Getting it right and getting it wrong..

I visited the Huddersfield Fine Worsted works the other day with SparkUK, it made for a nice evenings explore, despite the fact we were dodging security on a relatively small site. And it was raining, and dark and a bit cold too.

I only took one picture, just one single exposure, ISO 400, f5.o for 15 seconds. And it worked. That's the great thing about knowing what your lighting gear is capable of. I shot jpeg normal with two lights, one inside the pressure oven thingy with a red filter on, the other a plain white-ish led held to camera right. Result below.

Getting it wrong though are the security guards at Brunner Mond. Industrial explorer Tarboat was accosted recently on the towpath of the canal that runs past their Lostock works by one of their guards gesticulating that it wasn't legal to photograph the factory, needless to say, Tarboat himself put him in his place, rightly so, and even managed to get a picture of the chap looking uppity.

Outside the fence is outside your jurisdiction. Move along. For more of Tarboat's excellent pictures go here.

M ;->

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The Beast of Stockport...

Deep Silt. The dirtiest, stinking hole in the ground I've had the pleasure of exploring. From the outset this gloopy chamber of filth near pulls your legs from their sockets as slowly and steadily I made my first faltering steps into the unknown.

Deep Silt was named sometime in 2007 by Dodge and Havoc who made a rash and unprepared attempt, nearly losing Dodge in the process. When I looked at it around the same as them I didn't particularly like the look of it either, and ended up leaving it for the best part of 12 months.


Those 12 months soon flew by though and I found myself standing knee deep in the dark and quiet surrounds of the tunnel. Unsure what lay ahead, every footstep was preceeded with the prod of a stick, a deep breath and schluurrrrrrrppp as the mud released my foot. It went on like this for a long, long time. The filth was relentless.

And the tunnel was going downhill, away from the river. That was my theory of this being a long abandoned drain blown away.

Then, water, crystal clear and fresh as a daisy, I broke out the boat and set sail, punting myself along the walls by hand and by stick, I just prayed there were no underwater hazards likely to rip a hole in my dinghy. Cruising down the tunnel though, I came to an impass, where water meets roof, this was where my journey ended, for now.

Spinning the boat around and around and around I headed back from where I came, back through an 18inch gap crawling through mud and eventually back into the fresh air. I left Stockport filthy and confused.


Further research tells me this tunnel (and the wier beside it) was constructed around the turn of the 18th century to provide water power to one of the mills in Stockport town centre, it's actually called Stringer's Tunnel and should connect somewhere further beyond the impass to the Ancient Corn Tunnel, but that remains to be seen...

M :->

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