When the tunnel opened, the canal became a through route, 13 years after the rest of the canal had been completed and 17 years after work began, at a total cost of £123,803.
Despite multiple problems,  its construction showed that the technique of quantity surveying had advanced.
Telford's plan covered every eventuality and  was followed until the canal opened.
Between 1811 and 1840, the tunnel was used on average by 40 boats daily.
The tunnel is brick-lined in some places, though some sections of bare rock were left exposed.

The tunnel is only wide enough for one narrowboat for much of its length and to save on cost, a tow-path was not provided.
Canal boats were horse-drawn when it opened and the boats were legged through the tunnel –  one or more boatmen lay on the cargo and pushed against the roof or walls of the tunnel with their legs.
Professional leggers were paid one shilling and six pence for working a boat through the tunnel which took one hour and twenty minutes for an empty boat and three hours with a full load.
The limited load capacity and the lack of a tow-path damaged the competitiveness of the whole canal when compared to the rival Rochdale Canal, which was only a few miles to the north and competed with the Huddersfield Canal for business.

Although there were widened passing places in the tunnel for handling bi-directional traffic, intense competition between boat crews was a hindrance and two-way operation in the tunnel was impractical.
The canal company introduced one way working, for which one end of the tunnel was closed by a locked chain to prevent access unless authorised.
A similar arrangement remains in use.

In 1846, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was purchased by the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway.
The canal tunnel was used during the construction of the first railway tunnel and no shafts were needed.
The canal provided an easy means of removing the excavated spoil.
When the railway tunnel was completed, several cross passages were retained.

The last commercial boat passed through the tunnel in 1921 and the canal was closed to traffic in 1944 when maintenance ended and the tunnel fell into a state of disrepair.
The last boat to pass through the tunnel before its restoration was the Rolt/Aickman expedition in the Ailsa Craig in 1948.
Writing in 1948, L. T. C. Rolt described the journey as taking two hours, during which the speed was kept very low to avoid damage to the boat.

The canal had become obstructed in several places on both sides of the Pennines and the tunnel, which had become unsafe was closed by large iron gates at each end.
A local newspaper described a trip organised by the Railway and Canal Historical Society during 1961, which was held to commemorate 150 years since the canal's opening.
The expedition used a single narrowboat, which departed Marsden around 11 a.m. and emerged from the Diggle portal around 1 p.m.
When the tunnel opened, the canal became a through route, 13 years after the rest of the canal had been completed and 17 years after work began, at a total cost of £123,803. Despite multiple problems,  its construction showed that the technique of quantity surveying had advanced. Telford's plan covered every eventuality and  was followed until the canal opened. Between 1811 and 1840, the tunnel was used on average by 40 boats daily. The tunnel is brick-lined in some places, though some sections of bare rock were left exposed.
The tunnel is only wide enough for one narrowboat for much of its length and to save on cost, a tow-path was not provided. Canal boats were horse-drawn when it opened and the boats were legged through the tunnel –  one or more boatmen lay on the cargo and pushed against the roof or walls of the tunnel with their legs. Professional leggers were paid one shilling and six pence for working a boat through the tunnel which took one hour and twenty minutes for an empty boat and three hours with a full load. The limited load capacity and the lack of a tow-path damaged the competitiveness of the whole canal when compared to the rival Rochdale Canal, which was only a few miles to the north and competed with the Huddersfield Canal for business.
Although there were widened passing places in the tunnel for handling bi-directional traffic, intense competition between boat crews was a hindrance and two-way operation in the tunnel was impractical. The canal company introduced one way working, for which one end of the tunnel was closed by a locked chain to prevent access unless authorised. A similar arrangement remains in use.
In 1846, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was purchased by the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway. The canal tunnel was used during the construction of the first railway tunnel and no shafts were needed. The canal provided an easy means of removing the excavated spoil. When the railway tunnel was completed, several cross passages were retained.
The last commercial boat passed through the tunnel in 1921 and the canal was closed to traffic in 1944 when maintenance ended and the tunnel fell into a state of disrepair. The last boat to pass through the tunnel before its restoration was the Rolt/Aickman expedition in the Ailsa Craig in 1948. Writing in 1948, L. T. C. Rolt described the journey as taking two hours, during which the speed was kept very low to avoid damage to the boat.
The canal had become obstructed in several places on both sides of the Pennines and the tunnel, which had become unsafe was closed by large iron gates at each end. A local newspaper described a trip organised by the Railway and Canal Historical Society during 1961, which was held to commemorate 150 years since the canal's opening. The expedition used a single narrowboat, which departed Marsden around 11 a.m. and emerged from the Diggle portal around 1 p.m.
Standedge Tunnels