehmarn Belt Tunnel" from Denmark to Germany: 18 kilometer consisting of 200 m land-built concrete elements, to be sailed out and sunk and connected to each other and for both cars and trains to transport themselves in the tunnel tubes! This will be the last part of a European transport route connecting Germany with Denmark and Scandinavia, and not having to go up Jutland and crossing the Storebælt Bridge, as this is a much longer distance. We now have a bridge and tunnel, going up from the under the sea to enter the Øresundsbridge, from Denmark to Sweden. The built of the new tunnel may be followed on YouTube, as they have several cameras constantly following the building area in real time. A little like watching paint to dry ;-)

@RossMaynardProcessExcellence 4 years ago

A bridge held up by balloons. Just wait till Boris gets hold of that Idea! Interesting video.

@timrichards4977 4 years ago

I’m born and raised in Dover, currently work within the Port of Dover (I could see my office in the video which was quite cool). I loved this little history lesson. Keep them coming!