Report - Brinksway Shelter, Stockport - Feb 2010

[NightPanther]

After a failed attempt our first time, not being able to find the access point, me and HiddenShadow tried our luck a second time and prevailed =]

So here's a little history on the place, with full credit going to Havoc for his research and time to write this on his great UE site. Brinksway Air Raid Shelters where constructed between 1938-1939 during WW2. And cut into the soft sandstone rock which is visible all round Stockport.

With Manchester being only a stones throw from Stockport. The local authorities built the shelters to protect the civillians from German air attacks.

There were six shelters built in Stockport. Now only three remain, one of which is now a museum. Dodge Hill and Brinksway are the only other two remaining shelters which are in there original condition and have not changed since WW2. The other three were demolished.

The place soaked light and my camera flash isnt the best so sorry in advance for the poor lighting.

The Shadow Explorers

Better than most public toilets!

An old paraffin fired roadworks lamp!

It did nothing to light our path!

Vandalised and tipped!

The beds that housed our grandparents!

Unaware of what this is, Bin maybe?

First attempt at light writing!

Sorry for the orbs!

Bit of self publicity!
View attachment 180589

Thankful for the air!

Time for a rest after a long walk!

Loved this place and going to be doing it again and do a better report!

Shadow_Play

 

[Styru]

Nice one

the place soaked light and my camera flash isnt the best

Take a look through the underground (and indeed most of the indoor) reports on here - you will find very few that ever use a flash - the results are nearly always poor.

Tripod, long exposure, and light painting with a torch FTW

.

 

[NightPanther]

Yeah, I need to learn as I go and experiment with my camera, hope to get better and better the more reports I do!

 

[vwdirtboy]

Old oil lamps used to light the corridors!

I think you'll find that this is an old parafin fired roadworks lamp dating from around 1970 onwards.. phased out in the late eighties in favour of electrically powered versions!

 

[scret_101]

Yeah, I need to learn as I go and experiment with my camera, hope to get better and better the more reports I do!

manual setting a fast lens and a slow shutter speed my f1.8 lens is great for indoor/outdoor photos at night or in a dark place with no flash i dont like using the built in flash its shocking i like using a flash gun inside bouncing the light off depends on the area tho =]

 

[vwdirtboy]

its all cool man.. when i was a kid in the seventies, we couldn't afford torches and batteries! we used to nick those old lamps and use them for exactly what you've found..lol!
in your first photo behind you is the later 6v powered roadworks lamp. we moved onto these in the eighties.. all you had to do was snip a leg off the transistor inside and the thing stopped flashing! mint really.
gas oil and parafin lamps were not used in air raid shelters generally as the fumes with so many people became a bit much. the air raid warden would usher folks in with his torch.. most families also had a torch, and once inside and settled would light a few candles for comfort.

keep on truckin