Door in bridge, Keighley

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What strangeness lurks behind that door? #bridge #keighley #riveraire #concretebridge #urbex #door #mysterydoor #hollowbridge

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 26, 2019 at 10:10pm PDT

Ace of Spades, Bingley Five Rise Locks

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Ace of Spades ♠️ or the 'Death Card' ☠️ below handle controling a side paddle sluice on a canal lock. Not sure why, although certainly if you fell in it wouldn't be too good, with a depth of around five metres when full with swirling currents with ground and gate paddles #aceofspades #canal #canallock #canalpaddle #deathcard #bingleyfiveriselocks

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 23, 2019 at 5:31pm PDT

Level Crossing, Oakworth KWVR

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End of the line today for this train 🛑 Originally double track through the station and level crossing, now down to a lopsided looking single track. Oakworth village is up a steep hill from here 😩 I wonder what that lever does 💥 #oakworth #oakworthstation #levelcrossing #railway #dieselmultipleunit #keighleyandworthvalleyrailway #kwvr #autumrain #heritagerailway #brclass101

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 22, 2019 at 10:19am PDT

Gas Lamp, Hyde Park Picture House

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Gas light at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds - the last remaining cinema lit by gas in the country. 🎬 Opened in 1914 shortly after the start of the First World War it retains a lot of its original features, probably more by accident than deliberate act until recently due lack of investment in the 50s and 60s which saw a lot of modernisation on other cinemas. 🍿 The biggest visible changes are probably the comfier seats (reducing capacity by a hundred or so) and the screen which was moved a few feet further forward than the original screen in order to install speakers behind it when 'talkies' were introduced. 🎥 #hydeparkpicturehouse #gaslight #gaslamp #cinema #oldcinema #leeds

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 21, 2019 at 8:21am PDT

Stream in pipe, Stockbridge, Keighley

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How we tame and hide nature ☹️ This stream empties into the River Aire next to Stockbridge bridge, Keighley after coming down the steep hill in Riddlesden/Low Banks. It has now been culverted along much of its length. The water looks quite clean though. On old maps it appeared to be labelled Judith Cliff. I was looking for a smaller pipe nearby that drains the lost and hidden Morton Banks Colliery #culvert #stream #pipe #keighkey #riddlesden #ivy

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 20, 2019 at 10:47am PDT

Holmes Workings, Cononley Lead Mine

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Looking straight down the vertical mine shaft at Holmes Workings at Cononley Lead Mine. This is in a field near Lingsted farm to the west of Glusburn. This shaft is thought to have been sunk in around 1820 into the end of the Glusburn adit, which had a entrance portal to the south east in a field on the other side of the road. . This is the furthest east shaft I have found at Cononley and is capped with a thick concrete slab. A hole in the side was just big enough to squeeze my hand and small camera in and take a photo blind. This is the best I managed, I was unable to get more powerful lighting in there so had to rely on the flash which has a short range and a wide beam. . This shaft isn't marked on modern maps but is on 6 inch to the mile OS map of 1853 which seems the best map for showing lots of old workings . That plant root has a long way to go before it finds any soil... . #mineshaft #abandonedmine #cononleyleadmines #cononleymineholmesworkings #urbex #mineexploring #cononley #glusburn #leadmine

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 15, 2019 at 5:03pm PDT

Homes workings shaft, Cononley Lead Mine

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1820(ish) mine shaft in spring at the eastern end of lead workings ⛏️ near Cononley (this shaft is actually nearer Glusburn than Cononley) 🕳️ . Lead mining around here followed the mineral vein north westwards on Gib Hill between Glusburn and Cononley reaching the western most workings near Pismire beck in around 1870. This shaft near Lingsted Farm is labelled as Holmes Workings on old plans and joins the Glusburn adit at the bottom, which ran east, under the road), the workings do not connect with the main mine. The shaft can be seen just north of Lothersdale road as a small raised mound. It has been capped with a thick concrete slab, but is unfilled beneath... . See tomorrow's pic for a look down the shaft 📸 #cononleyleadmines #leadmine #mineshaft #cononley #glusburn #cappedmineshaft #rainyday #greysky #concreteslab #cononleymineholmesworkings #abandonedmine

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 15, 2019 at 4:11am PDT

Pump rod tunnel, Cononley Lead Mine

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Looking out of the pump rod tunnel at Cononley Lead Mine. The tunnel (it's open at both ends so it is a tunnel) cuts through the spoil heap at Remfrey's shaft in the direction of Hope Shaft - the most western and last shaft worked. The other end looks out across the valley to the engine house. Flat rods, made of wood with metalwork connecting them in a straight line transferred power from the engine house to Hope Shaft in order to pump out water from the levels below the deep adit level - the deepest naturally draining level. The mine closed by 1876 when I would think this tunnel was last used but Hope shaft was reopened for a couple of years by a few workers until 1882. #cononleyleadmines #leadmine #tunnel #ironbars #pumprods #flatrodsystem #abandonedmine #urbex #moss #weaselgreen #yorkshire

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 12, 2019 at 8:40am PDT

Steam Train at Dusk in the Woods

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Steam train at dusk This train being pulled by two steam locomotives at the front was due along the railway near me so I went to have a look. It was the return leg of the last of WCRC's 'Waverley' trains of the year heading back to York from Carlisle via the scenic Settle to Carlisle line. Unfortunately sunset is getting earlier at this time of year and I chose to wait by a foot crossing in the woods. This meant that by the time the train passed at just after 8pm at a fair speed I could just about make out two hulking dark shapes shoot past with their cabs lit up with an orange glow from their fires and the old carriages behind lit with table lamps. The photo I took is more of a 'atmospheric piece', with the fireglow lighting up nearby trees and the track just visible. You can see to the far left out of the woods it wasn't as dark 🤔 I believe this locomotive is 35018 "British India Line" 35018 British India Line built in 1945 for the Southern Region (Merchant Navy class). British Railways removed the smoothing panels on the sides - as you can tell from this photo 😉 The front locomotive was 46115 "Scots Guardsman", but they could have been the other way around. #steamtrain #dusk #railway #woods #railwaytrack #britishindialine #thewaverley

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 11, 2019 at 3:19am PDT

Markham Moor petrol station in the 1960s

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Markham Moor petrol filling station as it would have looked in the 1960s. It must have been a dramatic sight driving south on a recently built stretch of A1 dual carriageway and seeing this futuristic structure reaching for the sky, a world away from the sights of the old route along the Great North Road (the main highway from London to York and Edinburgh for centuries) with its villages and old coaching inns. The new road stopped abruptly at a roundabout shortly after here and dropped back onto the old road until the next new section of dual carriageway was built. The roundabout was a bottleneck for years and was finally removed when a new junction was built in the early 2010s. The canopy and old Little Chef (built under the canopy in the 1980s after the petrol station closed) were due to be demolished, but the canopy was given Grade II listed status in 2012 saving it, the new junction design altered slightly to avoid it. The 90 tonne concrete canopy rests on four concrete pillars at the edges and underneath it was open allowing cars to drive in and fill up at one of the four petrol pumps protected from the rain. One side appeared to have a storeroom or office area between the two pillars. It was designed by architect Hugh Segar (Sam) Scorer and structural engineer Dr Hajnal-Kónyl using a strong hyperbolic paraboloid shape. #a1road #markhammoor #hyperbolicparaboloid #modernist #moderism #ukarchitecture #concreteroof #littlechef #saddleroof #samscorer #hyperbolicparaboloid #hypar #hajnalkonyl #hughsegarscorer #petrolstation #gasstation

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 10, 2019 at 7:05am PDT

Markham Moor, A1 Nottinghamshire

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Former Markham Moor petrol filling station {and then Little Chef) on the A1 southbound near Retford. Constructed in 1960-61 to designs by architect Hugh Segar (Sam) Scorer and structural engineer Dr Hajnal-Kónyi (a refugee from Germany in 1936) This concrete hyperbolic paraboloid (or saddle) roof was originally the canopy above an open space where the petrol pumps were, but was converted to a Little Chef restaurant in the 1980s after the filling station closed. After Little Chef moved the building was left empty becoming derelict and when the road was due to be improved the building was to be demolished but following a campaign it was given Grade II listed status, ensuring its survival. The hperbolic paraboloid shape gives the structure strength and it enjoyed a brief period in fashion in the late 50s and early 60s. Thin shell concrete roofs were invented in Germany in the 1920s in the form of barrel roofs and after the war the method was developed further leading to these 'hypar' roof designs which could have quite large spans, required only limited materials and are low cost. The building has been recently had work done on it and looks like something could move in soon, just needs fitting out #markhammoor #concreteroof #littlechef #a1road #saddleroof #samscorer #hyperbolicparaboloid #hypar

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 9, 2019 at 11:25am PDT

Unusual wall, Appleby-in-Westmorland

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Odd wall incorporating lots old carved stone. There is an old church on the other side of the road (parts dating from 13th century and even older Saxon fragments) may stone was taken from there at some point in the past #wall #sandstone #recycle #carvedstone #stonewall #applebyinwestmorland #stmichaelsappleby #ivy

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 6, 2019 at 12:34pm PDT

Red Squirrels road sign, Appleby-in-Westmorland

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Don't remember this sign in the highway code. Didn't see any squirrels, red, black or grey, although apparently they can be seen running across the road in the morning. #unusualroadsigns #redsquirrels #roadsign #appleby #roadsigns #cumbria #squirrels

A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Sep 5, 2019 at 1:55pm PDT