Local History

When you live in Manchester and immerse yourself in that city's rich industrial history, it's easy to overlook the rich history of the town where you grew up.

From the 1790s onwards, copper production was tha shiznit in Holywell, Flintshire. Thomas Williams developed Greenfield valley to reach this end.

Holywell copper was used to line the hull of Nelson's HMS Victory. The copper produced here was also used to make shackles on slave ships. Something, unfortunately, I'm sure a large number of Holywell's citizens would be proud of today.

Before Boulton and Watt's steam engine became the catalyst for industrial explosion in the 19th century, running water was the necessary tool used to power industry. Greenfield valley has a high number of hidden, tiny culverts which are truly ancient in terms of industry. These stone-built passageways are tiny and have a low flow of crystal clear water.

There's a lot more here that I'm yet to explore here, but this is the starting point.

Supercharged

When you move house, sometimes you have to go into the drains that are 100 yards from your new place.

Medlock Tomfoolery

Met up with my boys Gone and nckt today.

After we failed to reach one drain because it had been raining all night and Gone got a wader-breach on his way in, myself and nckt headed down to YouMissed and HFLB for some epic drain lolery.

Walked home with nckt fully wadered-up through the city centre. You love it.

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime is probably the largest culvert in Manchester.

It leads the River Irk beneath Victoria railway station before it reaches the Irwell near the MEN Arena.

Visited with nckt and ConcreteJungle, surprisingly none of us had visited this well-known Manchester drain before.











I'm so poor at the moment I can't afford batteries. The ones in my camera died before I could take any decent shots of this drain's main feature - a wooden, Victorian cattle bridge that has been culverted over. FML!

Hyde Falls

This deep culvert was discovered by Dan Helsing who first walked its length from the infall to the falls with nckt where they couldn't continue without rope.

The following night I tagged along with them and we headed up through the outfall.

It starts as a concrete box with a plughole draining into it.

This way to my secret lair...

Dan Helsing keeps a look out...

From here it gets rocky and bastardly treacherous. Proceed with caution. Seriously.

It then opens up into the chamber that Dan and nckt reached the night before. WOW. The chamber is vast and echoes the sound of the water hammering down onto the rocks below both falls. I'm sure I have tinnitus from that place.

Gripper Pt.2

After planned visits to big drains were rained off, Dan Helsing, nckt and myself spent most of the afternoon looking for new drains in Manchester.

Stood in the rain, getting piss-wet through lifting manholes on scrubland. Not glamourous, and not successful.

We had new torches and were getting desperate. Off to an old favourite then!

Burnley

I visited Burnley yesterday with Gone and Rookie.

Not knowing anything about the place we arrived and were meant to meet up with a friend but missed him. Not wasting a journey, we did a quick recce, avoided the scores of teenage mothers in McDonalds, donned waders and got into the River Brun.

There are three main culverted sections in the town centre. The furthest upstream we named "Treasure" owing to the huge amount of junk in it - a walkie talkie, a toy gun, two vacuum cleaners, a fridge door, a phone, a hubcap from a Mini, a wheel from a Mini, a car battery, part of an old style number plate (methinks a Mini was given a Viking burial a long time ago in Burnley).

Rookie in the treasure trove...

There are two rivers in Burnley, the Brun and the Calder. Both are diverted through the town by old stone grips which, judging from the style, must be from the early 19th century. Incredible how they're still working, practically unchanged today.

Downstream from Treasure we found a scuba mask and snorkel. Gone didn't take much convincing to get it on...

Further still downstream is a more modern twin tunnel concrete culvert.

After this we got to the roof of a nearby multi-storey car park after closing time. If you're reading this, NCP, get more vandal grease.

We then got to the roof of the Charter Walk shopping centre. Something my friend from Burnley said he hadn't done since he was drunk at 15.

One from Rookie...

If you're reading this Charter Walk shopping centre, get better security!

Sidedraft Induction

It was about 10pm one night this week when I was talking to Gone and on a whim we decided to re-visit this well known Manchester drain.

Parking and wadering-up we walked through the infall. The flow was lower than our last visit and Gone had a pair of waders by now, so I wasn't piggy-backing him through the deeper bits. He rode me like that fox on the dog in The Labyrinth.

After walking down this pill-shaped tunnel for a while it comes to a taller, wider chamber with a side pipe. A quick excursion up this pipe lead to the motherload.

A massive overflow chamber with two floors of concrete and a rapid river of poop.

One of Gone's...

Heading back to the clean(er) water of the brook we headed downstream to the outfall. Proceed with caution from here. It's silty and full of potholes. We got back above ground and walked back to the car in our waders. Weird looks FTW.

Arachnophobia

Arachnaphobia is a culverted section of Gore Brook that runs underground from Platt Fields Park for about 1km before re-appearing at the Fallowfield Loop.

Gone and Urban Soldier at the Crystal Maze infall...

Impressive ironwork beneath Hart Road and Wilbraham Road...

Further downstream, Fallowfield Brook joins...

My first explore since breaking my wrist, drastic action was taken to protect my cast from subterranean water...

Image courtesy of Gone.

Cookie Culvert

This morning I'm sore from head to toe. Every muscle aches and it's thanks to UrbEx.

After an attempted explore of Sidedraft Induction turned into a recce in the morning, a recce of this new culvert that I'd discovered became a full on explore in the afternoon.

This culvert is about 370m in length and, judging by the number of different styles, was built in four or five stages.There's everything from round brick to RCP in this culvert. So interesting. I couldn't recommend it enough. I'm so pleased to have "discovered" it.

Visited with Gone.

Named "Cookie" because of the beautiful smell of baking biscuits that fills this culvert.

"Rope Burn" Culvert

This 1km long culverted section of the River Medlock in Central Manchester is also known as "5th Ave Culvert" and "Umissed".

Long, dark, and almost featureless concrete.

Visited with Gone...

...and Sui...

Why did we name it "Rope Burn"? Well, isn't it obvious?

Access was A-Team-esque. Except instead of using skill we made the most of gravity. This would become problematic as we couldn't get out the same we came in.

To escape, we had to cross the river and walk through the knee-deep Medlock at 1.30am with the outside temperature at -2C.

A bank of silt leading to a ladder was our refuge. Only this stinking pile of sand was also knee-deep. EEEEUUURRRRGGGHHHH!

What an awesome excursion!