Manchester Victoria Arches

Victoria Arches, Manchester - or as it is sometimes known Cathedral Steps is a place of legend that lies beneath Manchester City Centre.

Built in 1838 into the embankment of the River Irwell, this former business area for the steam packet boats closed in 1906. Later converted to air raid shelters during World War 2, the shelters held 1,619 people.

Today blink and you will miss it, but underground it is vast.

Tbolt had mentioned he wanted a visit to Lavino and a few days later Lavino had somehow magicked up a visit with a rather nice party from 28DL, now these folk have a reputation and once again I can confirm the reputation was totally unfounded, a group of spiffing fine gentlemen.

Paradox, Stanton, GK_Wax, Acid-Reflux, Vulex, Tom, Lavino, Tbolt and myself gathered with a jolly nice chap from Sheffield to meet our guides for the evening Mr and Mrs Bigjobs. Coolboyslim lingered in the shadows in case any bodies needed to be pulled from the river and identified.

Bottom line, Manchester's Victoria Arches is fascinating but in truth it is all about the company your with, the team work, the effort you have to put in just to get out and the "fuck me I've done it" feeling you get after you finally do get out. 10/10.

A big thank to all and most importantly to Mr and Mrs Bigjob for their time and patience.

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Soda Straw Railway Tunnels - September 2015

"You need Wellies" read the text from Tbolt, "Blacksnake is taking us out, green Wellies are the ones to be seen in".

A cryptic text, I've not worn Wellies since about age nine and then always black, green was a game changer.

£10 lighter in my wallet, I was rather proud of my new green Wellies and so we set off to meet our learned host for the day, Mr Blacksnake - a gentleman and a scholar.



To walk the length of a city, beneath the city, in darkness that ate the light of torches was genuinely enchanting with deafening silence only interrupted in parts by the sound of an overhead rail line.

This was lost Victorian civil engineering at its greatest.



And so boys will be boys and wire wool play was the order of the day - with Tbolt wandering into the murky waters.





and onto the the soda straws





So onto the scores on the doors, 8/10 with a top up to 10/10 for Blacksnakes knowledge and history insights.

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