TODAY’s delve into the archives of the Lancashire Telegraph has unearthed this photograph of the entrance to the Foulridge tunnel taken in 1953.

Although called the Mile Tunnel, the canal tunnel was actually 1,630 yards.

Opened in 1796, the tunnel took five years to build.

Moored at the right is the old steam tug, Foulridge, which was employed to tow horse-drawn boats through the tunnel - sometimes more than a dozen at a time.

The boat had a rudder fore and aft so that it did not need to turn around and was fitted with breathing apparatus to prevent its pilot from being overcome by fumes from the boiler.

The tug was withdrawn from regular service in 1937, having been made increasingly redundant by the introduction of self-powered barges.