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Report - - Stringers Tunnel & Stockport Power Station Tunnels, Oct 2016 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Stringers Tunnel & Stockport Power Station Tunnels, Oct 2016

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tallginge

more tall than ginger tho.....
Regular User
Firstly I’d like to thank alley for her book – Subterranean Stockport. It’s provided me with many hours of enjoyment exploring the area and basically got me into urbexing! This report isn’t a scratch on what she and her chums achieved. Buy the book!

I said I’d do a report on this place a while back but just never got round to it until now – sorry about that. I’ve been working on a small hydro-plant being built beside Stringers Weir on the River Goyt and although I’d heard that there were tunnels in the area, I’d no idea how long they’d be or what their purpose was. Indeed, the whole reason I was working there (to set out the hydro-plant) was because of the weir. Obviously the weir provides a head of water for a turbine but its original purpose was to provide a constant supply of water to the tunnel.


Stringers Tunnel / Deep Silt / The Beast Of Stockport

There’s very little information about this place on the internet, other than what a few others have put up on various forums or blogs. I don’t suspect many people go down here. It’s very, very silty and making progress is very slow. Wellies won’t cut it – you’ll lose them, its definitely a waders or wetsuit job. Luckily we had several pairs on site!

I’ve been down this tunnel five times now! Once with ferret to have a look and we made it barely 100m before he decided he didn’t like the mud and we turned back. Then on my own. I couldn’t bare working right next to it knowing there was more to explore. That time I got as far as I could in waders before retreating. Next time chizzy the fixer came with me. We’d got lilos but he didn’t like the sound of the plastics factory above (formally Howards Mill) so turned back, when I stated crawling. When the narrow bit opened up the water got deeper so I liloed for about 15 minutes until one ear was in the water and the other was against the roof of the tunnel. With no sign of anything changing I turned back, gutted! Next time was with Hydro. We’d got in from the plastics factory and I thought we were past the deep water. Hurray Henry! New unexplored ground I thought but soon started to recognise some features. I’d not seen the lid we used for access above on previous explores. Ah well. Lastly I went back to get some better pics. I’ve vowed never to return!

The weir, with its new cill, providing a reservoir of water for the tunnel behind the trees. They were both constructed in 1791 - 225 years ago. No mean feat, its a decent size river this, especially whens its been raining
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The old penstock control, inside its concrete chamber with ladders leading about 20ft down to the tunnel
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Looking back towards the sluice chamber and ladders. There's a lot of deep muddy sections like this!
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Every now and then it eases, but is rarely tall enough to stand up properly (not for me anyway). Note the old tide marks
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More slop!
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New Zealand Road shaft sunk in 1957 - 20m deep
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This pretty formation is one of only a few other landmarks
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Woyoi......they're still there........
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This is probably the nicest bit! Its dry an spacious an stuff
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This is where the tunnels enters Howards Reservoir. The tunnel used to end here but was extended to supply water to the power station
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This is the manhole shaft that I'd missed on earlier visits. Me and hydro entered from here and I got all excited for about 30 seconds!
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The tunnel continues like this for some distance until eventually the water meets the roof and I could glide no further.
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Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
Good effort mate, was about 2008 when I last had an encounter with that dreadful silt, I remember Mendo telling me "I'd love it" Never again!

LILO ftw :thumb
 

tallginge

more tall than ginger tho.....
Regular User
Stockport Power Station Tunnels – visited with Miss P

Now I can’t find any history or other pics of these on the tinterweb so thanks again alley! They were a really good and worthwhile explore. Stringers Tunnel used to end at Howards reservoir but when the mills closed down, they became redundant. By 1958 the natural sandstone had been spraycreted and the tunnel extended to join the Ancient Corn Mill Tunnels, which led to the Newbridge Cut. This narrow reservoir was approximately 200m long running parallel to the River Mersey. It was filled in long ago and concrete pipes laid to the Power Station, which was on the site where Newbridge Lane Car Park is now.

You don't need a rope to enter or exit this part of the tunnel but unless you're sure your wellies wont slip, while crawling up quite a steep pipe I'd take one and not pull too hard on it!
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This tunnel is an extension of Stringers Tunnel, which is impassable after about half a mile (possibly more?) The access pipe was actually a surge pipe designed as a pressure relief. When the gate was closed water would shoot up it, go along a bit then drop down very steeply for about 20m and discharge to the River Goyt. When it was open, the water was used to cool the power station turbines. It is very unpleasant crawling under this gate but it seems to be rusted secure!
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The tunnel itself is fantastic. Its brick built, curvy and high enough to stand up in (even for me!) Its flooded along its entire length, though, but wellies would probably suffice.
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Miss P trying to get something out of her boot!
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There's seven of these huge penstocks (I think) five here and two on the other side of the corner. They must weigh a ton or two each. Its incredible how something can rust so much yet stay as one piece.
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One of the cooling fans inside the penstock enclosure. The grill, presumably stopped silt clogging things up inside
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Me, under another huge penstock. This one would be closed to allow the area inside to fill up with water and then open when the water was spent, releasing it into the next part of the system. The roof has partially collapsed here and I hoped there'd be more tunnels to explore above but from standing on Miss P's shoulders I couldn't see any viable leads in any direction. Boo
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The tunnel goes on for a short while further. There are a few that go off in other directions that were part of the Ancient Corn Mill Tunnels but have long been closed off.

Here's what is all used to look like back in the day
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I acquired a map of the Water Tunnels of Stockport which may be of use to future explorers. Let me know and i'll send it you but BUY ALLEY'S BOOK - SUBTERRANEAN STOCKPORT it's beautifully written, explains things much clearer than I do and covers loads of sites all over Stockport!

Anyways thanks for lookin - go get muddy!
 

tallginge

more tall than ginger tho.....
Regular User
Thanks chaps - yup gimme a nice brick lined culvert any day. Even a stoopy one!
 

Alley

Conspicuous Loiterer
Regular User
Fantastic report :)
Fresh fingers went up that bit above the 'roof collapse' probably part of the power station basement but it doesn't go anywhere.
 

Hoorah

28DL Member
28DL Member
Mate! Bomber report on the findings.

Keep up the exploration. Look forward to the Hulme Fulme report next
 
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