Cornbrook Manchester - Rebooted, May 2019.
I've always had a fascination with "lost/forgotten/hidden Rivers" or whatever you want to label them as.. (Culverts)
Bread and butter for me this sort of stuff; The doing is one thing but uncovering the history and burying heads in old maps and documents is equally as interesting
I've had equal fascination with Cornbrook for many years now, it being the only ancient buried water course in Manchester you can realistically traverse end to end, just not with ease
Almost a decade ago now I'd listened to tales of how hardcore this drain was and from the few who'd tackled it in one sitting of how ridiculously confined it is for the majority of it's course
The key things I picked out were "Hardest drain in Manchester" "Majority 4ft" "Needs a spine of steel" "It makes men out of boy's" etc etc
I long deliberated if it was worth the effort as most people have tackled it in 2 or 3 sittings
The main issue with this lot is access, getting in is one thing, getting out not so and quite a bit has changed also within the past decade making it less user friendly so to speak
There was only one thing for it, man up and tackle it in one hit, and in June 2010 myself and Thompski did just that.
It took us about 10+ hours, which included having to actually traverse almost half way back downstream before we could find a suitable exit
All I remember it was gone 5am and the fresh City air was a welcome blast as we walked across town back to the car in dire need of some Zzz
The majority of it is indeed between 4-5ft with the occasional sizeable offering, it's a tricky fucker from start to finish, although I'd no longer say it's particularly that hard having since encountered much worse
You DO however need a spine of steel, I just about had one when I first tackled this lot, however not a chance I'd be doing it in one undertaking these day's!
All that aside, it's well worth the effort and one of the best culverts in terms of features I've seen to date
The biggest regret I had was only managing to come away with a handful of usable pics due to the harsh and confined conditions, they didn't really represent the drain for what it's worth
Although I'd resided to the fact I'd rather shit in both hands and clap than re-visit this place ever again that night, the very thought of wanting to do just that has since played on my mind
I decided a good few years back it might be a good idea to re-visit Cornbrook and try and document it a bit better
Nothing ever materialised and when I did finally get my arse in gear, it actually took a good chunk of time putting this lot together among other distractions
In April 2017 I set the ball rolling and nipped down to the outfall section one afternoon for some better pictures which I left out of the original thread at the time as they were cack!
After managing some better pics I realised a solo mission for the rest of it wasn't practical and far from ideal should one get into difficulty
@Nickindroy was soon enlisted to partake in further outings in an attempt to jointly stick something a bit more useful together for future reference
One thing that we did notice 2 years ago and to date, is that there is no longer any flow from approx half way downstream and was eager to see what the cause was..
I'd normally document something like this from upstream to downstream, but it's more easily traversed the opposite way around and for the pics to make more sense here
The outfall is hidden away over on scrub land of the old Pomona docks, although by the time you read this lot, the whole area will have been re-developed
Previously Pomona Island has been described as a "hidden gem" I beg to differ lol
It's been 'scene' to a couple of murderous activities, littered with bag heads paraphernalia and a welcomed fly tipping spot among other illegal activities for years now; not somewhere you'd go for a Sunday stroll unless you're into drains
The final stretch of the Cornbrook is not so surprisingly a 2.7m concrete box which runs a good 160m from a point beyond the Bridgewater Canal after the sump setup the other side to the Manchester Ship Canal
I guess the culvert renovation work was completed sometime in the 80's looking at it, at a point when they probably had purpose for the land, however it's been well and truly abandoned since the 1970's when it fell into disrepair until recently
Let's get down to business, starting with a couple of pics taken one spring evening many moons ago standing thigh deep as the water laps in at the point the Cornbrook outfalls into the Ship Canal
Heading upstream it's 80's concrete, implemented during extension/renovation works of the Cornbrook
A keen eye might wonder where the flow's at, I'll come back to that later on
The situation changes a little as the Cornbrook is culverted under the Bridgewater canal
Concrete quickly changes back to the original brick vaulted setup, below a pic looking upstream as it heads under said canal
You have to practically crawl up here for a closer look under the canal
You can't go any further here as the culvert utilises a drain sump which allows the Cornbrook to flow under the Bridgewater canal from the upstream
Next up is the original outfall before the Cornbrook was carried under the Bridgewater Canal in the mid 18th century via Brindley's basin and siphon
It's a muddy, slutch filled shit hole, the Cornbrook itself is a proper back breaker from the outset, I had to remind myself on numerous occasions why I was bothering with this place again
Even stung my arms on the nettles 'getting back in' and dropped my GoPro into the bubbling mire as well for my troubles, surely there's better things to be doing than poking about in old rivers
Once in it quickly heads under the old railway viaduct which serves the Metrolink and National Rail that runs above Cornbrook Road
More crawling ensued
Pic c/o Nick
Around 60m in it's a bent double affair as it heads towards the viaduct
It eventually curves underneath one of the railway arches (just not the one everyone claims, it's actually the R.H.S of the bridge)
Here is a pic looking back the other way, you can make out the arch as it passes below
From the other side, the culvert runs below the viaduct parallel to Cornbrook Road via a sizeable brick horseshoe
It's a good 30m+ before it reaches the other side of the viaduct and as you can see quickly begins to shrink in size
Gotta take advantage of a back stretch where you can with this lot
A 5ft brick arch now presents itself and as you can see from the following couple of pics, the next lot has been well and truly renovated
Obviously I've been here before, and let me tell you the next 50m or so is grimmer than grim..
The pic below makes it look like some kind of illusion, don't be deceived by the mirror like presence, below the surface is the most ridiculous fast sinking silted shitfest I have ever had the mis-fortune to encounter
You simply waste a lot of time going nowhere here, getting stuck with every move with a high concentration of methane bubbling around you
Silly fucking hobby!
Pic c/o Nick
I get a great deal of satisfaction researching this sort of stuff, some of the old pics we sometimes stumble on are priceless
Particularly I love this pic from 1961 at a point above ground here, poor old Rover's been pushing up daises almost 60 years
The next 120m comprises of a 4.5ft concrete box which was incorporated at the time they butchered Chester Road and stuck in the Bridgewater Way in the 80's
Eventually the plot thickens so to speak and you can almost walk on water as the deadly silt has become somewhat compacted over the years further upstream
Concrete quickly turns to a sizeable but short stone horseshoe section, the rest of it no doubt demolished with the 80's works
This is looking back downstream
And upstream as it runs below what now marks the end of Chester Road, a pic I took back in 2010 when it actually had some flow in it
*Note the permanent water course that runs in from the 300mm vitrified clay pipe here, it's the only thing contributing to the downstream flow these days
From here it quickly turns to stooping height as stone horseshoe transitions to 5ft brick arch which has since been spraycreted for the next 50m as it gently curves towards Cornbrook Park Road
The land and the entire street, has since been claimed by a new build and by the time you read this I expect it's vanished from the maps altogether
It then runs parallel to Virgil Street behind a once 80's built factory, more recently home to the Happy Clappers of a Sunday as seen on Google, before it was recently demolished
It's followed up in quick succession by a further stoopy corrugated section and a re-enforced segmented section for the next 130m ahead of playing fields located off City Road
Pic c/o Nick
Beyond the concrete, it opens up to a good 10ft brick horseshoe section; The original stone kerb lining before the Cornbrook was culverted can still be seen from the 1800's
A further 80m and you can see the transition from brick back down to 5ft spraycreted arch as it bears South below City Road
From here, it's approx 60m of spraycreted brick before this stone arch section presents itself which runs towards Stretford Road
Also note the lack of flow
Further up the stoopy spraycrete returns as it runs towards Cornbrook Grove, ahead a rare glimpse of a manhole as they really are few and far between for the majority of it's course
A back stretch was short lived and was quickly back to the now familiar less than 5ft spraycreted arch
Along the way we pass another manhole just before it runs under Fahey & Sons
Beyond which I managed to grab a phone pic looking up through a small drainage iron grid in the middle of their yard and confirm the location.. so far so good
By now we'd stooped a good 300m through boring concrete before anything of note presented itself
Here, the brook takes a significant change in direction at a point South of Hulme
If you look close enough you can just about see some of the original brickwork from when it was originally culverted
Around the corner it runs straight a good 230m as we ducked below Cornbrook Road and under a park of sorts which was once a continuation of the original road which has long been demolished
The culvert still follows the original course as seen as far back as the 1845 map
One things noticeable here and that's a distinct lack of water!
It's bone bloody dry, 2 years and no regular flow in here, what's going on ?
The next 150m or so get's a bit tough but seemed a lot easier than the first time around, maybe I'm just better accustomed to this shit these day's IDK
Crown height is reduced to 4ft through mainly a brick arch as it twists and turns with some more spraycrete and a flat top section thrown in as a back stretch bonus as it heads a painful journey towards Moss Side
I can easily justify why I didn't get many pics 9 years ago when I first tackled this lot, it didn't help matters with a reasonable flow back then either
I like knowing where I'm positioned below ground with these projects, it's difficult to work out at times despite walking the line above ground a good few times now over the years
It's fair to say this is somewhere around the edge of the park as it runs below Maher Gardens
The endless stooping continues for what seems like an age, I also chose to wear chesties just like a decade ago due to the varying conditions
On what was again one the hottest day's of the year I was proper melting by this point, my spine wasn't coping well and my quads were burning, forget PureGym get down Cornbrook!
Luckily a back stretch finally presented itself via a manhole that drops through the crown, looks a bit familiar this..
Apologies for the phone pic, if it's shite, black & white
That's right, I remember having to fetch Lidbuster 3000 out to shift the hefty iron bugger a good few years back, nobody in Moss Side bothers you with one of these
From here, it's 4ft ankle and back breaking graft, why anyone would want to go down here is beyond me
It does occasionally redeem itself
..But not for long
It's a relentless slog for a further 160m by this point, at least it's brick not concrete
We're now over in Moss Side, unfortunately this is where a good chunk of the Cornbrook has been proper bastardised
It's worth noting we'd traversed over 2km by this point below ground and only completed around 1/3 of the Cornbrook
It's once again 'shoe-horned' into a 14ft rectangular concrete box
That's the good news, as you're only afforded 4.5ft standing height for the next 1.04km until well past the brewery
The concrete box runs approx 330m to a point near to Radnor Street which was the original course of the Cornbrook before it was culverted
I wasn't looking forward to being re-united with this lot, at least Nick's had a dose of bent double down here now
Here, the culvert is divided for a further 230m via twin 4ft arches as it curves below Princess Road and the goods yard of the brewery
Looking back downstream
The other side of the split and it's back to a 5.5ft concrete box
60m further upstream and it changes to rectangular brick flat top
A notable feature here, is the culverted "Rusholme Brook" (sic) as it enters on the R.H.S of the culvert, again no flow..
It's 4.5-5ft variable height rectangular flat top now for a good 300m as it runs up Greenhey's Lane
The ceiling of a more noticeable age for the first half of it as the concrete is crumbing and the metalwork rusting away and bent out of shape
Eventually it changes to a 4.5ft brick arch for approx 30m as it cuts across Boundary Road, you can see the transition below
In turn, it opens up briefly to a 6ft arch, another welcome back stretch for around 10m
Looking upstream a noticeable curve as it continues up Boundary Road and heads under Coupland Street
Beyond the curve, it's back to rectangular brick for a further 15m, it's full of some pretty grim standing water here despite appearances
Ahead, another shape changer in the form of a 6ft arch, again you can see the transition in the below pic
It now heads up to and under the existing Trinity complex through a mixture of low (4ft) brick arch and some concreted components for around 230m
With no respite in sight, the culvert takes a significant change in direction as a noticeable dog leg comes into view as it passes the East elevation of the new sixth form college
Not only did I manage to get a decent GPS fix here to confirm the line as Nick's Android toy couldn't find it's arse with both hands, he did manage a pic of the signage through the split lid though
It's a bit easier on the spine as it continues upstream via a 5ft arch for 80m before the invert changes, affording us 6ft
There's a bit of a dip and and some standing water with a muddy bank for about 20m and then it's fairly spotless and bone dry for the next 100m
We're now below the University of Manchester and just over half way, we've travelled a good 3.5km upstream
From this point, the Cornbrook has been further bastardised and once again 'shoe-horned' into a rectangular concrete box with a neck busting height of 4ft
I've been here before and know only too well what being bent double for the next 1.5km in a back breaking concrete box looks and feels like, it's not happening again!
Out of the nearest lift-able lid it was, not a chance I was enduring that lot again, EVER! I said it a decade ago and nothings changed
It continues to wind it's way under the University of Manchester, before eventually passing below Upper Brook Street and heading towards Ardwick on a course parallel to, and crossing Brunswick Street
Here's what you can look forward to for a very very long and arduous journey before it changes back to something a bit more forgiving
Dat "never again" 4ft concrete box that runs to Ardwick
We first noticed the lack of flow here in 2017 when I stuck my beak back in below Brunswick Street
Pic c/o Nick
It was decided in 2010 we'd never traverse this 1.5km of 4ft spine killer ever again
Eventually the Cornbrook reaches Stockport Road, the concrete ends with a bit of a brick/spraycrete/stone mashup
Looking back downstream
The stone arch continues for around 25m, once again it's bone dry as there's still no sign of any flow at around 4.8km upstream
Here, another construction change from stone back to brickwork as it curves below the streets
The standing water was fairly grim here, a knee deep concoction of toil and trouble bubbling around us, surprisingly the meter didn't bat an eye lid
Now then, throughout this documentary I've mentioned a good few times about the distinct lack of flow down here, we'd had numerous discussions about probable causes
The further we walked there was just no sign of the regular flow of the Cornbrook, despite it still running freely at the infall
We surmised some kind of collapse or sinkhole would be the most likely outcome, turns out we were right!
Another soft curve and the Cornbrook runs through a 5ft brick arch for the next 200m or so past the Apollo
Further up I could hear the sound of running water, not unusual for a culvert as a rule, but see below..
Here, a pic looking back downstream, you can see the first of not ONE, but TWO collapses
2 sinkholes have appeared approx 15m apart, as the sandstone has eroded away and the brickwork lining the culvert wall has collapsed allowing the watercourse to drain away
*EDIT we've since been back for some better pics and to work out what's gone wrong here
The entire section here is a bit ropey
I've duly reported this lot as it's an accident waiting to happen during a major storm event and needs immediate attention
As we continued upstream, crown height is reduced to under 5ft, largely due to the amount of rubble that's washed down here over the years
Thankfully it’s 6ft further up as my back needed a break
A once brick horseshoe has since been spraycreted here
The first 100m is fairly straight
A significant curve further up as it heads towards Hyde Road
It crosses below Hyde Road as it winds it's way to the bus depot
Eventually the spraycrete ends, revealing the much older brick horseshoe beyond
It reverts back to stooping as it changes into a much lower brick horseshoe for a considerable distance between 4.5ft- 5ft in height
Parts of the invert appear to have collapsed in places, leaving thigh deep pits to catch you out
Much further upstream is a festering deep silted section, with the 'bunker' style side entry
I decided to take the wrong route through it and ended up soaked and filthy!
After this lot, another significant curve, with quite a cool shape change including a paved floor and low stone roof as some cast iron pipes cross overhead
It's quite slippery for around 40m as we ducked under the pipes and out the other side
Here it opens up to a sizable brick arch as it twists and turns around the bus depot and beyond for an unknown distance
A good few hundred meters upstream, the familiar 8ft changes to at least a 7ft red brick arch section with some pretty rad calcite formations
Once again the water quality is questionable here as we traverse a straight line for a good 200m before any further changes
Ahead, a rectangular brick section as the Cornbrook splits and passes below the railway lines
We had to negotiate another deep shitty bit before reaching said split though
Here, a pic looking back downstream from where we'd come from
Beyond the railway lines, we headed down the right split as I always found it to be less silted than the other side as there is little flow coming from the L.H.S which I never queried until recently
Part way in, there's a cut away within the dividing wall, here you can see 2 distinct watercourses join
The R.H.S is the Cornbrook, the L.H.S, after some research is indeed the Black Brook
Black Brook
Beyond the railway it runs under a shipping yard and then some new houses, before it's back to 4ft brick with some re-enforcement thrown in,
It used to be collapsed here and @siologen can probably better describe the crawl through it all better than I can..
From here it heads an Easterly course below West Gorton, somewhere where @siologen dropped in all those years ago and first reported how much of a bitch this thing was
There was an odd smell and the quality of the water upstream was questionable for a brook, the meter wasn't happy either
It's 4ft here just for a change
and littered with debris, as is a good chunk of it's upstream course, it sure does punish the ankles
A bit further up and it's around 5ft, the original invert is swamped with rubble for a good 200m, I'd really had enough by this point!
“Where’s all these f*****g bricks come from” - @Nickindroy
Eventually the situation changes for the better, relief comes in the shape of this 9ft rectangular brick flat top section, if only it had been this height all the way through
Height is soon reduced to 5.5ft re-enforced brick arch by means of spraycrete for around 20m, as it runs under an industrial yard (you can see evidence of where the repair took place on Google maps)
One can only assume the constant traffic from the heavy industry above had somehow stressed the existing brickwork to warrant strengthening works
Here a pic from the other side, looking back downstream
From here it's back to the 9ft rectangular brick box for around 60m, ahead of another shape change
I could also hear some noise in the distance, it sounded like a cascade of water, however we were still a good distance from the infall at this point
Turns out the source of all the racket was a small weir, I was that knackered and we'd been underground that long almost a decade ago, I have no memory of it at all
Eventually it's back to 5.5ft brick arch for approx 15m as it curves around on a final heading towards the infall which is still a few hundred meters upstream from here
The 3ft RBP on the right leads to a CSO
Looking back downstream
Beyond which, a 5ft brick arch continues upstream
Approx 80m further up and it's yet another shape changer, this time in the form of a tall vaulted brick box
This was one of the last sections to be culverted
Looking back downstream
Re-development work has taken place since we originally walked under here all them years ago, and now Panavision own much of the land above
Hence the subsequent modifications and bracing that can be seen here ^
The 'box' section is quite cool within it's own right as it's a bit less molested looking for the next 100m or so heading upstream
Looking back downstream
Construction changes once again to a much more modern brick affair as it twists & turns for approx 120m below G D Yarns, heading a course South East of Gorton Road
This is the final straight before another direction change as it heads from underneath the factory towards Pottery Lane
The brick abruptly switches to concrete now as it curves towards the infall which isn’t too far away
It's absolutely minging in here, as there is little fall on the downstream line, it's like they just ignored the poor surveyors' drawings and chucked a concrete box in regardless!
Talk about banging your head against a brick wall, except it being concrete ffs!, jesus I really hate this stuff with a passion
Just when the end is almost within touching distance the Cornbrook has one last ball ache of a trick up it’s sleeve.. a 3ft soaker!!
Here, a low arch conveys the Cornbrook underneath a Cash & Carry of all places ahead of Pottery Lane
It's pack the shit away o'clock and conkers deep time in festering Manchester waters for one last time, except you have to double back through for you're troubles as there's no through trip where Cornbrook is concerned
The next pic is from the other side and looking back downstream reflecting on whence we'd just emerged
Without anything for scale here, it's difficult to depict the degree of awkwardness this bloody drain presents at times
As mentioned much earlier in the thread, it averages about 4ft for the most part and this dilapidated brick section with the 'low arch' beyond is around 3ft including the rubble that has since filled the original invert
Water quality is also notably poor here too, the aroma is consistent with some chemical leak mixed with fresh however in the absence of any nearby factories that once dominated the area I suspect a leaky sewer somewhere beyond the infall
Looking back downstream
Finally a back stretch, albeit 5ft of concrete
As you can see this entire stretch has since been modified when Pottery Lane (a major North-South arterial route) was constructed in the 80's
The original course of the Cornbrook has once again been shoe-horned into a concrete box for approx 70m and shifted ever so slightly to accommodate the new highway
Last but not least, 6.8km from the outfall down at Pomona Docks is this clogged up impassable debris screened infall over in Gorton
Pic c/o Nick
Once dominated by the textile industry here, so much has changed over the past Century, I'd love to be able to wind the clock back with this lot..
Now get me outta here!
I purchased some celebratory cans from the local carry out upon completion
..Unfortunately they decided to piss themselves all over the back of Nick's van as he treated the journey out of Moss Side where we exited like some kind of Grand Theft Auto shizzle
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