The Bradford beck has been around since the medieval times and begins as a number of springs located around Keelham.
These small springs merge into the Bradford dale which in turn merges with other streams flowing towards the city center making up whats known as the Bradford beck.
The beck was once a clear above ground river giving it the name Bradford beck, which dates back to over 1000 years ago. the river was used to power numerous mills along its course and as demand for water power increased the river was subsequently re routed.
During the industrial revolution Bradford was a leader in the worlds wool industry, but darker days were soon to arrive.
By 1840 the river was being used to carry raw sewage and waste from the multitude of factories it served but the folk of Bradford were STILL using the Beck as a source of drinking water.
Cholera and typhoid outbreaks soon began and the life expectancy for the people of the city was a staggeringly low age of just 18, the lowest in the UK.
The river is referred to "mucky beck" by some of the locals still to this day.
The living conditions may have been poor but the land value certainly wasn't, and by around 1870 the majority of the beck had been culverted and built upon hiding most of its existence beneath the cities streets.
Exploring the miles of culverts here it was interesting to see how the Victorian era culverts seem to connect with the modern RCP sections. These are some of the biggest multi storie drainage shafts ive ever seen which was strange as the majority of the time we wernt to far from the surface and could regularly hear cars driving over the manhole covers.
To this day the quality of the water flowing through the beck is still classed as "poor ecological quality", and there is ongoing work to understand how the problem may be solved.
These small springs merge into the Bradford dale which in turn merges with other streams flowing towards the city center making up whats known as the Bradford beck.
The beck was once a clear above ground river giving it the name Bradford beck, which dates back to over 1000 years ago. the river was used to power numerous mills along its course and as demand for water power increased the river was subsequently re routed.
During the industrial revolution Bradford was a leader in the worlds wool industry, but darker days were soon to arrive.
By 1840 the river was being used to carry raw sewage and waste from the multitude of factories it served but the folk of Bradford were STILL using the Beck as a source of drinking water.
Cholera and typhoid outbreaks soon began and the life expectancy for the people of the city was a staggeringly low age of just 18, the lowest in the UK.
The river is referred to "mucky beck" by some of the locals still to this day.
The living conditions may have been poor but the land value certainly wasn't, and by around 1870 the majority of the beck had been culverted and built upon hiding most of its existence beneath the cities streets.
Exploring the miles of culverts here it was interesting to see how the Victorian era culverts seem to connect with the modern RCP sections. These are some of the biggest multi storie drainage shafts ive ever seen which was strange as the majority of the time we wernt to far from the surface and could regularly hear cars driving over the manhole covers.
To this day the quality of the water flowing through the beck is still classed as "poor ecological quality", and there is ongoing work to understand how the problem may be solved.
Bradford drainage. Some great shots here also
Bradford is a fantastic system
