Processor - Manchester

Heading in via the infall, it's immediately apparent how much debris these grills prevent from continuing downstream. Branches—and the occasional shopping trolley—were in our path but were avoided relatively easily. The infall begins with a stunning 12-foot stretch of red brick, but before long, blue brick takes over. From there, it becomes a general mix of reinforced concrete pipe (RCP), brick, and concrete throughout.

About halfway through, there's a processor unit with manhole access above. Interestingly, this access has been sealed in recent years due to an incident where thieves attempted to steal the processor, managing to shift it a few feet. The logistics of removing it through a 3-foot-wide manhole still baffle me.

Further downstream, heavy mineralization seeps through the brickwork, accumulating until it reaches a section that looks like something straight out of a horror film. Stalactites hang ominously from the ceiling, and the ochre staining gives the scene an otherworldly appearance.

This eerie stretch continues briefly until it reaches the outfall. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to photograph it, but it’s essentially a charming brick structure poking out from the surrounding vegetation, leading to an open stretch of the brook. Not far downstream, the brook enters the P37 penstock, forming part of ‘The Works’ drainage system. 

That’s one for another day.

History

“This drain gets its name from the sewage overflow surface scrapers it hides within its bowels to keep the solids from the sewers entering the culvert and making its way into the river. A mix of RBP (round brick pipe), RCP and box BCP make up this almost 2 mile stretch of underground passage channelling the Moston brook. Along the way there are connecting infalls from various brooks and sewers along with storm drop shafts and access chambers. Around half way through the system there is an abundance of iron oxide and calcite formations hanging from the ceiling. The CSO (combined sewage overflows) which were a Victorian concept can be smelt at various points throughout. The older brickwork section has been fixed over the years due to it diminishing over time and leads to a 10ft bricked outfall. Following on from the outfall of the Processor is a large P37 Penstock marking the beginning of ‘the works’, but that's a story for another day”.