I’ve been exploring sections of the Porter Brook for the past few months, and thought I’d post about one of the more accessible stretches.
This section starts just below Sheffield General Cemetery, at the junction of Pear and Napier. The first open run is pretty easy apart from a weir around 53°22'20.1"N 1°28'58.0"W. After this the culverts begin.
The Porter Brook has been culverted since the mid-19th century, some of these tunnels date back to the 1860s, but most of it is 20th century concrete and steel. In this section, it starts with a lot of old Victorian brickwork but quickly turns into an open concrete channel as you pass under Waitrose. The roof gets a little low in parts but there are concrete banks on either side so it's easy going.
After Waitrose, the brook continues underground beneath St Mary’s Gate — it's pretty low here so this section can be a bit tedious, until it opens back up around 53°22'24.2"N 1°28'25.0"W.
From there, there's one final culverted stretch — another really nice Victorian section — before you reach a long open run leading up to Matilda Street Pocket Park. There are a couple of small bridges to duck under and a larger weir you have to climb down around 53°22'30.0"N 1°28'06.6"W.
The water's low. Lots of moss and plant growth, especially in the final stretch. Plenty of runoff drains along the route but nothing too aggressive. Mid-section is mostly concrete, with older brickwork at either end.
Took a few stills and brought back some fragments. Old pottery, mostly blue and white transferware. I guess it must be a local style. I know you shouldn’t take things but something draws me to them.
I’ve been logging more artifact finds at My Framer Site — not a traditional urbex site, more of a shifting archive. The homepage updates irregularly. Some objects link to hidden content. Some don’t. It’s best on desktop. Also posting some stills and fragments over on Instagram @gloam.flood.
Building up to a Megatron trip soon but need to get a few things in place first.
This section starts just below Sheffield General Cemetery, at the junction of Pear and Napier. The first open run is pretty easy apart from a weir around 53°22'20.1"N 1°28'58.0"W. After this the culverts begin.
The Porter Brook has been culverted since the mid-19th century, some of these tunnels date back to the 1860s, but most of it is 20th century concrete and steel. In this section, it starts with a lot of old Victorian brickwork but quickly turns into an open concrete channel as you pass under Waitrose. The roof gets a little low in parts but there are concrete banks on either side so it's easy going.
After Waitrose, the brook continues underground beneath St Mary’s Gate — it's pretty low here so this section can be a bit tedious, until it opens back up around 53°22'24.2"N 1°28'25.0"W.
From there, there's one final culverted stretch — another really nice Victorian section — before you reach a long open run leading up to Matilda Street Pocket Park. There are a couple of small bridges to duck under and a larger weir you have to climb down around 53°22'30.0"N 1°28'06.6"W.
The water's low. Lots of moss and plant growth, especially in the final stretch. Plenty of runoff drains along the route but nothing too aggressive. Mid-section is mostly concrete, with older brickwork at either end.
Took a few stills and brought back some fragments. Old pottery, mostly blue and white transferware. I guess it must be a local style. I know you shouldn’t take things but something draws me to them.
I’ve been logging more artifact finds at My Framer Site — not a traditional urbex site, more of a shifting archive. The homepage updates irregularly. Some objects link to hidden content. Some don’t. It’s best on desktop. Also posting some stills and fragments over on Instagram @gloam.flood.
Building up to a Megatron trip soon but need to get a few things in place first.
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