Bourne Park Tunnel lies on the Elham Valley Railway which runs between Fokestone and Canterbury. Approval for the line was gained in 1881 although only as a light railway. Approval for a standard railway was resubmitted and approved in 1884.
Matthew Bell who owned Bourne Park House objected to the line as it would be visible from his property - albeit in a cutting. Eventually it was agreed to move the line a little further away and to hide it in a 300 yard cut-and-cover tunnel.
In 1940 the line was taken over by the military for the rest of World War II. Bourne Park Tunnel itself was used to shelter a large railway-mounted gun known as the Boche Buster. The weapon saw action in World War I and was used to destroy Arras Railway Station in 1916. The weapon was originally a 14 inch gun but was modified to have 18 inch barrels. The 250 ton gun was used in publicity photographs but as a howitzer its range was ‘only’ around 12 miles.
After a brief post-war re-opening, the railway line closed in 1947 and the track was lifted. Today both portals are gated although public footpaths pass close by.