The Malpas Tunnel, Poilhes, France
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325797)
Rockingham, Australia
July 22, 2017 2:24pm CST
I wrote about the Canal du Midi recently. An interesting section of it is the Malpas tunnel which was excavated in 1679. It was Europe's first navigable canal tunnel. When the canal works reached the hill of d'Ensérune, the construction workers came across a very brittle sandstone which caused the works to be halted. The engineer, Pierre Paul Riquet, wanted to continue with the canal but his detractors were pushing for the canal to be rerouted.
Riquet’s master mason was directed to continue tunnelling in secret despite the risk of collapse. In ten days the tunnel was finished, complete with a concrete ceiling. It is 165 metres long with an 8 metre arch.
What is also interesting is that below the Malpas tunnel is the Beziers to Narbonne railway line and below that again an ancient drainage tunnel dug in the Middle Ages and said to be Riquet’s inspiration for the Malpas tunnel. The three tunnels are not directly one below the other but at different angles.
The drainage of the Étang de Montady is also very interesting but I’ll write about that another day. Quite near this site are some Iron Age remains.
13 people like this
11 responses
@Freelanzer (10745)
• Canada
22 Jul 17
I find tunnels so fascinating and always try to visit them on my travels
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jul 17
I love tunnels, especially old or ancient ones, and marvel at how they were dug/built with limited technology back in those days. History always fascinates me, especially learning how our forefathers engineered and built difficult projects.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jul 17
@JudyEv They sure did come up with amazing solutions in ancient times, didn't they? But I guess it was a matter of necessity, as many of the innovations of the past were done as a matter of survival!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325797)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
@moffittjc I guess they just knuckled down and did what had to be done. I suppose there was plenty of 'man-power' back then too.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
22 Jul 17
They could charge for people to take rides through the tunnel.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325797)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Jul 17
@topffer I guess in its day the cargo barges would have been quite long and well loaded. I have a book about the horses on the canals in England. It is really interesting. Even here they had to tie up the barges, walk the horse across the bridge to the other side and hook it up again to carry on.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325797)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Jul 17
I love tunnels too. They always seem just a bit mysterious and exciting.
@JudyEv (325797)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
It's interesting how the country changes as we go along. There is a lot of shale at the moment.
@spaceseed (2843)
• India
22 Jul 17
you could be a tourist guide, such a narrator you are
2 people like this
