The Riffle - Diggle - Saddleworth
History
Saddleworth has lots of culverts, usually relatively short and can be quite stoopy, there are exceptions alas this was not one . Most date back to the start of the Industrial Revolution when the area was ideal for textile mills, both water and sheep are in abundance. Sections of the River Tame and the smaller feeder streams were culverted as the mills sprung up often with associated mill ponds linked with a culvert. The majority of the mills are long gone, the culverts often still remain.
Saddleworth was also on the West side of the Pennines, as the Industrial Revolution grew pace there a need to connect the West side to the East to improve trade, the Huddersfield Narrowboat Canal was constructed and Diggle became the Western Portal of the Standedge Canal Tunnel, still the highest and longest canal tunnel in the UK. Work started in April 1794 and finally opened in 1811.
When the tunnel opened at least 6 reservoirs had been built on the Pennine hills to top up the canal, as every time a canal lock was opened the water would need to be replaced. There's not too much history, but an additional reservoir was required to maintain the volume of water required to fill the canal and Diggle Reservoir was constructed. This coincides with the construction of the 2nd Standedge Rail Tunnel.
Explore
Diggle is a maze of culverts and I enjoy trying to make head and tails of where they run, many are too small to venture in, but all are linked to the old mills, canal, river and even the railway. I'd been aware of the possibility of this one, but not the easiest to get to, and sort of falls into the area where a riffle range operates so usually out of bounds unless you enjoy dodging bullets.
A valid excuse found me not far from the entrance with a torch and for the first time just armed with a mobile phone. The date stone above the entrance coincides with some other culverts I have been down which were built for the extension of the railway tunnel.
A quick shine of the torch and I could see the culvert ran straight and true into the darkness. About 5ft high and 3ft wide.
The walls of the culvert were dressed stone in the lower half and brick work above.
There was also a healthy amount of iron oxide sludge on the floor, this had been untouched for a long time and had formed some interesting features, iron oxide straws also dangled from the roof.
Eventually the culvert eventually finished, a gate valve visible in the roof. Photo didn't turn out unfortunately.
Time to turn around and retrace my footprints in the sludge back to daylight and what was a local swimming attraction many years ago.
Nice to have visited another one of the local culverts, the engineering is stunning. Still a few more to tick off and no doubt more to find.
Cheers, TLR.
History
Saddleworth has lots of culverts, usually relatively short and can be quite stoopy, there are exceptions alas this was not one . Most date back to the start of the Industrial Revolution when the area was ideal for textile mills, both water and sheep are in abundance. Sections of the River Tame and the smaller feeder streams were culverted as the mills sprung up often with associated mill ponds linked with a culvert. The majority of the mills are long gone, the culverts often still remain.
Saddleworth was also on the West side of the Pennines, as the Industrial Revolution grew pace there a need to connect the West side to the East to improve trade, the Huddersfield Narrowboat Canal was constructed and Diggle became the Western Portal of the Standedge Canal Tunnel, still the highest and longest canal tunnel in the UK. Work started in April 1794 and finally opened in 1811.
When the tunnel opened at least 6 reservoirs had been built on the Pennine hills to top up the canal, as every time a canal lock was opened the water would need to be replaced. There's not too much history, but an additional reservoir was required to maintain the volume of water required to fill the canal and Diggle Reservoir was constructed. This coincides with the construction of the 2nd Standedge Rail Tunnel.
Explore
Diggle is a maze of culverts and I enjoy trying to make head and tails of where they run, many are too small to venture in, but all are linked to the old mills, canal, river and even the railway. I'd been aware of the possibility of this one, but not the easiest to get to, and sort of falls into the area where a riffle range operates so usually out of bounds unless you enjoy dodging bullets.
A valid excuse found me not far from the entrance with a torch and for the first time just armed with a mobile phone. The date stone above the entrance coincides with some other culverts I have been down which were built for the extension of the railway tunnel.
A quick shine of the torch and I could see the culvert ran straight and true into the darkness. About 5ft high and 3ft wide.
The walls of the culvert were dressed stone in the lower half and brick work above.
There was also a healthy amount of iron oxide sludge on the floor, this had been untouched for a long time and had formed some interesting features, iron oxide straws also dangled from the roof.
Eventually the culvert eventually finished, a gate valve visible in the roof. Photo didn't turn out unfortunately.
Time to turn around and retrace my footprints in the sludge back to daylight and what was a local swimming attraction many years ago.
Nice to have visited another one of the local culverts, the engineering is stunning. Still a few more to tick off and no doubt more to find.
Cheers, TLR.
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