(Explored with: @MartyZero , @Ojay and @grimbo)
On a dry few days after days of wet weather, I decided to revisit a few drains I had already been to, but not taken any photos in.
I had originally done these few drains back in 2022 with a loads of mates, it was my first time in Manchester and ever since I have kept coming back to see what else was in stock!
This trip was also organised to show our mate Grimbo a few UK drains, as he is used to the Australian concrete
Our first stop was:
Big Humpty
Big Humpty (also known as the Bank Bridge Culvert) is a huuuuge (yet short) egg shaped brick culvert on the River Medlock, or if you're local to this area, the Red River.
its strange egg shape is what gives it its name. It was built sometime in the early 1900s, I originally assumed around when they put the Medlock in the brick trough which was done through 1912 to 1913.
However this photo tells us it was done earlier, probably built in the Victorian era.
We clambered down onto the brick trough and followed upstream.
The brick trough was done to prevent flooding, as not long before construction a horrible rainstorm caused the River Medlock to rise and flood a nearby cemetery.
Many corpses were washed up out of their graves, its not known exactly how many, but around 50 bodies were recovered..
Only 1 person died.
I could not imagine the site of so many bodies and coffins being washed through Ancoats and the City Centre.
Of course, the people of Manchester were outraged by such a tragedy, and this is where the idea of the Brick Trough formed.
Funnily enough, the brick trough really didnt do much.
To put the Medlock in the trough it around 8 million Accrington bricks, wow!
Round the bend and you could see the Big Humpty in the distance..
Eventually we met up with it.
Wow.. They dont call it Big for nothing!
Due to recent rain, trying to work round the rubble deep in the Medlock was near impossible, so we had to revert to using our tripods as pokey sticks
The size of this place is truly magnificent, the only other brick arch as big as this is maybe Megatron?
This drain is not very long, you only go round a bend and youre at the infall, which is a very slippy slope up to a de-troughed section of the Medlock.
(pic taken by Grimbo)
Then we turned round and made our way to:
Medlock Culvert
This drain, similarly to Big Humpty, was constructed due to the frequent flooding. This one was built to re-direct the medlock under Alan Turing Way.
I am guessing it was built around the same time as Big Humpty, as the brick construction follows us, however a different colour of brick could prove this theory wrong?
We enter by passing under a viaduct on Alan Turing Way
It was fuckin hooooooj
Eventually we come up to a nice RCP side tunnel with a pretty awesome drop shaft.
Following down from here we meet the overflow for the Ashton Canal.
For some reason that day there was barely any flow of it, I had heard from a mate that not long before we went it was going mad!
Going up the steps it gets stoopier and stoopier until you eventually have to crawl, so far up there is a small shaft to the right that you can crawl into and stand in.
On a dry few days after days of wet weather, I decided to revisit a few drains I had already been to, but not taken any photos in.
I had originally done these few drains back in 2022 with a loads of mates, it was my first time in Manchester and ever since I have kept coming back to see what else was in stock!
This trip was also organised to show our mate Grimbo a few UK drains, as he is used to the Australian concrete
Our first stop was:
Big Humpty
Big Humpty (also known as the Bank Bridge Culvert) is a huuuuge (yet short) egg shaped brick culvert on the River Medlock, or if you're local to this area, the Red River.
its strange egg shape is what gives it its name. It was built sometime in the early 1900s, I originally assumed around when they put the Medlock in the brick trough which was done through 1912 to 1913.
However this photo tells us it was done earlier, probably built in the Victorian era.
We clambered down onto the brick trough and followed upstream.
The brick trough was done to prevent flooding, as not long before construction a horrible rainstorm caused the River Medlock to rise and flood a nearby cemetery.
Many corpses were washed up out of their graves, its not known exactly how many, but around 50 bodies were recovered..
Only 1 person died.
I could not imagine the site of so many bodies and coffins being washed through Ancoats and the City Centre.
Of course, the people of Manchester were outraged by such a tragedy, and this is where the idea of the Brick Trough formed.
Funnily enough, the brick trough really didnt do much.
To put the Medlock in the trough it around 8 million Accrington bricks, wow!
Round the bend and you could see the Big Humpty in the distance..
Eventually we met up with it.
Wow.. They dont call it Big for nothing!
Due to recent rain, trying to work round the rubble deep in the Medlock was near impossible, so we had to revert to using our tripods as pokey sticks
The size of this place is truly magnificent, the only other brick arch as big as this is maybe Megatron?
This drain is not very long, you only go round a bend and youre at the infall, which is a very slippy slope up to a de-troughed section of the Medlock.
(pic taken by Grimbo)
Then we turned round and made our way to:
Medlock Culvert
This drain, similarly to Big Humpty, was constructed due to the frequent flooding. This one was built to re-direct the medlock under Alan Turing Way.
I am guessing it was built around the same time as Big Humpty, as the brick construction follows us, however a different colour of brick could prove this theory wrong?
We enter by passing under a viaduct on Alan Turing Way
It was fuckin hooooooj
Eventually we come up to a nice RCP side tunnel with a pretty awesome drop shaft.
Following down from here we meet the overflow for the Ashton Canal.
For some reason that day there was barely any flow of it, I had heard from a mate that not long before we went it was going mad!
Going up the steps it gets stoopier and stoopier until you eventually have to crawl, so far up there is a small shaft to the right that you can crawl into and stand in.
Not far downstream from here and we hit the outfall! However it is too deep to continue any further, unless you have a dingy (or lilo if youre Ojay
)
From here we turned round, got back in the car and drove over to:
U-Mist (or U-Missed.. whatever you call it!)
This drain is a big fuck off concrete drain, which splits the Medlock in two.
It was built sometime in the 1960s.
Thats all that needs to be said about it really, on with the pics:
Eventually there is this tributary that joins, thats really the only interesting thing in this drain.
Taking pics of Grimbo taking pics.
My turn.
Then the outfall:
Then we were off to a wannabe wetherspoons for Tacos and Garlic Bread..
Cheers to the guys for a great day.
U-Mist (or U-Missed.. whatever you call it!)
This drain is a big fuck off concrete drain, which splits the Medlock in two.
It was built sometime in the 1960s.
Thats all that needs to be said about it really, on with the pics:
Eventually there is this tributary that joins, thats really the only interesting thing in this drain.
Taking pics of Grimbo taking pics.
My turn.
Then the outfall:
Then we were off to a wannabe wetherspoons for Tacos and Garlic Bread..
Cheers to the guys for a great day.
