The first underwater tunnel of the world was built under the river Thames that passes through London.
Since the early 19th century, London was the epicentre of trade in Europe and the ports were congested. There was a need to increase the rate of trade and travel with the rise in industrialism.
The idea of constructing an underwater tunnel was outrageous because of the utopian prophecy but it was considered as an efficient solution.
An ingenious tunnel was devised by one of the famous engineer’s of England, Marc Brunel in the year 1818 that tunnelled through the seabed without letting the water or mud seep in the tunnel.
He used the 40 feet submarine covered by steel and bricks which were 3 feet thick. It is now known as the tunnel shield.
The tunnel between the Wapping and Rotherhithe was excavated by people chipping the rocks and sand rather than a huge drilling machine.
The workers who were in the front kept on digging as the shield moved forward and people who were behind lined up the bricks along the tunnel. There was a need to create two outlets – one for disposing of the mud and sand whereas the other for water.
Previously, it was predicted to complete in 3 years but it took 18 years. Later the bricks were covered with concrete and the horse-drawn vehicles were given access to trains in the later years.
This underwater tunnel is an important part of London’s railway network.
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