Williamson’s Tunnels, Liverpool - September 2017

Mr Blacksnake invited us to take a look at his hole, so Tbolt and myself promptly got our helmets out and headed off to Liverpool.

We had been invited to visit the seldom seen tunnels at Paddington and under what remains of Williamson's house (not to be confused with the Williamson's Tunnels Heritage Centre).

Williamson was a business man in the 1800s and he paid his team of workers to dig vast tunnels and caverns under the city of Liverpool. Nobody knows why, theories range from loon to nothing more philanthropy in providing training and work to the unemployed in the local area.

No map has every been found of the labyrinth, many areas have been destroyed and surviving tunnels and caverns are filled with rubble over the years.

Our hosts for the afternoon are a gang of dedicated volunteers known as the Friends of Williamson's Tunnels, who have slowly by hand and bucket by bucket excavated the tunnels. Funded only by donations the work they have done is totally staggering, as are the size of the tunnels and chambers.

An excellent time was had by all at this ongoing and potentially vast excavation going on under Liverpool. Thank you to Blacksnake and

10/10

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Croda Chemicals, Bromborough - February 2016

We visited Croda Chemicals over in Bromborough back in December 2015, a sprawling site of an industrial chemical plant, administration blocks and workshops, an excellent mooch was had by all.

February 2016 and Blober fancied a trip up into England for a look see, we joined Blober for some Mersey derp, being myself, Tbolt and Blacksnake.

Arriving on site most of the buildings had been demolished and we found contractors undertaking "extra curricular activities" for a bit of extra pocket money. It's amazing how health and safety goes out the window when contractors think no one is watching.











Still rather good, although somewhat smaller 7/10 and disappearing very fast.

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Sherdley Remec, St Helens - July 2014

We visited a place of zombies and finding it zombie free it was sadly found to be gathering paintballers at a rapid pace. We made our excuses and left.

Scratching our heads we decided to make the short drive on to St. Helens, one party member down at this point I should add. It turns out you either love St. Helens or don't and our honorable chap voted with his feet, despite my protesting that you can't really write off a whole town.

Apparently you can....

Well Sherdley Remec, what can you say about this place other than it was derp in 2011 and it hasn't improved with age and is a real blight on the landscape.

With cars parking up and gentlemen wandering onto site every so often its either a gay cruising area or drug drop off area, something was a miss.

 

 

 







 


Overly Ripe 3/10 -  with no drugs found or sexual favours offered nor accepted.

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Bromborough Power Station - April 2013

A rare venture for myself into Merseyside, the relatively short journey down the East Lancs Road to Liverpool and beyond is not a trip I've made many times in my life. In fact this was my first trip ever under the River Mersey into Birkenhead, Port Sunlight and Bromborough.

Although thinking about it I did once take a ferry across the Mersey and they kept playing that bloody song on a loop - I think I've tried to mentally block the memories of that day.

On this not so fine day I find myself in the company of fellow explorer Urban Spaceman and the new boy to our crew, the ever wordy Tin Dog.

Bromborough Power Station, well what can we say except that sadly there is not very much left other than its got this very lovely control room which reminds me of a 1970s jigsaw I once owned as a kid, Jon Pertwee, Doctor Who.

As I say not much left, this is the old switch room for the now demolished power station originally build for the Lever Bros industrial hub in and around the Port Sunlight and Bromborough area of Merseyside.

So not very much to look at on the outside...

 

But once inside, a nice little gem.



With a Homer Simpson, oh you don't see it ? 

 

You can almost imagine the scene in the 70's, the big control desk buzzing away and some guy with his feet up between the dials. Bored shitless and chain smoking his head off, with the room filled with the stale smoke from his Benson & Hedges full fat - possibly with a large mug of coffee or perhaps over stewed tea carefully nestled on a pile of dog eared Mayfair, Penthouse or similar gentlemen's magazine. This was the 70's, it was bleak and newsagents still sold The Sun, this was Merseyside, as a bonus for any any hard working Scouser you could even see the Mersey from the window. This is my memory of most places of industry in the 1970s as now reinforced by watching Life on Mars a few times too many, except I came from Bolton with no Mersey just the mere trickle of a river, The Croal.

 

 







 

Small, compact, rewarding -  I rather liked this place.