Grantham Water Works, Lincs, October 2015

[HughieD]

Looks like everyone has been busy getting out and about this weekend so here's my modest contribution. Had my eye on this place for ages. It's not been covered on here before as this place has been sealed for some time. However the opportunity arose so down I popped. Very little history on the place but this is the 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.

Haven't really done much subterranean stuff bar Megatron. The light was pretty much non-existent so quite challenging photography-wise. Tripod essential. Tried painting with light and using conventional flash. The biggest issue was the auto-focus wouldn't work very well so lots of blurred reject shots. Anyhow got some half-decent pictures in the end so here they are.

Here's the main gate:

img2363 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The former access point got sealed back in 2008. Not too sure who Bazoo is though:

img2360 by HughieDW, on Flickr

There's something interesting down there:

img2358 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Is this the way in?

img2357 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Well looky here! Someone has kindly installed a ladder for us.

img2356 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And down we go...

img2318 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Wow!

img2315 by HughieDW, on Flickr

There's some rusty pumps:

img2319 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img2341 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And lots of bricks:

img2324 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img2331 by HughieDW, on Flickr

and arches:

img2326 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img2333 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Plus a bit of rubble here and there:

img2327 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img2345 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And there's that alternative entrance point at the far end:

img2329 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Think I picked the right way in!

img2350 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And lots of rusty cross-struts:

img2337 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Apart from that it's pretty empty as you would expect:

img2354 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A bit different that so thanks for looking.

 

[krela]

Looks like it needs a good clear out!

 

[HughieD]

Looks like it needs a good clear out!

Indeed Krela. But how do you get those big lumps of concrete out of there - that could be a difficult one!

 

[smiler]

When you said rusty you weren't kidding were you, I liked that, Thanks

 

[flyboys90]

Nice one,thanks for sharing.

 

[The Wombat]

Big big yes to this
I've wanted to see this place for a couple of years
top work hughie

 

[TheNarrator]

Awesome place!

 

[Mikeymutt]

Liking this one a lot hughie

 

[HughieD]

Cheers guys. Get there while you can if you want to see it!

 

[UrbanX]

Nice one, you done well to light it. Loving the natural lighting on that ladder tho.
Excellent report thinks for sharing

 

[HughieD]

Nice one, you done well to light it. Loving the natural lighting on that ladder tho.
Excellent report thinks for sharing

Cheers UrbanX. Funny you mention the ladder pic. Was choosing between natural light and artificial light for this shot and chose the former. As you can see below the shot looks so different in artificial light...

img2317 by HughieDW, on Flickr

 

[mxreynolds]

I keep hearing about the tunnels and really want to go but everyone says there's no way down surely there's a way in still, there's even an entrance at work but has been filled in

 

[BikinGlynn]

I keep hearing about the tunnels and really want to go but everyone says there's no way down surely there's a way in still, there's even an entrance at work but has been filled in

so far as Im aware this is wide open, best thing is to go & have a look.

 

[Pastybarm]

very nice, love all that decay and overgrowth!

 

[Hayman]

Since it is on the top of a hill, driving a horizontal adit into one side of it would not be that difficult; wide and high enough for vans or small lorries. And the brickwork all looks to be in good condition. Why not use it for secure storage as happens inside one of the former Bath stone mines or wartime underground stores near Corsham? Or mushrooms or wine storage?

 

[Pastybarm]

A good idea, I could imagine it as some posh wine cellar offering wine tastings and functions and so on!

 

[Hayman]

A good idea, I could imagine it as some posh wine cellar offering wine tastings and functions and so on!

Will you be laying down a few bottles of Chateau Grantham? Or would that be the local spring water? Since it is on the top of a hill, I take it the water was pumped up for storage. Where would the pumping station have been? And are there any remains of it, or of the pipes to or from the reservoir?