[Moor Lane cut-through]

The website www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk has a section about Bramcote where it is mentioned that the cutting in Moor Lane was in existence in 1771.

[Moor Lane cut-through]

I used to live in Ranmore Close, which stands above the cutting. I've heard of Moor Lane having been an old coal waggonway several times over the years but have never found out any details. Looking at Ordnance Survey plans seems to indicate that the route of any such waggonway ran from Robbinetts Arm - off the main canal at Cossal - across the fields to Balloon Woods and then up to the cutting before going across the fields to Chilwell and Attenborough. The course of any such waggonway may have been diverted, extended, or amended to suit the requirements of people over the centuries, so what was originally built may have been adapted to suit any subsequent developments. The old route may even have passed over the hill before money or manpower enabled them to create the cutting. I examined many of the carvings on the walls of the cutting and the oldest date I found was 1896; any older carvings may have disappeared, if there were any.

The geology to the north of the cutting is Coal Measure Clay but geological faulting led to the sandstone uplands of Bramcote Hills; the fault can be seen as a lage groove in either wall of the northern end of the cutting.

I have heard of the Huntingdon Beaumont railway in the vicinity of Balloon Woods, but I'm not sure that it's the one that ran through the cutting.