Arthington Tunnel memorial plaque, 1849

Memorial plaque, stone, to commemorate those killed during the construction of the Arthington (Bramhope) Tunnel, Leeds & Thirsk Railway, 1845-1849, erected by James Bray, Contractor, 1849, from Otley churchyard.

The Bramhope tunnel passes through the hills north of Leeds on the route to Harrogate and Thirsk. Its construction took four years and caused several deaths. An impressive memorial to the deceased was erected in Otley churchyard in 1849. The memorial is built to resemble tunnel entrances and was recently restored by stonemasons W H Newton & Co. of Leeds. As part of the restoration, the original memorial tablet, which had cracked, was replaced. This is the original tablet: the quotations are from Genesis 23:4 and Luke 13:4-5.