Le Shuttle commemorative teapot in the shape of Eurotunnel Class 9000 locomotive

Commemorative teapot, glazed earthenware, ‘Le Shuttle’ novelty teapot in the shape of Eurotunnel Class 9000 locomotive, commissioned by Eurotunnel in 1994 to commemorate the opening of the Channel Tunnel, made in England by James Sadler & Sons Ltd, 200mm x 67mm x 92mm.

This glazed earthenware teapot was commissioned by Eurotunnel in 1994 to commemorate the opening of the Channel Tunnel, which provides an undersea rail link between Britain and France. It represents the Class 9000 electric locomotive used to haul ‘Le Shuttle’ freight and road vehicle services through the tunnel.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is the rail service which operates between the terminals at Cheriton in Kent and Coquelles in northern France, conveying road vehicles, including cars, lorries, motorcycles and bicycles, through the Channel Tunnel.

The Class 9000 locomotives represented by the teapot were designed specifically to operate on Channel Tunnel services and were built by Brush Traction and ABB. The service, which is responsible for a significant amount of traffic through the tunnel, first ran in May 1994.

The teapot was made by Sadler & Sons of Burslem in Staffordshire and forms part of a long tradition of novelty teapots, including some in the shape of locomotives.

The construction of the Channel Tunnel was one of the largest civil engineering projects of the twentieth century and made a significant contribution to the railways’ renaissance in the UK. Eurotunnel services operate 24 hours a day. By 2020 the Class 9000 locomotives represented by the teapot had carried 90 million vehicles on their trains.