These pictures show us what Beaminster Tunnel looked like in its early days.

Click above and scroll throught the photo gallery of pictures to see the tunnel not long after it was built.

The tunnel came about because sail and cloth making was the mainstay of the local economy in both Beaminster and Crewkerne.

But the journey to and from Bridport to Crewkerne meant negotiating a route that was a very long haul up the 500ft steep Horn Hill with horse and wagon along a road that ran west to east.

It was during the 1820s that a solicitor by the name of Giles Russell of Beaminster suggested an alternative to the arduous trek across Horn Hill – rather than go over, why not go through the hill?

The proposed turnpike road that included the tunnel would reduce the climb by 100ft.

The plans were drawn up in 1827 and two years later an application was made to Parliament for a tunnel that was going to stretch 115 yards and would be 20ft wide.

The tunnel was to be the longest road tunnel of its time.

It was on April 12, 1830, that the First Sod Ceremony was carried out on behalf of the Bridport Second Division Turnpike Trust (originally part of the Great Western Turnpike).

The construction used local tradesmen, one of whom was a partner in Bishop & Waygood, maltsters of Beaminster.

Lasting two years, the project must have been seen as a great benefit to the community.

The construction of the tunnel was overseen by engineer Michael Lane who was a pupil of Sir Marc Brunel. The tunnel is made of a series of brick archways; the walls three feet six inches and the arches two feet nine inches thick and the length of the tunnel 345ft.

The new route reduced the gradient from 1 in 6 to 1 in 10 and the distance people had to travel was also reduced by a mile.

The opening ceremony June 29, 1832 was a very grand affair reportedly attended by more than 9,000 people.