The Old Railway Tunnel at the Bottom of the Island  

Back in the very early 1980's I must have walked just about every part of all of the lost island lines, but this tunnel was one part i never got to go into, it was being used back them for the mushroom farm and other things - like you mentioned in the video. So it's great to finally see inside it at last. I was however able to walk through the other Ventnor tunnel - the one from the main Ventnor station, under St Boniface down, coming back into open air at Wroxhall. That is a longer tunnel, and at each end, just 50 or so meters in the tunnel curved. So once you were around the curve you were plunged into darkness. And because it was the same either end, you had no line of sight to either end. That tunnel does have a ventilation shaft approx half way through, and an amazing sight it was, looking up hundreds of feet to see the sky above. Sadly I think that tunnel is well and truly sealed off these days with some hefty steel security doors. I believe it is now used to carry some kind of communication lines, plus the main water supply for Ventnor. I wish we had had the modern camera equipment we are used to nowadays back then, would loved to have filmed it. We did try, but even with some pretty powerful lamps it was simply not enough for the old video camera we had back then. But so good to finally see inside of the Ventnor west tunnel, thank you!

I like the fact mushrooms 🍄 are being grown in there. We get treated like that by politicians; we get kept in the dark and fed a load of 💩!

Brilliant! That must have been a very scenic railway line back in the day. Makes you wonder whether part of it would prosper as a heritage line today!

The tunnel does not appear to be in poor condition and looks as though it is just waiting for the heritage railway to get there! Thanks for uploading.

Another fantastic video thanks Ant. Pity no mushrooms nice and fresh is always best. Loved that tunnel. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care

Super channel. Loved all the colours. What a dust though. Great filming Ant. Most enjoyable. Thank you.

We used to have a week's family holiday on the island every year. One year (35+ years ago) I came across this tunnel which was as original and didn't have any boarding or corrugated iron on it, but couldn't go very far inside as I didn't have a torch. The next year I went prepared with a powerful torch to find it all boarded up with signs saying it was now a mushroom farm and was dangerous to enter as they were pumping some sort of gas inside to aid the mushrooms growth, so thanks for posting as I've at least seen inside the Ventnor West tunnel.

Fascinating. Good photography too.

Great stuff, crazy what they did back in the 60's

welcome to our beautiful island x

Hi Ant, my last holiday on the island was in 2006, a lot has changed since then. Amazing video, look forward to more. Thank you.

Hi Ant this tunnel was in pretty good condition it seemed quite dry in there & the brickwork was in pretty good shape amazing considering how long its been closed. Outside is very pretty woodland & track bed, amazing find Ant Thank you! ❤😊 ,

Thanks Ant! The stone work in that tunnel is absolutely stunning. Thanks for the video mate, enjoyed it immensely. Cheers cobber.

I drove my old Mk1 Fiesta to that Northern portal and bought mushrooms and a hand knitted Whitwell Mushroom tunnel top from them which i still treasure. My late mum was with me It was in the 1990s I think. I got a pic of my car parked up with all the polythene outside the portal. We walked part of it then

I went in that tunnel when it was a mushroom farm. They were quite happy for customers to have a stroll in the tunnel. Wandered along with my little torch. Highlight of my IOW holiday. The mushrooms were nice too.

Yet another quality video keep em comming !!

Lovely explore and stunning pics Ant. Thanks for sharing.

Very enjoyable that -thank you.

Your videos are always superb, Ant, as is your choice of music for them. Really enjoyed this one.

another fantastic vid ant

Thx Ant, nice one as usual 👍

Another great video thanks 😊

Great video Ant, good luck on your Isle of Wight walk.

really great thanks and well done

Thanks very beautiful and interesting the dust is just baby 👻

Thank you for this . Have lived in New Zealand since I was 3 years old now am 75, but still call I.O.Wight home. I was born in Ventnor so really enjoyed this one.

Another cracking vid, brilliant

Great explore and another fab video! The photo @6.47 is unreal!

Great footage - the masonry in there looked to be in really good shape. If that tunnel can't find re-use as part of a railway maybe it should be made into an official walking/cycling route like the Two Tunnels Greenway near Bath?

Thank you for the colourful tour of this tunnel. Other than heavy dust, it was a delightful trip. Will see you on the next, probably after Friday, as I’m moving. Enjoy By the way, congratulations on 20K subscribers. Enjoy the week,and see you on the next. Cheers Ant! ❤️🇬🇧👍🙂🇺🇸

Lovely video as normal Ant. Loved the few outtakes! lol.

WOW!! Just started watching and had to comment!! This intro is awesome !

Lovely

Was lucky enough to go in the tunnel in the late 80's when it was a mushroom farm a great tunnel to visit

Great to see you here on the Island,

Nice little tunnel, shame the Island lines were reduced to practically nothing, there's some super scenery to be enjoyed. Didn't really notice the dust till you blinded it!!!!!!👍👍👍

Cheers great video.👍

I think the northern portal housed the mushroom farm as you could drive to it from the main road. They may have had storage space at the southern end, but there wasn't easy road access. Looks like some of the phone hangers were new in the video. Probably installed by BT when the mushroom farm had their phone line. At the road junction at the northern end there used to be a footbridge and crossing keepers house. The house is still there. Whitwell station has self catering cottages. Godshill was next along and the station still exists. There are also some bridges left intact including one in a garden. The line joins up at Merstone Junction. This is part of the cycle path - the platform exists and there's parking for those that want to explore.

Hi, my husband and I were in there on the 16th July, I had a rubbish torch and got as far as those wires and stuff hanging down and got freaked out. We did climb the track and walk over the field to find the North portal. Couldn't believe how dry it was in there. Will take a better light next time ! Great video.

I walked through it as a nipper on a school trip. We got into trouble 😂

Don't re-call seeing any explores of this tunnel before , interesting to see . Did you get over to the other tunnel just out of the old Ventnor station ( other one ) which ran under the downs ? Great content as ever Ant .

Looks like mist not dust....been in a few tunnels where that happens, it's when warm moist air comes in 1 end and cools into a mist....thats why 1 end is clear where it hasn't had chance to cool enough..👍

excellent video👍 that tunnel looks good nick after 71 years do we know why it closed look forward to future video's

amazing footage through the tunnel went to both portals in 2013 and both were blocked took a while to find the south portal so grown in not as easy as the Whitwell side

What a treat! Love the outtakes 😂. Somebody knows their Thomas the Tank Engine 😉. Thanks for sharing Ant.

I like that video you must do more on the Isle of Wight❤

Went on swanage railway last week superb scenery and Battle of Britain class loco **Manston**. Also trip trip to Poole all very enjoyable staggered at the numbers on the Heritage Diesel and Steam Hauled Trains. Corfe is a superb village but very busy.... Can recommend the Bankes Hotel.

Oh Ant, you did make me laugh .... let's count how many times Ant says "look" in the video 😅. That aside, another great video, so sad the entrances are being left to wrack and ruin. 😢

Most railway tunnels can be wet and damp. Got to be the driest railway tunnel I have seen. There is also another railway tunnel at Ventnor near the old railway station, up above from the town.

Another enjoyable video. Thank you. I wonder where the random man was going on his own.

Great video! Link to Helenas channel is broken BTW

Great video..may I ask what type of torch you are using..

great seeing the tunnel again i was the one that camped in it with the ghosts.

Hi Ant i was down there last summer, stayed ar Whitwell staion for rhe week. Met up the the man that owns St Lawerance staion, really nice chap, told me a lot about the tunnel and the station.

Just wanna thank “fire clown” that’s just what that tunnel needed, spray paint and 3 bags of trash. Your a gift to mankind. Putz. Enjoyed your video, Ant.

Cracking video , one thing no vent shaft ? at over 600 yards i would have thought there would be one

It's always sad to see disused Tunnels - they shouldn't of closed all them Railways in the 1st place - would there be less traffic on the roads today if they had never closed them miles& miles of Railways??? 🤔🚂🚂🚂

Been there done that lol… did u find the Jetski at the end of the tunnel

Unusual to be able to walk into and out of a tunnel these days! At the end we saw evidence of what may be a secure fence near Dean crossing (where the line crossed the road).

A couple of things. Firstly, over 100 years untouched and now some moron has gone down there with a spray can! What is wrong with these people? But the northern portal was the entrance for the mushroom farm. The farm only went about halfway down. The St.Lawrence end used to be physically blocked off for safety. There was also an emaciated dead dog behind the blocking off as it couldn't get out. The mushroom farm had very poor electrical work to it and I condemned it in the early 00s. There was an awful lot of water penetration at the northern end, mostly through the crown brickwork. I am glad that all the polythene drapes and open flood lights are now gone. It really was an accident waiting to happen and trying to get out in the dark is a non starter. I wish the southern end would get blocked back up again though if only to keep out the spray can loonies.

The station at the end of this line was Ventnor West. Ventnor station is also disused and also had a tunnel.

Ant, that tunnel would be perfect for a LONG Halloween Haunted House "tunnel" walk-thru maze. That would be 690 yards "2070 feet" to scare the crap out of people--fun times. Thanks to Ant and team for another fine watch.....

Are those things on the cable brackets called isolators are something similar?

My Gran would have gone through that tunnel every day to get to school and back.

Who was the other two people doing the videos too please

That old rail line would be good as a cycle trail. Get people that are on periodic detention (sorry. Not sure what british version is. Ones who have to do community work for minor offences) tidy all that old line from one end to the other. Get structural engineers in to make sure the tunnel is safe, that old building at the northern end, put public toilets there, maybe use the old hooks through the tunnel for lighting. Be surprised how many cyclists and trampers would do that trail once they hear about. Wouldn't cost the tax payers too much. Would get payed off within a couple years from tourists spending in the towns at either end.

They look familiar

Again they can use these tunnel for cycling and walking running and tourism

Culvert Obviously.. No evidence of Train tracks.

Insulators.

My childhood memory was of rides behind Mr Adams lovely 02 tank engines with 3 or 6 up. It seemed to start very soon after Wroxall station and came out in Ventnor station itself with all those caves. I remember a small turntable at the end of the platform , used instead of point work to get the loco onto a release road. At the other end the light loco entered the tunnel to clear the points, collect the single line token and come onto its train. The signal box was decorated with hanging baskets. Really interesting video.

I have always wondered what the small building was at 13:33 also. The north portal was full of junk but was cleared out a couple of years ago . Some amateur 1932 family cine film I own of St. Lawrence Station a few hundred yards from the southern portal. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e4S3H_iu7wk.html

1:16 "Helena Wanders & Richard Eez/Ease/he's (?) on RU-vid. I shall put the links on there" - Where ??