These videos are getting so good they must be unwittingly but deservingly forming part of Manchester's social history documentation for future generations. Let's hope that RUclips is around long enough for people to enjoy them for decades to come.
I absolutely agree, the research is top notch. Our underground heritage is largely poorly documented... people like Martin are awesome for documenting it. Pity the authorities tend to be at best ambivalent about such social historians :(
I was just thinking the same thing. Not just Martin's channel but so many urbex and history channels on here as well as technology, engineering, hobbies etc. How lucky are we to have RUclips!? It's like having thousands of little specialised documentaries every week.
Thanks do much Chrstopher we suggested dendro and guessed as a working hypothesis late 16's early 17's. If it made the early map it would be early 17's but how much earlier it has been there? 🤔 Much obliged. 🙂
Martin. On an earlier film, the Nico Ditch. Has anyone ever definitively dated it? 🤔 You'd think such an imposing edifice would have been verified by the Academics.
Thank you Mike. Yes the wood could have been recycled if it was in good condition I suppose. On "early" maps 1600's I think it shows three bridges. 1).Hunt's Bank, 2). Walker's Croft (the "Cattle Bridge") and Tanners Bridge (Ducie Street Bridge). The Embankment in front of the Cathedral was considerably lower and sloping to Hunts Bank Bridge. The original pathway is still there apparently but walled up at Fennel Street and kept when they built the Embankment you see now over it in the 1830's. It was really just that, a pathway, even in the 1830's and was a cause of major congestion especially when there was racing at nearby Kersal Moor, so much so they had to position constables on Hunts Bank Bridge. It wasn't the major bridge of today. When George Stephenson built the first Victoria Station it was a one platform station and you had to cross the Walker's Croft Bridge which was still open to the elements, to get to it and to the old medieval Toad Lane (Todd Street). Much obliged and thanks for your interest. 🙂👍
@@mdatkinson92 Thank you very much indeed Michael I never knew that about the typeface or the Cattling Station. Mcr. still had a cattle fair until the 1870's (was at Acresfield later St. Ann's Square from the 1200's to about 1820 then moved to Campfield until around 1870(?) and under the bridge that obscured George Stephenson's L&M bridge at Liverpool Road which they removed for the Ordsall Chord they found preserved cattle stalls under the removed bridge. Haven't heard what they've done with them. Before refrigeration cattle must have been a major traffic. I am not sure but I think there was a cattle yard or cattle yards at Cross Street, Salford. If Mcr's population increased to such a vast level in such a short time feeding such a population must have been a huge logistics exercise. A "shambler" is a butcher's bench where he cut carcasses and generally threw the unwanted bits in a convenient drain hence many towns have a "Shambles" a.k.a. "messy" place where butchery took place including Mcr. Victoria and Exchange suffered damage during the Christmas '40 Blitz but shielded the bridge. Remarkable. I think the name Walker's Croft comes from Walke Mill a very early (1300's) fulling mill on the banks of the Irk at that site near the School you mention. If you are aware of Victoria near the booking office is a door into the main building. Inside is a staircase and I went down a floor and was shown a metal landlocked (normally) door in a wall. Once opened there is a void. Just over the culvertrd Irk. I thought it was quite frightening it was pitch-black and the noise of the rushing river was loud. I don't know if you are aware of it but there was a British Rail Staff Association Club under Todd Street at the front of the station. There are a number of rooms, including concert room actually under the street. The normal entrance was next to a barber's across the street near the steps down to Walkers Croft. The was an emergency entrance/exit in "Cigar Alley" some steps going down from concourse level near the public toilets. Incidemtly I remember another Huge Railway building "Hunt's Bank" made of smoke-blackened stone that is where the Chetham's Stoller Hall Extension now is. It ran from Todd Street right the way down to the old Palatine Hotel building (1840's?) which the council have demolished and are landscaping. Thank you for your valuable insights.🙂👍
Excellent video, as a Collyhurst lad in the late 1950s me and my mates used to follow the Irk from Queens Road bridge into Red Bank counting rats as we we went along!
Really enjoyed this mate, as a fellow mancunian from Salford I'm always intrigued by Manchester's history. It was me who got inside the train station and opened the metal door by the way lol keep up the great production
Amazing to see all that intricate brickwork, stone facing and paving that would never be seen again, the Vics sure had pride in their work unlike some of today's cobbled together pieces of "engineering". Thanks Martin and the "nameless" for giving us the privilege to see this. Loving all this history, I know more about underground Manchester than my own neck of the woods!!!! You must be nearing the end of your Irk/Irwell journey by now?????
Whenever one reads or hears an explanation as to what has become of salmonid fish populations and they mention "habitat loss" as a major problem, this is part of what the fisheries specialists are talking about. Terrific exploration, Martin! Thank you again for taking me along with you : ).
I came here from your latest Vid about the BRSA Club - funny enough @ 20:35 in this vid - you've inadvertently have shown the Entrance to the BRSA Club not knowing thatt in a future vid - you will be talking about it!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂
I have lived just to the west of Manchester for all of my 60 years. Most of the facts that you showcase in your videos were not known to me. Thank you for some fascinating insights into the hidden history of the city and its outlying districts. Maybe in a future video, you could travel a little west of the city, to Clifton Country Park. Where lies the remains of one of Englands earliest Collieries; The Wet Earth Colliery, where Engineer James Brindley made water flow uphill. I am in the process of watching all of your video's and enjoying them all.
Thanks Martin, for another outstanding vid that for some of us from the Manchester area find almost " moving" when you look at some of the old stills ( photos )..... it makes you realise the ever increasing pace of change. ( someone earlier, mentioned gas lamps in their street ...... these vids bring back so many memories that seem like yesterday. Our Grove in Reddish had a gas lamp until about 1959-60. when a lot of streets were still cobbled. At the bottom of our street was Craven Machine Tools, a big factory across the railway line. In winter the night sky was lit bright orange, as they poured molten iron in the foundary and a million sparks lit the darkness....... and now people can't live 2 minutes without their smartphones .... weird in'it, almost scary : S Cheers Roj
Hello , I live in the cereal city capital of the world where Post and Kellogg cereal reside. An that's just a little bit of our old history in our town among some other. I really enjoyed your videos thanks for sharing , Jim from Battle Creek Michigan 🇺🇸...
@@pattheplanter I agree there is other Kellogg plants around the world . the original Kellogg's cereal plant is from Battle Creek Michigan the founder was WK Kellogg he's actually buried in one of our cemeteries as well.
@@ballardja1972Mr. Kellogg had a comedy sketch done about him on the BBC children's comedy Horrible Histories - I have to tell you that is an honour that not everyone achieves:)
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Your coverage of the Mancurian history really deserve to be told to the general public in a TV series. Thumbs up from here, and keep up the good work!
Hi I'm really enjoyed watching this video link its soo good and educational and thanks for the trouble getting this showing people who wouldn't be aware of all the history of the canals and railway tunnels that you so bravely delve into with no fear. Well done and I look forward to seeing you again for more of your educational videos. Keep up the good work and be safe. John.
Manchester Library or whatever institute saving Manchester and nearby history, should have copies of this and other Martin videos... When RUclips is gone or some other reason these videos are gone (hopefully that will not ever happen) somewhere should have copies of well-done history videos... Huge thanks to Martin and the company/person who allows the access for this location.
hello to you martin our dear friend well that was a fantastic film you done well as you always do we were glued to the screen thank you so much and all the best to you and the people that gave you the access to the under ground water way loved it cheers from old trev and christine down in the south
Absolutely outstanding! The detail you go into is amazing. Using the sequential maps to visually explain the stages and development of the "cattle bridge" is brilliant. And delivered with the zeal and enthusiasm of a friend sitting in a pub just draws you right in. Your enthusiasm and passion are very contagious. How I would love tag along! Thanks.
Amazing opening, gutted can't watch at the moment but will be back later keep up the great work. update - Managed to watch at lunch time. Excellent, well documented. You sir, should be presenting documentaries on the BBC.
Important documentary work going on here, great effort particularly with the permissions. Takes time to build relationships to get this far. Well done.
Well done! Enough factual material to make it satisfying, and enough unanswered questions to keep it intriguing. The quality of your videos and editing has gone way up as well. Keep it up!
In the 1840s they would have rivitted the bridge like Blackpool Tower and Tower Bridge. I agree you have the right location for the Mills. But I think its a later replacement
The iron work looks like it may have been added during the construction of the station to reinforce the inner part, which looks very like the bridge in the drawing.
I would concur with Nick Lowe’s comment, the bridge in the photograph is also much higher, possibly lowered or rebuilt replacing the one in the photograph
To me the immense arches that exist throughout Manchester are as you have in effect said Urban Cathedrals. They are in their own way truly beautiful, and I am so looking forward to being in Manchester this coming year ,definitely want to meet . Maybe we can do some urban exploration. Thank you Martin.
Thank you for this. I have always felt a disconnection between the exit of the Station and the core of Manchester just across. Silly walk for the tourist but full of unseen history underneath. I expected that some day someone would talk about. Can you please do me a favour, can you please pin point the location as really was of the Peterloo massacre. One of the latest BBC documentaries has it on the other side of the station. My Manchunian late husband was not at all convinced and nor am I.
I am still reeling from you proving that "Cattle" bridge existing. I knew a bridge (I thought rickety bridge) existed from the map and that photo from Mcr. Library of the School mills. When you build a station the size of Manchester Victoria one tends to assume they would have cleared everything else out of the way first. Using Victoria I never appreciated it was still extant. I will now. It deserves to be more better well'known. Thank you once again for bringing it to light, literally as well as metaphorically. When you consider that sector of Mcr was particularly badly affected by the Christmas Blitz of '40, the I.R.A. bomb and the Arena bomb the station above must have protected it. I think because it was a right-of-way that status meant it had to be incorporated into Victoria. We tend to think of bridges now as ten a penny. But that wasn't the case. As we've seen from recent floods they were often swept away and were expensive to maintain and a lucrative source of income for the landowner. There are special laws, Riparian Laws, for the owners of river beds etc. With a growing population pre-railway and pre-refrigeration crops such as barley, cattle and poultry had to be raised close by, if not in shippons in the midst of dwellings. It's a kind of a Manchester that's ignored. We are so full of the industrial revolution the wealth and squalor that the day-to-day practicalities of eating, washing are passed over. The old Market Place and Exchange near Marks & Spencer under the Lords of the Manor the Mosleys' just couldn't cope with the rocketing population. St. Peter's Fields (Peterloo Massacre) must have been the home of cattle, ducks, pigs etc and other areas like it. I think the NQ area around Newton Street were small holdings until they were sold of in plots. They started to specialise and and move out of the traditional market place. The Apple market was facing the Cathedral on Fennel Street, the bird market on Withy Grove and Smithfield meat and produce market. If you just look at pictures from old photos the amount of horses in Mcr was extraordinary pulling carts etc. Where did they keep 'em? They were as common as cars. I think at London Road station there were 3,000 alone most kept in the undercroft. There were jobs, ostlers, grooms, carters just around horses alone. Can you imagine the smell of Mcr with all those shippons? I do think we are no longer indifferent to history and hope the Hunt's Bank Bridge area is tastefully opened up to to the public. Regards, Mark. 👍
@@EinkOLED Exactly, from Roman times to the present and his range of skills, musical, editing and drone-flying coupled to his obvious love and enthusiasm for history and his communication skills rolled up into one person is extraordinary. TV is mostly dull by comparison. To say he does it when he comes home from work is spellbinding. Just hope he doesn't put himself in danger which I am sure he takes all precautions. 🙂
@@EinkOLED it's nice to watch someone who has enthusiasm for what he does reminds me of how tv use to be as a child where you'd be watching something and the presenter would have the nack of keeping you glued to what they we're presenting watch a lot of exploring videos on RUclips and Martin is one of the best at what he does
A centuries-old wooden footbridge over a river buried underground - where else would you get to see that? I do feel it's a shame that Manchester has viewed its rivers as an inconvenience and culverted and cossetted them to the point that 'ordinary folk' can't even get near them; but then, it has created fascinating and mysterious places like this. Another great presentation with rare access to a special place. Martin, you never fail to impress. Thank you once again.
Great video Martin, you've definitely got no phobias like me of deep, dark water and dark tunnels ! As always very interesting and well produced, keep them coming !
Yes Martin the graphics, maps are vital even for Mancs so you can pinpoint where everything is and you do it superb. You'll be running out of rivers soon. 😉
528 comments so far and counting. I am absolutely not surprised, you are Amazing at what you do. You are so passionate and Love the work you do. You should give up your day job and Concentrate all your efforts on what you do best. Which is exploring the History of the unseen areas of Manchester. Which would otherwise be forgotten. Thank you for all your hard work from a Mancunian now living in Cyprus.
That cemetery was a mass grave for the workers who lived and died in the workhouse. It was just a case of chuck them in and cover them up ready for the next lot with no thought at all to dignity or hygiene. These people were viewed just like we treat cheap appliances now, chuck them out when they break and get a new one. I think the easiest way to get the orientation on where the mills were and the approach to the old station would be to find Cheetham Hill Road (called York Street on the old maps) and work it out from there as that's probably the only thing that is the same (the route anyway) now as it was then.
@@gilgammesh1 - That was the mentality from the start of the Industrial Revolution until the laws being changed to give worker's rights around the turn of the 20th century. They would have kids as young as 5 running through the machines and if they got hurt or killed, chuck them out on the street or in a mass grave. I am shocked that they even built a pauper's grave seeing as most were probably just dumped in the river.
@@handsolo1209 Yeah i remember learning in school as a lil kid about younguns in the mills etc. I think it's just the way you said it that really put it into perspective.
@@BestUserNameUK - Nothing official I would imagine. It was probably done as a PR thing to make the Factory owner look like a great and caring guy, so maybe there was a record of workers who died kept by the factory, but the graves were not marked. It was more like how you see garbage being dumped in a hole in the ground nowadays, just fill the hole and cover it for the next lot to go in, and it would only be surviving relatives who would probably even care or remember who was in there. The people in thos eplaces were supposed to be grateful for employment and a roof over their heads. They were totally disposable. This was the era where a "gentleman" could just kill the riff-raff if he felt like it.
The current utility bridge is a truss frame made of angle iron and flats . If wrought iron , it could be early to mid 1800s . If steel it would be 1870s or later and also ribited . Old photo shows older heavier wood structure with columns . Nice video , keep digging .
I'd agree with Montie. It is likely there were many versions of this bridge at that particular crossing, with the first and 16-17th C versions almost certainly being timber. The material of the current incarnation of the bridge appears to be a quite modern retrofit. Iron material for the original or even subsequent replacements wouldn't have been reliably available until the 19th C. If it were iron, I would expect to see much heftier looking sections and lots of rivets. The metal arch you are seeing now is likely a fairly modern 20th century vintage. Note at 15:28 what appears to me to be a modestly bolted splice in the top chord. There are also very few visible fasteners of any kind amongst all of those angles, indicating to me welds. Even 1920s-1940s structures would have had visible rivets. There must be something very useful/important inside the wooden enclosure that would warrant such a modern upgrade.
Nice one, Martin. Thanks to you, a lot of Mancunians have a greater understanding of what's under their feet. Us non Mancunians are completely and utterly fascinated. Thank you!
Great video so far... sure the rest will be great. At ~20:00 School Mills, assume you are talking about the lower of the two bridges in the picture? TY
The wooden footbridge on the map is on the Irwell (west) side of Schools Mills so it can't be the bridge in the photograph which is on the east side of the mills and is also rather too high. There is a much lower bridge on the photograph on the west side of the mills; for me that is the more likely candidate.
Mate you got balls, if i was down there i would turn that river in to a sewer, great vid its hard to imagine all that running under our citys: not to scary now watched it all, looks like a top adventure, do you have to get permission for that one?
I can imagine how scary it is down there. You can walk under the train station in Leeds which is above the underground river and it terrifies me at the magnitude of the river Aire every time.
When they rebuilt Vic station to the God awful format it is today, in the early 1990's, they dug into the old cemetery. They had a load of human remains including numerous skulls lined up along the edge of what is now platform 3. Unsure how they disposed of these bones, but there was a lot of em. The original station building is where the Traincrew messroom is now located. I could tell you some tales about what's gone in there over the years, and the characters that have frequented it 🤣
Martin Zero the remains were reinterred at Southern Cemetery on the 5th November 2010... check this interesting info out with a picture of the headstone: www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=556235.0
Thanks for more interesting history on Manchester's hidden rivers. I have a question that you may be able to answer, is there any significance in the fact that both of the rivers beginning with Ir?
Re photo @19:30: it appears to me that we see Phoenix Mills on the right, with School Mills jutting out into the river in the center. That would mean the footbridge on the map would be the lower, rickety one in the foreground. The more substantial timber structure appears to be originating from what looked like a rather wide vacant lot to the right of School Mills on the map - perhaps land reserved for that purpose? That doesn't take away from the importance of your footbridge; it has likely reserved a place of conveyance over a long period of time.
@@URTonemanclan sorry about the late reply (3 years lol) but the beams are to thin for a bird's nest and you can see how all the debris is bunched up in the center. And the birds must have some epic night vision to fly in that pitch black tunnel 🤣 also if you look at 15:28 on the right side of the screen you can see what looks like 2 white rags hanging down that's high water level debris in my book 👍🙂
I love the way you edit so that what you describe is backed up with maps and footage. I guess the stone walls and bridges makes more sense if we imagine the river when it was open.
I find it absolutely fascinating how much brick is hidden underneath Manchester! And the work involved, think of how many people had bread on the table because of this build. We have a dam about 2 km up the river from our house which was a big undertaking back in the 60s, it took years and caused a whole new town to come into existence (which also quickly became abandoned once the project was completed). I like to think that dam was a pretty big project, but it has to be miniscule compared to building a giant brick tunnel over a river. Great video as always! 👍
Right next to my old school - Chetham's or Chet's as we call it. Some students did get down there in the 70s! Optimus Prime, cattle bridge and those rooms that may have been offices and shops etc. There's a whole world down there. Walker's Croft etc was a rough old place back then, as was the whole area! A great vid once again, Martin! Thanks.
I believe you are correct about that bridge. During the industrial revolution it would have been reinforced with steel. Over the years the timbers would have been replaced. A bit like Triggers broom, same bridge, just all the materials have been replaced. Watching this in Australia and I should be on my way to work.
Fascinating yet a very foreboding location. A truly rare location very few will ever see in person. Another top brilliant video brought to you by the guru of historical places....Martin Zero.!!!!!!!!!!
What's another great video the quality of the of the workmen ship in the sewers is amazing what were built hundreds of years ago. Thanks look forward to your next video John Bailey of Leicester thank you
These videos are getting so good they must be unwittingly but deservingly forming part of Manchester's social history documentation for future generations. Let's hope that RUclips is around long enough for people to enjoy them for decades to come.
I agree Steve. Rarely do you read or see history being told so honestly and frankly about ordinary people and how they lived
Thanks very much Steve
Agreed! :)
Absolutely agree, its the comparison with the the old maps together with Martin's explanation of them that makes this so fascinating and valuable.
I absolutely agree, the research is top notch. Our underground heritage is largely poorly documented... people like Martin are awesome for documenting it. Pity the authorities tend to be at best ambivalent about such social historians :(
Watching Martin’s videos is better than most TV documentaries!
AGREE!
I was just thinking the same thing. Not just Martin's channel but so many urbex and history channels on here as well as technology, engineering, hobbies etc.
How lucky are we to have RUclips!?
It's like having thousands of little specialised documentaries every week.
I agree . Hello from Bakersfield California USA.
Absolutely, it's the only reason I keep the TV. I just open RUclips on it and watch on a big screen.
Worked with the company that owns the bridge, and they let me age test the wood, it came back 1680-1700, so its Very old but not Medieval.
Thanks do much Chrstopher we suggested dendro and guessed as a working hypothesis late 16's early 17's. If it made the early map it would be early 17's but how much earlier it has been there? 🤔 Much obliged. 🙂
Martin. On an earlier film, the Nico Ditch. Has anyone ever definitively dated it? 🤔 You'd think such an imposing edifice would have been verified by the Academics.
I imagine you're referring to wooden decking and not the metal truss supporting it ?
Thank you Mike. Yes the wood could have been recycled if it was in good condition I suppose. On "early" maps 1600's I think it shows three bridges. 1).Hunt's Bank, 2). Walker's Croft (the "Cattle Bridge") and Tanners Bridge (Ducie Street Bridge). The Embankment in front of the Cathedral was considerably lower and sloping to Hunts Bank Bridge. The original pathway is still there apparently but walled up at Fennel Street and kept when they built the Embankment you see now over it in the 1830's. It was really just that, a pathway, even in the 1830's and was a cause of major congestion especially when there was racing at nearby Kersal Moor, so much so they had to position constables on Hunts Bank Bridge. It wasn't the major bridge of today.
When George Stephenson built the first Victoria Station it was a one platform station and you had to cross the Walker's Croft Bridge which was still open to the elements, to get to it and to the old medieval Toad Lane (Todd Street).
Much obliged and thanks for your interest. 🙂👍
@@mdatkinson92 Thank you very much indeed Michael I never knew that about the typeface or the Cattling Station. Mcr. still had a cattle fair until the 1870's (was at Acresfield later St. Ann's Square from the 1200's to about 1820 then moved to Campfield until around 1870(?) and under the bridge that obscured George Stephenson's L&M bridge at Liverpool Road which they removed for the Ordsall Chord they found preserved cattle stalls under the removed bridge. Haven't heard what they've done with them.
Before refrigeration cattle must have been a major traffic. I am not sure but I think there was a cattle yard or cattle yards at Cross Street, Salford. If Mcr's population increased to such a vast level in such a short time feeding such a population must have been a huge logistics exercise. A "shambler" is a butcher's bench where he cut carcasses and generally threw the unwanted bits in a convenient drain hence many towns have a "Shambles" a.k.a. "messy" place where butchery took place including Mcr.
Victoria and Exchange suffered damage during the Christmas '40 Blitz but shielded the bridge. Remarkable. I think the name Walker's Croft comes from Walke Mill a very early (1300's) fulling mill on the banks of the Irk at that site near the School you mention.
If you are aware of Victoria near the booking office is a door into the main building. Inside is a staircase and I went down a floor and was shown a metal landlocked (normally) door in a wall. Once opened there is a void. Just over the culvertrd Irk. I thought it was quite frightening it was pitch-black and the noise of the rushing river was loud.
I don't know if you are aware of it but there was a British Rail Staff Association Club under Todd Street at the front of the station. There are a number of rooms, including concert room actually under the street. The normal entrance was next to a barber's across the street near the steps down to Walkers Croft. The was an emergency entrance/exit in "Cigar Alley" some steps going down from concourse level near the public toilets.
Incidemtly I remember another Huge Railway building "Hunt's Bank" made of smoke-blackened stone that is where the Chetham's Stoller Hall Extension now is. It ran from Todd Street right the way down to the old Palatine Hotel building (1840's?) which the council have demolished and are landscaping.
Thank you for your valuable insights.🙂👍
Big thank you to whoever allowed you to make this video.
Thank you Leonard
Hoping it was not Boris Johnson
An Coats No he isn’t.
@@danielledewitt1 Well, he's probably good at *something*. Skiving?
Does that mean that you, Leonard Smith, are the guy to contact if I wanted to go down there too?
Another amazing video Martin well done your vids get better and better
Thanks very much Tom
Excellent video, as a Collyhurst lad in the late 1950s me and my mates used to follow the Irk from Queens Road bridge into Red Bank counting rats as we we went along!
Thanks to you know who you are for inviting Martin to have a look at another secret part of Manchester.
Thanks very much 👍
You could be a TV presenter on those Sky channels. Excellent explanations and connecting past and present locations. Belting.
Really enjoyed this mate, as a fellow mancunian from Salford I'm always intrigued by Manchester's history. It was me who got inside the train station and opened the metal door by the way lol keep up the great production
Thanks very much really appreciate it 👍
when you showed those old maps and photos to identify the bridge that was incredible! absolutely fascinating
Thanks very much
15:19 the river Irk certainly seems capable of filling the culvert.... great video martin! And yes, thank you whoever you are....
Yes Daniel scary to see where it may have gotten up to
All that quality Victorian brickwork hidden away for few to see, really would put a Redrow newbuild to shame. Great video as ever Martin.
It certainly would Darren and thank you
Amazing to see all that intricate brickwork, stone facing and paving that would never be seen again, the Vics sure had pride in their work unlike some of today's cobbled together pieces of "engineering". Thanks Martin and the "nameless" for giving us the privilege to see this. Loving all this history, I know more about underground Manchester than my own neck of the woods!!!! You must be nearing the end of your Irk/Irwell journey by now?????
Martin should be on the TV, hands down one of the most fascinating channels on RUclips.
Thanks very much Twiglet
Whenever one reads or hears an explanation as to what has become of salmonid fish populations and they mention "habitat loss" as a major problem, this is part of what the fisheries specialists are talking about. Terrific exploration, Martin! Thank you again for taking me along with you : ).
Thank you, yes unnatural river beds
I came here from your latest Vid about the BRSA Club - funny enough @ 20:35 in this vid - you've inadvertently have shown the Entrance to the BRSA Club not knowing thatt in a future vid - you will be talking about it!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂
I have lived just to the west of Manchester for all of my 60 years. Most of the facts that you showcase in your videos were not known to me.
Thank you for some fascinating insights into the hidden history of the city and its outlying districts.
Maybe in a future video, you could travel a little west of the city, to Clifton Country Park. Where lies the remains of one of Englands earliest Collieries; The Wet Earth Colliery, where Engineer James Brindley made water flow uphill.
I am in the process of watching all of your video's and enjoying them all.
Thank you Gary and yes I do want to go to wet earth
Thanks Martin, for another outstanding vid that for some of us from the Manchester area find almost " moving" when you look at some of the old stills ( photos )..... it makes you realise the ever increasing pace of change.
( someone earlier, mentioned gas lamps in their street ......
these vids bring back so many memories that seem like yesterday. Our Grove in Reddish had a gas lamp until about 1959-60. when a lot of streets were still cobbled. At the bottom of our street was Craven Machine Tools, a big factory across the railway line. In winter the night sky was lit bright orange, as they poured molten iron in the foundary and a million sparks lit the darkness....... and now people can't live 2 minutes without their smartphones .... weird in'it, almost scary : S
Cheers
Roj
Thank you, thats a great memory, very atmospheric
Hello , I live in the cereal city capital of the world where Post and Kellogg cereal reside. An that's just a little bit of our old history in our town among some other. I really enjoyed your videos thanks for sharing , Jim from Battle Creek Michigan 🇺🇸...
We have the Kellogg's factory on Barton Dock Road in Trafford Park in Manchester. Surely there can't be more than one? ;O)
Hello Jim many thanks for watching and best regards to Battle Creek Michigan 👍
@@pattheplanter I agree there is other Kellogg plants around the world . the original Kellogg's cereal plant is from Battle Creek Michigan the founder was WK Kellogg he's actually buried in one of our cemeteries as well.
@@pattheplanter That's the one with a picture of a big chicken on it isn't it? Or was I tripping when I saw that ?
@@ballardja1972Mr. Kellogg had a comedy sketch done about him on the BBC children's comedy Horrible Histories - I have to tell you that is an honour that not everyone achieves:)
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Your coverage of the Mancurian history really deserve to be told to the general public in a TV series. Thumbs up from here, and keep up the good work!
Thanks very much Anders 👍
Thank you so much for another fascinating video. I feel the bridge is an historic “Triggers broom”.
Am inclined to agree Craig 👍
Hi I'm really enjoyed watching this video link its soo good and educational and thanks for the trouble getting this showing people who wouldn't be aware of all the history of the canals and railway tunnels that you so bravely delve into with no fear. Well done and I look forward to seeing you again for more of your educational videos.
Keep up the good work and be safe.
John.
Thank you very much John. Glad you enjoyed 👍
Manchester Library or whatever institute saving Manchester and nearby history, should have copies of this and other Martin videos...
When RUclips is gone or some other reason these videos are gone (hopefully that will not ever happen) somewhere should have copies of well-done history videos...
Huge thanks to Martin and the company/person who allows the access for this location.
Agreed
Thank you. I have all the copies on a hard drive
All your hard work in this video much appreciated pal ! Eating flys and all that ....lol
I have a taste for Flys now 😃
hello to you martin our dear friend well that was a fantastic film you done well as you always do we were glued to the screen thank you so much and all the best to you and the people that gave you the access to the under ground water way loved it cheers from old trev and christine down in the south
Hello Trev and Christine many thanks to you both
Keep up the good work mate. You teach me things I love to learn and show me places that I can't go and how things use to be. Thank you.
Thanks very much Mikel
Cool.. That was brilliant, as usual and to top it off... A new word to add to my vocabulary..
"Squozen" 😂
Love the old cattle bridge mate
Cheers Gareth. yep its quite a sight
Absolutely outstanding! The detail you go into is amazing. Using the sequential maps to visually explain the stages and development of the "cattle bridge" is brilliant. And delivered with the zeal and enthusiasm of a friend sitting in a pub just draws you right in. Your enthusiasm and passion are very contagious. How I would love tag along! Thanks.
Thanks John. I was a bit obsessive over this one
.....now THAT was AMAZING! An excellently presented insite into the world underneath Manchester. LOVED WATCHING!
Thanks very much. I think its my favourite Culvert at the moment
Amazing opening, gutted can't watch at the moment but will be back later keep up the great work. update - Managed to watch at lunch time. Excellent, well documented. You sir, should be presenting documentaries on the BBC.
Feck them corrupt lot, He needs his own show lol!
Another fine video. I think Martin Zero is a natural presenter. Keep 'em coming.
Important documentary work going on here, great effort particularly with the permissions. Takes time to build relationships to get this far. Well done.
Thanks very much Simon
Well done! Enough factual material to make it satisfying, and enough unanswered questions to keep it intriguing. The quality of your videos and editing has gone way up as well. Keep it up!
Amazing access! Great video!!
The brickwork is stunning, especially the circle tunnels. So many old bridges left inside, just fascinating!
Yes I do love the brickwork
Your videos are making me want to visit Manchester and surrounds.
In the 1840s they would have rivitted the bridge like Blackpool Tower and Tower Bridge. I agree you have the right location for the Mills. But I think its a later replacement
Thanks Nick, yes I agree
The iron work looks like it may have been added during the construction of the station to reinforce the inner part, which looks very like the bridge in the drawing.
@@markmoz the station has evolved over the years I wonder if it was put in as a pipe bridge for the services.
I would concur with Nick Lowe’s comment, the bridge in the photograph is also much higher, possibly lowered or rebuilt replacing the one in the photograph
Very enjoyable explore Martin. Loved the bridge Mystery, and hope that someone can shed some more light on it.
Yeah me too, just not enough written about it
To me the immense arches that exist throughout Manchester are as you have in effect said Urban Cathedrals. They are in their own way truly beautiful, and I am so looking forward to being in Manchester this coming year ,definitely want to meet . Maybe we can do some urban exploration. Thank you Martin.
Thank you for this. I have always felt a disconnection between the exit of the Station and the core of Manchester just across. Silly walk for the tourist but full of unseen history underneath. I expected that some day someone would talk about.
Can you please do me a favour, can you please pin point the location as really was of the Peterloo massacre. One of the latest BBC documentaries has it on the other side of the station.
My Manchunian late husband was not at all convinced and nor am I.
Another cracking & interesting vid Martin your content just keeps getting better
Thank you Scotti
I am still reeling from you proving that "Cattle" bridge existing. I knew a bridge (I thought rickety bridge) existed from the map and that photo from Mcr. Library of the School mills. When you build a station the size of Manchester Victoria one tends to assume they would have cleared everything else out of the way first. Using Victoria I never appreciated it was still extant. I will now. It deserves to be more better well'known. Thank you once again for bringing it to light, literally as well as metaphorically. When you consider that sector of Mcr was particularly badly affected by the Christmas Blitz of '40, the I.R.A. bomb and the Arena bomb the station above must have protected it.
I think because it was a right-of-way that status meant it had to be incorporated into Victoria. We tend to think of bridges now as ten a penny. But that wasn't the case. As we've seen from recent floods they were often swept away and were expensive to maintain and a lucrative source of income for the landowner. There are special laws, Riparian Laws, for the owners of river beds etc.
With a growing population pre-railway and pre-refrigeration crops such as barley, cattle and poultry had to be raised close by, if not in shippons in the midst of dwellings. It's a kind of a Manchester that's ignored. We are so full of the industrial revolution the wealth and squalor that the day-to-day practicalities of eating, washing are passed over.
The old Market Place and Exchange near Marks & Spencer under the Lords of the Manor the Mosleys' just couldn't cope with the rocketing population. St. Peter's Fields (Peterloo Massacre) must have been the home of cattle, ducks, pigs etc and other areas like it. I think the NQ area around Newton Street were small holdings until they were sold of in plots.
They started to specialise and and move out of the traditional market place. The Apple market was facing the Cathedral on Fennel Street, the bird market on Withy Grove and Smithfield meat and produce market. If you just look at pictures from old photos the amount of horses in Mcr was extraordinary pulling carts etc. Where did they keep 'em? They were as common as cars. I think at London Road station there were 3,000 alone most kept in the undercroft. There were jobs, ostlers, grooms, carters just around horses alone. Can you imagine the smell of Mcr with all those shippons?
I do think we are no longer indifferent to history and hope the Hunt's Bank Bridge area is tastefully opened up to to the public.
Regards,
Mark. 👍
I can see the BBC or ITV contacting martin for an interview. Manchester has so much history and much of it is hidden.
@@EinkOLED Exactly, from Roman times to the present and his range of skills, musical, editing and drone-flying coupled to his obvious love and enthusiasm for history and his communication skills rolled up into one person is extraordinary. TV is mostly dull by comparison. To say he does it when he comes home from work is spellbinding. Just hope he doesn't put himself in danger which I am sure he takes all precautions. 🙂
@@EinkOLED it's nice to watch someone who has enthusiasm for what he does reminds me of how tv use to be as a child where you'd be watching something and the presenter would have the nack of keeping you glued to what they we're presenting watch a lot of exploring videos on RUclips and Martin is one of the best at what he does
Excellent and informative. Thank you.
Fantastic video love. The. Detail you go into is amazing
Thanks very much Nick. yeah I got right into it, always had a fascination with that area
Brilliant video. Thank you for providing the opportunity for viewers to see these amazing sites.
Thanks David
Such a treat to see a new video from you popping up! Especially when its title involves the words "underground" and "exploring" :-)
Ha 😀Thanks Julian
Wonderful. Such great content. Shame for all the trash everywhere. Thank you for your efforts in bringing us in these places.
Thank you very much
Wonderful atmospheric vid. Great research, love the informative maps. A great feeling of the wave of history. AND big spiders too, heroic!
A centuries-old wooden footbridge over a river buried underground - where else would you get to see that? I do feel it's a shame that Manchester has viewed its rivers as an inconvenience and culverted and cossetted them to the point that 'ordinary folk' can't even get near them; but then, it has created fascinating and mysterious places like this. Another great presentation with rare access to a special place. Martin, you never fail to impress. Thank you once again.
Thanks Jack and yes we do not prize the rivers in Manchester
Love your videos. So interesting and entertaining. Thank you!!
Thanks very much
Beautiful and immense engineering and architecture, such a pitty it hasn't been maintained
Great video Martin, you've definitely got no phobias like me of deep, dark water and dark tunnels ! As always very interesting and well produced, keep them coming !
Thanks Steve, I just get swept away with the current in these places 😀
Very good and interesting video as always Martin definitely should have your own tv program 👍👍
Thanks very much Jay
Nice one Martin all on ya tod great show
Thanks very much Jay
Yes Martin the graphics, maps are vital even for Mancs so you can pinpoint where everything is and you do it superb. You'll be running out of rivers soon. 😉
528 comments so far and counting.
I am absolutely not surprised, you are Amazing at what you do. You are so passionate and Love the work you do. You should give up your day job and Concentrate all your efforts on what you do best. Which is exploring the History of the unseen areas of Manchester. Which would otherwise be forgotten. Thank you for all your hard work from a Mancunian now living in Cyprus.
Thanks very much. Unfortunately RUclips doesn’t pay all the bills 👍
That cemetery was a mass grave for the workers who lived and died in the workhouse. It was just a case of chuck them in and cover them up ready for the next lot with no thought at all to dignity or hygiene. These people were viewed just like we treat cheap appliances now, chuck them out when they break and get a new one.
I think the easiest way to get the orientation on where the mills were and the approach to the old station would be to find Cheetham Hill Road (called York Street on the old maps) and work it out from there as that's probably the only thing that is the same (the route anyway) now as it was then.
Damn thats sad.
@@gilgammesh1 - That was the mentality from the start of the Industrial Revolution until the laws being changed to give worker's rights around the turn of the 20th century. They would have kids as young as 5 running through the machines and if they got hurt or killed, chuck them out on the street or in a mass grave. I am shocked that they even built a pauper's grave seeing as most were probably just dumped in the river.
@@handsolo1209 Yeah i remember learning in school as a lil kid about younguns in the mills etc. I think it's just the way you said it that really put it into perspective.
I guess there'd be no burial records then?
@@BestUserNameUK - Nothing official I would imagine. It was probably done as a PR thing to make the Factory owner look like a great and caring guy, so maybe there was a record of workers who died kept by the factory, but the graves were not marked. It was more like how you see garbage being dumped in a hole in the ground nowadays, just fill the hole and cover it for the next lot to go in, and it would only be surviving relatives who would probably even care or remember who was in there. The people in thos eplaces were supposed to be grateful for employment and a roof over their heads. They were totally disposable. This was the era where a "gentleman" could just kill the riff-raff if he felt like it.
Supposition or not, I'll accept your opinion, excellent video 👍👍👍👍
Thank you, I do hope I have it correct
Great video Martin, really enjoyed it. Hope you do some more similar one's in the future.
Thanks David, hope so
That auld cattle bridge is Amazin & in great nick,,keep up the good work Martin,👍
Cheers Ste
The current utility bridge is a truss frame made of angle iron and flats . If wrought iron , it could be early to mid 1800s . If steel it would be 1870s or later and also ribited . Old photo shows older heavier wood structure with columns . Nice video , keep digging .
I'd agree with Montie. It is likely there were many versions of this bridge at that particular crossing, with the first and 16-17th C versions almost certainly being timber. The material of the current incarnation of the bridge appears to be a quite modern retrofit. Iron material for the original or even subsequent replacements wouldn't have been reliably available until the 19th C. If it were iron, I would expect to see much heftier looking sections and lots of rivets. The metal arch you are seeing now is likely a fairly modern 20th century vintage. Note at 15:28 what appears to me to be a modestly bolted splice in the top chord. There are also very few visible fasteners of any kind amongst all of those angles, indicating to me welds. Even 1920s-1940s structures would have had visible rivets. There must be something very useful/important inside the wooden enclosure that would warrant such a modern upgrade.
Grant Hauber I
Nice one, Martin. Thanks to you, a lot of Mancunians have a greater understanding of what's under their feet. Us non Mancunians are completely and utterly fascinated. Thank you!
Thanks very much Brian
Thank you Martin for another fantastic video, love the amount of information that you put into your videos, keep up the excellent work :)
Thanks very much Tim
@@MartinZero you're very welcome mate 👌🏽
OMG...I was panicking for you down there. Brilliant..... thank you and anyone else concerned.
Thanks very much, wasnt too bad, stayed away from the deep bits
Great video so far... sure the rest will be great. At ~20:00 School Mills, assume you are talking about the lower of the two bridges in the picture? TY
I dunno am still confused 😃
@@MartinZero maybe im foccused on the higher bridge? Be good t ýo
I think that it is the lower bridge as the angled stretcher support beams are resting on stone corbels as seen existing in the culvert today.
Completely overwhelming. That wooden bridge inside... thank you!
GR8 M8 THANK YOU REGRARDS FROM CYPRUS
Thank you and best regards to Cyprus
Great Martin,we going at some point to have alook.stay safe mate.
The wooden footbridge on the map is on the Irwell (west) side of Schools Mills so it can't be the bridge in the photograph which is on the east side of the mills and is also rather too high. There is a much lower bridge on the photograph on the west side of the mills; for me that is the more likely candidate.
I thought the bridge you are talking about was the bridge he was talking about.
Yes revered to the right bottom of mill bridge
One man, 2 wellies all enjoying another Manchester hole, brilliant video!
Thank you, indeed, have wellies will explore 😀
Mate you got balls, if i was down there i would turn that river in to a sewer, great vid its hard to imagine all that running under our citys: not to scary now watched it all, looks like a top adventure, do you have to get permission for that one?
Turn the river into a sewer, nice one 😆Its complicated 😉
I can imagine how scary it is down there. You can walk under the train station in Leeds which is above the underground river and it terrifies me at the magnitude of the river Aire every time.
Yeah have to admit, it was scary
When they rebuilt Vic station to the God awful format it is today, in the early 1990's, they dug into the old cemetery. They had a load of human remains including numerous skulls lined up along the edge of what is now platform 3. Unsure how they disposed of these bones, but there was a lot of em.
The original station building is where the Traincrew messroom is now located. I could tell you some tales about what's gone in there over the years, and the characters that have frequented it 🤣
Wow I wish I had seen those remains
Martin Zero the remains were reinterred at Southern Cemetery on the 5th November 2010... check this interesting info out with a picture of the headstone: www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=556235.0
Pippin Wilson j
Great Video weird brickwork superb
great vid, but one spider i`d be gone.
I almost was, and thanks 😆
I would be scared of rats
Your video skills and explanations are 10 out of 10 sir, music is awesome too
Thanks very much
Thanks for more interesting history on Manchester's hidden rivers.
I have a question that you may be able to answer, is there any significance in the fact that both of the rivers beginning with Ir?
You got me there Roy, good point though
Re photo @19:30: it appears to me that we see Phoenix Mills on the right, with School Mills jutting out into the river in the center. That would mean the footbridge on the map would be the lower, rickety one in the foreground. The more substantial timber structure appears to be originating from what looked like a rather wide vacant lot to the right of School Mills on the map - perhaps land reserved for that purpose? That doesn't take away from the importance of your footbridge; it has likely reserved a place of conveyance over a long period of time.
Yes possibly Grant, good observations. I am still baffled by it all
I'm surprised I didn't see you! :D... always wondered about this one being so close.
Do you hang out down there Gary 😀
@@MartinZero I live nearby :P
Enjoyable and informative. Thanks for the content.
30 mins on youtube well spent for once...
Thanks Georgie
Awesome video, and I'm glad im not the only one who still calls it the Manchester evening news arena:)
Could be worse could call it Nynex arena 😀
Or some merchandise, hoodies t-shirts stickers etc.
Martin amazing videos! please keep it up. You deserve 100 times more subscribers! Im spreading the word of your channel mate
Thank you very much Stephen. really appreciate it
Jesus look how high the water level has been in the past 15:19
lol I said the same thing at the same time...
Yeah scary
I initially thought the same but looking closer isn’t it just a birds nest?
@@paulcharlton4788 If the debris were not strewn along the cross members I would think it was a nest too... but you might be right
@@URTonemanclan sorry about the late reply (3 years lol) but the beams are to thin for a bird's nest and you can see how all the debris is bunched up in the center. And the birds must have some epic night vision to fly in that pitch black tunnel 🤣 also if you look at 15:28 on the right side of the screen you can see what looks like 2 white rags hanging down that's high water level debris in my book 👍🙂
Utterly fascinating mate. You don’t half get to some places. Great work buddy 👍
Thank you, yes I was pleased getting in there
I love the way you edit so that what you describe is backed up with maps and footage. I guess the stone walls and bridges makes more sense if we imagine the river when it was open.
Cheers thank you
Fascinating! Love this guy's accent!
I find it absolutely fascinating how much brick is hidden underneath Manchester! And the work involved, think of how many people had bread on the table because of this build.
We have a dam about 2 km up the river from our house which was a big undertaking back in the 60s, it took years and caused a whole new town to come into existence (which also quickly became abandoned once the project was completed). I like to think that dam was a pretty big project, but it has to be miniscule compared to building a giant brick tunnel over a river.
Great video as always! 👍
Its incredible isnt it !!!
As always fascinating urban history.
Thanks Tim
Brilliant video Martin. Very interesting indeed. Loving your music too. Very blade runner esque. Brilliant work.
Thanks Kenny, yes it was a bit blade runner 😃
The videos get better and better. Well done pal.
Thanks very much
Right next to my old school - Chetham's or Chet's as we call it. Some students did get down there in the 70s! Optimus Prime, cattle bridge and those rooms that may have been offices and shops etc. There's a whole world down there. Walker's Croft etc was a rough old place back then, as was the whole area! A great vid once again, Martin! Thanks.
I believe you are correct about that bridge. During the industrial revolution it would have been reinforced with steel. Over the years the timbers would have been replaced. A bit like Triggers broom, same bridge, just all the materials have been replaced. Watching this in Australia and I should be on my way to work.
We need him here in Australia to do ours..im from Adelaide ✌
Thanks and I agree, quick get to work 😆
I'm always amazed with the information and adventure in each of Martins video documentaries, very good entertainment.
Fascinating yet a very foreboding location. A truly rare location very few will ever see in person. Another top brilliant video brought to you by the guru of historical places....Martin Zero.!!!!!!!!!!
Yet again Martin, you have smashed it out of the park. Thanks again
Thanks very much
Brilliant as usual. Well done yet again. Great to watch.
Thanks Rob
What's another great video the quality of the of the workmen ship in the sewers is amazing what were built hundreds of years ago. Thanks look forward to your next video John Bailey of Leicester thank you
Hi John, yes I do love a good sewer and the brickwork is often brilliant
Very good and interesting video again! Thanks!
Thank you Flo
Another great upload. Better than watching TV
Thank you Paul
Brilliant Martin 👍Thank you.
Thanks very much Ian