Holloway Storm Relief into High Level & Ratcliff Storm Relief
This one’s only a short report, by my standards, as I’ve not exactly seen all there is to see of this system. Well at least I don’t think I have. I’ve been to Orly junction and quite a lot further west of it in the Holloway Storm Relief with the Vicar but there’s a heck of a lot east of it that I’ve not seen yet. Photos of London drains are hard to come by outside of 28, if like me, you’ve not been in this game long, which leaves me wondering what's been done before and what hasn’t. This was one of the more obvious areas of interest due to the amount of lines on the map that come together in one place near Hackney, East London. Having spoken to Ojay afterwards I was informed that Siologen and crew visited here ages ago, when the nearby high-level interceptor was overflowing….
Access isn’t exactly discreet. I’d found two lids at an obvious junction not far from a railway line but the junction had traffic lights and there was plenty of traffic queuing at them, even at 2 in the morning. I waited for them to change to green, so no-one was waiting and watching, lifted the lid and went down.
I probably shouldn’t condone solo draining, especially as the vicar and I are “safely” getting lots done together (several reports to come there) but there’s something about it that keeps luring me back. It’s very eerie, though, when you close the lid behind you and everything goes quiet and dark until I find my torch, especially as this time I’d no idea what I was up against.
The Holloway Storm Relief (aka Heavy Mettle) has been intercepted just before it arrives at the Northern High Level Interceptor. They were both built by the Metropolitan Board of Works around the 1870’s but by the 1900’s the High level was presumably already nearing capacity when it rained and storm flows from the Holloway overloaded it. The small section I explored was the diversion pipe built by London County Council around 1910 taking flows into the High Level and Ratcliff Storm Relief effectively bypassing a few hundred meters of interceptor. At Orly all the flow from the Holloway goes down Deep Ochre but at this end there is a small flow although I’m yet to find out where it comes from. Hopefully the pics will help all this make sense
The Holloway Storm Relief, easily recognisable by its yellow London Stock Bricks (correct me if I’m wrong!) and Engineering Blues, is about 8ft in diameter and here it obviously used to enter the High Level Interceptor, which is behind the dam boards straight ahead. The joint where old meets older is immaculate as usual.
Looking back up the Holloway with the High Level behind me now
From the newer diversion pipe
Here’s where the Holloway Storm Relief used to enter High Level Interceptor. It’s a shame I couldn’t budge them dam dam boards – it would’ve been nice to see this properly. Check out the multi-arched roof
Heading back downstream towards my lid was this ramp going uphill, not something you see very often. The small flow must trickle under the boards on the left and into the interceptor behind it though I’m not sure at what level. If the high level is carrying storm flows this whole area fills up (hence the silty deposits) until its high enough to flow over the ramp (and the newish weir boards at its top) and down into the High Level and Ratcliff Storm Relief beyond.
Here’s the ramp from the top
And here’s the flap that releases overflows from the High Level Interceptor. I’ve seen photo’s of this area when it was overflowing and before the weir boards were in place some of the flow went down the ramp. It wouldn’t do that now. I’ve got some pics as the interceptor passes but they don’t really show a lot as it’s very confined in there and I’m still fish-eyeless
And finally the start of the High Level and Ratcliff Strom Relief. I’ve seen the other end of this and apart from a nice, twisty, stoopy section under a tube line it's featureless and very leaky. However, it wasn’t this pill shape when I turned back so I expect there’s more to see of that as well. I’ll be back….
Upon leaving I surprised a group of scally’s waiting to cross the road – or waiting for something. I think I made their night. “Mate, you just come out the ground, wtf” etc, etc.
Thanks for lookin’
. It seems the slide gets the occasional wash as older pics show it looking grubby. They must've known I was coming! Yeah, the reverse slide is steep and slippery. You'd never climb up it. Plenty more to explore round this area, mate, in both directions 
