1. History
Very little history on the place but this is the former underground Victorian reservoir of the Grantham Water Company which was formed in 1855. It's at the top of a hill which allowed it to use gravity to feed the growing market town with the water supply it needed.
2. The Explore
Known about this place for ages but only managed to get into it back in 2015. There are actually two tanks here. The original report on 28DL from 2007 by @Gingie shows the reservoir furthest away from the road. This one is now sealed tight with concrete and it is the one closest to the road that is open.
I was struggling to get in but then the owners put a hatch in and a nice iron ladder in which made the job a lot easier. Wasn’t happy with my pictures from the first visit so went back a year or so later. It then got locked down good and proper for the best part of a couple of years. But just recently it’s become open again, so with a bit of time to kill and in need of a bit of light painting practice, thought I’d head back down there. It’s a peaceful space where you can get lost for an hour. This time I spent a bit of time down there and was happier with my pictures.
3. The Pictures
The entrance:
And round the side to the reservoirs. The blue bricks are the end wall of one reservoir and the red bricks the end wall of the second one:
To the right here you can see the concrete that was used to fill in the second reservoir:
And we’re in:
And into the first of four semi-open chambers within the tank:
Nice arching brickwork:
And pretty well-preserved pump:
Archway details:
An ickle stalactite:
Or two:
And plenty of other calcium carbonate deposits seeping through:
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Pipe on the end wall:
Below the only bit of daylight that floods in:
A magical and hidden place:
Very little history on the place but this is the former underground Victorian reservoir of the Grantham Water Company which was formed in 1855. It's at the top of a hill which allowed it to use gravity to feed the growing market town with the water supply it needed.
2. The Explore
Known about this place for ages but only managed to get into it back in 2015. There are actually two tanks here. The original report on 28DL from 2007 by @Gingie shows the reservoir furthest away from the road. This one is now sealed tight with concrete and it is the one closest to the road that is open.
I was struggling to get in but then the owners put a hatch in and a nice iron ladder in which made the job a lot easier. Wasn’t happy with my pictures from the first visit so went back a year or so later. It then got locked down good and proper for the best part of a couple of years. But just recently it’s become open again, so with a bit of time to kill and in need of a bit of light painting practice, thought I’d head back down there. It’s a peaceful space where you can get lost for an hour. This time I spent a bit of time down there and was happier with my pictures.
3. The Pictures
The entrance:
And round the side to the reservoirs. The blue bricks are the end wall of one reservoir and the red bricks the end wall of the second one:
To the right here you can see the concrete that was used to fill in the second reservoir:
And we’re in:
And into the first of four semi-open chambers within the tank:
Nice arching brickwork:
And pretty well-preserved pump:
Archway details:
An ickle stalactite:
Or two:
And plenty of other calcium carbonate deposits seeping through:
Pipe on the end wall:
Below the only bit of daylight that floods in:
A magical and hidden place:
