Arkwright Town - The Railway Culvert & the Shafts of Doom

Please watch: "The Most Beautiful Closed Railway in the UK? Scarborough to Whitby Railway Episode 2"
• The Most Beautiful Clo... -~-
Arkwright Town - The Railway Culvert & the Shafts of Doom
Join me on my third & final trip to Arkwright Town in Derbyshire.
This time we sign off from this historical location with a lovely low brick culvert that heads beneath the former Great Central Railway just beside the former Arkwright Colliery.
Once through i attempt to get upon the former trackbed, although quite difficult too.
Next up its a look at an old survivor of the coal industry, a remnent of days gone by.
A former pumphouse located beside a former opencast coal site.....
But what is inside? Its a little freaky i guess..... All the more scary could be the one outside of the pumphouse.....
Would you like to help support my Channel? Hit the link to find out how: / @trekkingexploration
Buy me a Coffee at ko-fi.com/trekkingexploration
PayPal at paypal.me/trekkingtowpaths?co...
Follow me on Facebook at / trekkingexploration
Twitter at / trekexploration
Instagram at / trekkingexploration
Join me on Patreon - / trekkingandtowpaths
#arkwright #town #derbyshire #culvert Additional Music by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au

[@grahamcarr5788]

Another great video Ant covering our industrial heritage. As a former miner and photographer for the Coal Board I’ve seen this many times and the shafts you located are probably pumping shafts for removal of excess water from the mine workings,however,the depth of the shafts will be far greater than that of the level of the water seen in the vlog. I am not an expert on this area of coal mining so I don’t know the depth of the seams they where working but as a best guess I would say that the shafts are at least 10 times deeper than what you saw at the water level. Sites like this are normally capped off to protect the public but in this case oops😩 Hope this helps 👍

[@A_p_T53040]

I agree, I think the shafts are flooded to the water table which after the heavy rain will be very high. Judging by facts on the mines around there you're looking at 300-400ft deep if a pump house.

[@dacco2]

Great edition Ant. I would guess those shafts, although now full of water, would certainly wind their way down to the deepest levels of the workings. Did a quick search for info on that pit. Ceased production 1988 and from what I can find the coal seam was about 225 yards down, so 650 ft/205mtrs. Keep safe mate.

[@briantheminer]

Just found them, 97m deep, very old, predates Arkwright pit

[@alexcharlesworth7580]

Those shafts were earily fascinating. Loved the culvert too. Still in lovely condition too. The Victorians took such pride in what they built, even decorative striped brickwork in a culvert that most people wouldn't even take a second look at... Great vid.

[@jungsomewhat]

Labour was cheap, so was life.😬

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

@@jungsomewhat still is cheap

[@kevinweston486]

Very interesting Ant, although slightly disconcerting. I live in Derbyshire and the state of those shafts reminds me of an incident when I was a boy. There was an old coal mine shaft located in the woods near to where I lived; it was surrounded with stonework walls, but open at the top. I went up there one day to find that three boys, all brothers who lived nearby, had demolished a large chunk of the stonework to make an access into the shaft. There were a couple of angle irons crossing the top of the shaft at right angles, but apart from that it was completely open. These kids were walking across the angle irons as if on a tightrope. They were made of much sterner stuff than me and it frightened me to death to be honest. I can see something similar happening above these shafts; the landowner or whoever owns them should make them safe before a tragedy occurs.

[@margaretsmallallan28]

I cannot stop chuckling about you slipping in the burn (stream) and the huge spider's web "attacking" your face! I am an elderly Scottish widow and greatly appreciate your videos. They are so well done.

[@sc3pt1c4L]

What an impressively long shaft.

[@jetsons101]

Nice how the workers put such craftsmanship in the detail work of the culvert knowing that just about nobody would ever see it. Ant, I know that's not the first time you walked into a spider web, falling in the water is part of the charm of the explore. The main job of a fence is to give the explorer something to climb over. You are so lucky to live where one walks out the front door and is surrounded by history. Thanks for your time and hard work.....

[@tallpojjy]

This was brilliant, I really enjoyed this edition! Thanks for posting it, brave man in the culvert!!

[@TrekkingExploration]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you very much 🙂

[@nickboden5866]

Your music is superb, extremely atmospheric

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thanks for the additional trip today. Always an interesting trip to go with you on. Enjoy the week ahead. Cheers Ant. See you on the next!😊

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Martin. I'll see you back in Ladybower Reservoir at the weekend if not before 😉

[@robhill4566]

Great vid as always, thank you. Was rather interested in those shafts so did a quick search to see what I could find. I believe theyt are the Adelphi or Duckmantion Iron Works pit. If you look on Nation Library of Scotland side by side viewer with the OS 25 Inch, 1892 - 1914 map you can see Old Coal Pits listed in that location. Googling Duckmanton Iron Worrks the first link I got at the Old Miner website shows photos of that site. The site mentions that the shafts are at least 100ft deep and could go down to 319ft. Also mentions that the mine possibly had a Cornish type beam engine and the men asscending and decended the shaft riding the beam. They would leap on and off into refuges in the shaft. I wonder if we can see one of the refuges at the 16:22 mark on the right of the shaft?

[@mickd6942]

The drainage channel in the floor is actually a cable duct and would have been covered but accessible

[@bobingram6912]

Well, (sorry, crap humour) that was an adventure and a half, eight wheelers in the face, a soggy arse and how deep is the water in those shafts - glad it were you and not me😵‍💫 Great vid Ant.👍👍👍👍

[@petemee2876]

Brilliant film, love the old industrial remains. Reminds me of my mining days in the 70s. Worryingly there’s still some dangerous stuff out there that needs to be sorted. When I was a kid we’d be all over that.

[@railwaychristina3192]

Fantastic, thank you

[@exileinderby51]

Good God Ant, the depth of those shafts made me shudder, but I may have too much imagination! loved the rest of your explore though.

[@TrekkingExploration]

I was very surprised to find them and that one outside just fenced off with temporary panels and tie wraps 😮

[@chaddamp2894]

Again ,thanks for a great post !!

[@pit_stop77]

Gives me the heebee jeebees just looking down those shafts and I'm not even there 🙈🙈🙈🙈😱😱😱

[@TrekkingExploration]

I was very surprised to find them 😮

[@leanneh5293]

Another fab explore Ant!!

[@michaelhollingworth1536]

Pure history discovered,well done,brilliant.

[@fhwolthuis]

Thanks Ant, for another gem of a video🙏😀

[@peterthornton2396]

Love these old relics, showing what our country once was. Love your sense of adventure pal

[@TrekkingExploration]

Brilliant Peter thank you

[@damedavidfrith55]

Thanks for another cracking vlog very interesting 🎉

[@jacksonoaj]

Hi my dad worked at arkwright pit, he passed away at the young age of 61, after spending 7 years of suffering from emphysema, I'm so drawn to the history of the pit, as I know it was a relief pit from markham I think, but we went through the strike as a family in 84, would love to find some old photos etc

[@DesigntowinLew]

You never fail to come up with the goods Ant , totally fascinating vid . Stunning calvert in amazing condition , things were built to last then . The shafts bring up more questions than answers , would be fascinating to get more info on them as to depth .

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

Another amazing video in this series of three, Ant. You did well to go through that culvert under the GC line, but it mustn't have been too pleasant to encounter that spider's web in the process. The pumping house was a real good discovery, and those shafts looked quite scary. I bet they were much deeper at one time. Many thanks for doing this great production.

[@simonrichardson5077]

great work Ant,thank you

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thank you very much Simon

[@chrisbayly5457]

Excellent video Ant

[@xboxcrazee]

Im trying to make a “wall crawler” to lower down a shaft near our garden reportedly to be up to 300 feet deep. Just gotta make a design so that it sits against the side wall going down and isnt too heavy as once 300 feet of rope is reeled out it will be quite hefty. With 2 gopros and lights on it also. Great vid btw 😀😀👍

[@shirleylynch7529]

Absolutely fabulous explore Ant. Brilliant filming. Amazing stuff. Thank you Ant.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thank you very much Shirley much appreciated 🙂🙂

[@brianfern5474]

Just up from the pump house was th site of the adelphi ironworks Brilliant video Ant, I grew up at Long Duckmanton, enjoyed your exploration of the GCR & LDECR too, i remember seeing coal trains from Arkwright Station up towards longcourse lane bridge, used as a headshunt back in the 60s

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

Fascinating, this old industrial stuff makes for compelling viewing. Those shafts really did go to the depths of the earth by the looks of it, I'm pleased you didn't attempt to get too close to the fenced off one, I fear we wouldn't have seen you again!!! Nice bit of GCR too.

[@lilchris26]

Thanks for another good video about the area, take it easy with the spiders webs.....Chris

[@iantwigg6983]

Excellent video yet again and the two pits made me shudder and bring back memories of when I went and visited the Aspull pumping pit earlier this year (I live near it) that Martin Zero videoed as part of his video on the great Haigh sough. They go down a bloody long way too! 😱

[@ahaveland]

I grew up in Blackrod and spent a lot of that childhood exploring the area 50 years ago. Found a few old pits which looked like large brick cylinders - we could climb them with a leg up and they were open at the top so you could look, or even fall down. Seemed to be hundreds of feet deep and you could see a small circle of light reflected off the water below. Could see a few side shafts and I still remember the unmistakable smell of coal gases. Don't know if they are still there or have been filled in or covered up, but I did look for the legendary old swing at Arley Woods when I went back to UK last year for a visit. That attracted kids from miles around half a century ago! There's even a culvert that goes under the canal.... Maybe next time!

[@ste.h9825]

Thanks.Darren.

[@2010ditta]

Amazing find. Very enjoyable look around. Lovely music too.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Tim 🙂

[@janetdods71]

Wow what an amazing find I laughed at the point where you ran into some cobwebs what another great video Hun x

[@TrekkingExploration]

Ha that bloody web.... thats never happened before ha ha! Thank you Jan x

[@janepatricia8779]

What a find,Ant,amazing, but take care around those deep holes,😯,x

[@georgesmith8113]

Enjoyed that. Beautiful old culvert and interesting pump works. Great work! 👍👍👍👊😎

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much George 🙂

[@lenasjogren7912]

Hi nice video with lott of information on this place take care of you out there and thank for the video you have created have a good life my friend 😁 😁 👍 🙏

[@Rockthecasbah3535]

Excellent Video Ant.Wow Those are certainly shafts of doom😮 You fall down there you ain't coming out alive☠️

[@michaeldibb]

17:00 Using the formula, distance = 0.5 * g * t^2 you can calculate the depth of the shaft. if it took 2 seconds for the brick to drop then it's 0.5 x 9.81(gravity) x 2^2 = 19 metres or 62 feet. Good explore, thanks for sharing.

[@mcmarky1985]

Excellent video as always did laugh at the cobweb bit (sorry!) that looked very unexpected! 🤣

[@alanjewell9550]

Wow, what an amazing find. Very rare to find an open colliery shaft as the Coal Authority usually cap them. The building is effectively a steel headstock, with brick infilling, to hoist pumps, pipes etc in the shaft. I don't know how close this is to the new village but flooded mines are being used very successfully for ground source heat pumps & having shafts open is asking to be redeveloped.

[@heathermorley6074]

Not far from my neck of the woods but have never explored there. Driven past there hundreds of times . Brick colours in the tunnel are beautiful . Thanks for this explore & tackling the spiders 🤣🤣

[@TrekkingExploration]

Bloody spiders 🤣 I didn't need lunch after that 🤣

[@TheGreatest1974]

Superb video mate. You’re good at this. 👍

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thankyou very much :)

[@wonkdonk3844]

WELL! that was interesting!

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much for watching 🙂

[@chrismarshall3972]

Living in Chesterfield , with family in Inkersall about maybe 2 mile from there, I've walked the GC many times via the "new" alignment to Arkwright Colliery and the surrounding area but never been to that pumping station. I can remember as a child class 20s and 47s on the Arkwright branch bobbing up and down due to subsidence.

[@michaelwhite1723]

Another interesting video mate, I'm sure I saw a video of a railway tunnel near there

[@JohnnyX50]

You beauty! I'm glad you did the culvert :) Absolutely love your videos. You take me to places I'd love to go, but I can not drive so I have no hope of seeing these places. I live in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and some of these places are so close yet so far away for me. Thank you so much! Yes my reaction would be the same to walk into a cob web, horrible fat fly eaters lol x

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Johnny. Always open to suggestions if you know places locally. I don't drive either 🙂

[@MrJoffster]

Brilliant video and the spiderweb incident was comedy gold and those shafts WOW you would not want to fall down them maybe a go pro on a long rope in down one of the shafts inside the building would be Brilliant especially to.see how deep they go top work fella 👏

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thank you very much. That bloody Web 🤣🤣🤣 Those shafts were deeper than the camera showed. Thank you for watching 🙂

[@daystatesniper01]

Superb exploer the first one of the capped shafts didn't have water in iy God knows how deep that went ,we have two in my local village ex mining village and Yorkshire water has a pumping station there ,it is 600 meteres deep .

[@Xantec]

love the music at 11:30 very atmospheric

[@Milkybar3320011]

I have a 10m camera pole that you could happily borrow. Would make a great video addition to seeing what’s down the hole. Very interesting video too

[@owenyowenface]

Arkwright Town is interesting not only for the moving of the village,the ironworks which pre-date the railways,but also the colliery which in its final year was fed by the former Great Central rather than the original former LDECR line.It's this curve you see today,and the reason why few people realise the Great Central Railway bridge over the LDECR minus it's girder,is still in place.Duckmanton Tunnel East Portal is still viewable but was filled by Arkwright Town spoil heap rubble,using a coal conveyerbelt layed onto the lifted trackbed.This now forms the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve.

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

well done, the 'pumping house' might have a few more secrets, almost as if it was sitting on top of a mine shaft and another in the back yard, like the culvert brickwork, they were seriously good builders back in the day

[@briantheminer]

It is sitting on shafts, quite literally

[@rocketmantakeoff]

Gr8 video as usual. I found the name of the pit that those shafts were from. It was the Adelphi pit.

[@benGBRf]

Your persistence is appreciated Ant. Even the spiders 🕷 didn't stop you 🤣

[@TrekkingExploration]

Spiders and a wet bum 🤣

[@briantheminer]

The very deep hole is where it’s marked as “shaft disused” to the left of the opencast, it’s the old Ironworks Colliery, way before Arkwright pit, I’ll find more details for you soon Depths are 319 feet, or 106 yards, 97m, don’t go falling in I’m surprised the coal authority hasn’t filled or capped them properly

[@michael42158]

Great archaeology Ant. I think you should get yourself a hard hat! COYR!

[@PhilipKerry]

I went to Junior School in the old Arkwright Town Village , I lived nearby at Calow :)

[@stevelomax4332]

Use a fishing rod to manoeuvre a go-pro over the hole and then lower and retrieve it. You can also use the same method to measure depths using lead weights. I use the fishing rod method for magnet fishing in locks and other hard to reach locations.

[@kimbenson2920]

Been enjoying catching up with your vids, Ant. Looking forward to having an explore around Nottingham myself, when I arrive Wed (tomorrow). Very exciting. I hope the weather holds. Lovely camera work, as always. And full of interesting info. Cheero. Kim 🤓

[@TrekkingExploration]

Oh amazing how long are you here for?

[@kimbenson2920]

@@TrekkingExploration 8 days! Hoping to do a bit of info gathering with a view to moving. But who knows. Also looking to put my tablet to use and do some sketching. Not used tech much for that sort of thing. But I decided I am not a camel, and hoisting paints, etc, around is getting beyond me.

[@TrekkingExploration]

@@kimbenson2920 well maybe I'll bump into you 😉

[@kimbenson2920]

@@TrekkingExploration that would be a most welcome event 👍

[@greg5639]

There's a video on NCB Exploration youtube cannel smashing into the pumping station section.It used to look like a brick bee hive and was beautiful. Now it's a death trap for humans and animals.

[@rexcadral3468]

From time of brick release to splash was ~2sec, so about 20meters until you hit water, and probably a lot farther after that!

[@TheShowgirl25]

You love the spiders really!

[@TrekkingExploration]

They make great pets 😉

[@mcmarky1985]

Those wells at rough guess from pausing the video and counting the brick courses (86 x 75mm) is around 6.50m to water level! Pretty deep so yeah wouldn't want to fall down one!

[@markallchorn2438]

Very interesting, just think how much use the old railways would've been today with all the congestion, ok back in the day they were probably running at a loss, but now it would probably be a different story. All the effort that was put in to build them in the first place seems wasted, but the story is fantastic 👌

[@rocketmantakeoff]

There is a great write up on line about it. Look for adelphi pit or dukmanton ironworks pit. Has plenty of pics.

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Great video of some impressive industrial archaeology. The labour involved in constructing and culverting that huge railway embankment is difficult to imagine from today's perspective. A brick-lined culvert under HS2, would be unthinkable, one imagines. The pumping station was a real find. Where was the water pumped to, or is that a stupid question? Is it connected with those fenced-off shafts? All very interesting and enjoyable. Thank you.

[@leegreveson]

My son and I had a look around that pump building apx 2 years ago, it wasn't as accessible back then (ie block work wasn't smasged through) and I certainly don't recall that external shaft. Scary stuff. I'm sure there's an equation to work out the depth of something based on time an object to falls to hitting the water, damned if I'm clever enough though 🤣 Good call not returning through the culvert, them spiders would be mighty peeved you destroyed their webs. I'm gonna check that out soon now.

[@TheRogey1]

9.8 metres per second'per second...acceleration due to gravity

[@greg5639]

The outer shafts had a brick bee hive looking dome over it. Check out NCB Exploration youtube channel where they destroyed it. It pissed me off. I had to go out to check that it was the Furness puming station. They left it wide open .there also a short tunnel that comes into this shaft too. I think a dead end section maybe for pumps ect but I could be wrong of the use of it.

[@kevburton4304]

I live at 22 Penrose street and worked down the mine

[@A_p_T53040]

Did you have a look at duckmanton tunnel too? Only a mile along the ldecr line

[@kyleyost7673]

Quick calculations when you pushed the brick down the hole it is approximately 39.25 meters to where the water is.

[@peterkitts8815]

A ways down to the water in those shafts but how deep is that water? I find that even more scary.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

My mate used to work at A. Pit. Lost a thumb when he went to sleepy pie, running t cage. Ally Deighton was/is his name.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Argh how awful 😮

[@buffplums]

15:10 Those channels look more like ducts for carrying pipe or cables and there would have been gratings or boards set into the top

[@PeasLivesMatterGivePeasaChance]

Staffordshire blues one of hardest bricks made in U.K.

[@myselfG3184]

I'm surprised there wasn't any Batt's in the brick shaft

[@paylnyles]

I think it was a Pump House and you were looking where the water was drawn up x

[@TrekkingExploration]

Yes it was. Those shafts just being left like that are pretty scary

[@trainsinkansas576]

Why don't they seal off those shafts permanently. They are dangerous. Loved your drone footage as usual. You do a great job explaining everything. I like how you show old maps and pictures how it once was. I enjoy your videos. Meriden, Kansas

[@greg5639]

The shaft was sealed off, and some other youtubers destroyed what was a coned bee hive construction. The brickwork was beautiful. Check out my earlier comment about NBC Exploration ? Unless they've taken down the footage of their crime ! I only live a couple of miles away from Arkwright and walk around there regularly.its surprising how much history there is there.

[@Hurc7495]

for the depth of your shaft: Distance = initial velocity x time + ½ acceleration x time^2 Distance = 0 x 1.63 + ½ x 9.81 x 1.63^2 = 13 meters to the water line

[@nottzangel9533]

I was going to say also it was between 35-40ft in depth just by the time it took for the brick to hit the bottom but you've now confirmed it for me thanks .

[@Chriscovery]

The Long way down seems to be approx 20-25m. Brick was falling for roughly 2sec . It is not an easy decision to stop pumping Mine Waters. I'm working in the Ruhrgebiet (Germany) and maintain and evaluate those "Ewigkeitsaufgaben" (translates to eternal tasks) because we cant stop pumping the mines or a very large metropol region will start to flood.... I have so many questions in my head concerning this station, I may contact you. Would be fascinating to take some actual water and toxic measurements...

[@greg5639]

My mistake. N B C Exploration not N.C.B. Watch as they distroy the brick bee hive shaped cover that was protecting the sump shafts ect. It was abeautiful work of art that was built by skilled brickies. I can only hope that it can one.say be restored but this damage will probably be used as an excuse to bulldoze the whole building. The last remnants of this old mine.🤔

[@andrewwood9635]

The moths will be hibernating there for the winter as the tempeatiure will be resonably constant. I didn't see them, but probably Satellite or Herald Moths or even Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell butterflies

[@ronm3245]

Time the drop, square it, then multiply by 4.9. I got about 1.68 seconds. 1.68^2*4.9 = around 14 meters. But that's just to the water. Of course, the shaft is likely much deeper than that.

[@outdooradventures8773]

And that is how you get arachnophobia

[@TrekkingExploration]

Bloody thing 😂 I didn't need lunch after that 😂

[@cyberleaderandy1]

@@TrekkingExploration lol why, did you swallow one or their flies larder ? 😄

[@stevec00ps]

I timed that brick falling for about 1.7 seconds, so that's 1/2 * 9.8 * T^2 equals about 14 metres down

[@Jimyjames73]

Hiya @ 3:55 Plot twist - Whilst walking through the tunnel - Someone decides to open the water barrier at the other end!!! 😉😀 Only Joking!!! Oh @ 5:11 there REALLY was a Plot twist!!! You walking into a giant Cob Web!!! - Not nice - I don't even like Spiders let alone their Webs!!! @ 15:45 - Be careful NOT to drop your touch /Camera down that hole - you will never see /get them back other wise!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@whitesapphire5865]

I estimated the fall to be three seconds. According to the maths, the well would be approximately 29 metres deep, at least that's how far down until you hit the water. How much deeper below that is anyone's guess, either way, after falling 29 metres, or 98 feet in real money, I doubt if anyone would be wondering how deep the water is going to be!

[@helenthorne8451]

Hi Ant I'm having to catch up bit of binge watching while I'm off work Amazing to find the culvert and oh dear you getting wet xx

[@AngloSaxon449]

I'm no mining expert but am I right in saying the pumping shafts would sunk be deeper than the mine shafts to create a sump effect?🤔 if so those shafts would be almost to Australia

[@benelliott8745]

The brick seemed to take about a second. Therefore, the shaft would be about 10m deep.

[@thoughtsonfitness3249]

This is more like it, no climate shilling …. Great work.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much 🙂🙂

[@glynluff2595]

Is the alternation of black engineering brick a red brick to resist crushing pressure. Perhaps a brick is could explain?

[@kevburton4304]

Arkwright was a drift mine, there were no shafts!

[@TrekkingExploration]

This isn't Arkwright Mine I mention in the video what it is!

[@doingstuffoutdoors3002]

I found something similar....looked through the hole in the floor..was deeper than that 1 to the water backed off slowly ... muttering the words f#*k me.....

[@loiswallace3334]

Interesting! A suggestion though. Slow down camera movement, please, especially when panning. Slow camera movement gives viewer a better opportunity to see what is being recorded. Also, rapid camera movement can cause distraction and disorientation which in can lead to viewer nausea!

[@andrewdavis9223]

Hi that little culvert you it's not trough Brook is it just a thought

[@vdub4216]

The shaft of doom - I think my ex used to call me that