[3] Like similar places in Bathwick, the tunnel and building take their name from William Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland, who laid claim to the estate of Laura Pulteney, 1st Countess of Bath after her intestate death in 1808.

[8] The northern portal, that which is in Sydney Gardens, is more ornate than the southern and features a representation of Hafren, a water nymph associated with (and eponym of) the River Severn.

[3] Cleveland House was built in the late 1810s, almost twenty years after the canal and tunnel were constructed.

It was designed by John Pinch and occupied by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company from its building until 1864.

A small hatch in the basement of the building opened into the tunnel; a common (but false) explanation for this is that it was to pass paperwork between vessels and the company offices;[10][11] it is more likely that the hatch was a refuse chute.