The Secret Trap Door Under The Canal

[Music] [Music] hello welcome back to another video so I'm very very very excited today because I'm here by the Rochdale canal and we're near lock 89 which is just off Whitworth Street in Manchester and the drain in it the drain in this section of the canal now there's something I want to show you and I'll explain in a home in a minute but there's something I want to show you by the canal here if you watch my videos you'll have seen it before where are we where are we where we're there it is right ok there's a little arrow on the side of the canal here look at this so that little arrow on the side of the towpath a on the canal it marks the point where there's a trapdoor in the base of the Rochdale canal now you think I was having you on wouldn't you what there is actually a trapdoor in the base of the rock steel canal and that trapdoor was built but put in 200 years ago when the canal was built so out like a plug like a drainage hole and underneath here is the river tip okay so allow me to explain okay so what is this about rivers and trapdoors what on earth am I talking about right well in the last video that I made I asked you to watch my video about the riveted Manchester's Lost River tip and this is the video here now some of you may have watched that and they appreciate some of you have never seen that video the river tip is a Lost River in Manchester a legendary Lost River and it's legendary because and it use of an open about 200 years ago and because it was in the centre of Manchester it ended up being called veted built on top of and it disappeared and it's disappeared along its entire length so from where it starts on Oldham Road it near miles platen in Manchester right through - it runs towards the river Medlock nobody sees it because it's deep on the ground and the little Culver now the river tip is only a small River it's not a big river and quite often when the big do roadworks and the broke through into the tunnel that houses the river tip it's been mistaken for a sewer so we're talking a small River in rainfall it runs quite fast and in dry periods it can almost dry up so we're at Mach 89 on the Rochdale canal down towards the end of the Rossdale canal in the middle of manchester city centre and deep deep below Loch 89 underneath the canal the river tip runs let's take a look at the underground map so there you go that's our hidden underground Manchester map courtesy of her hidden manchester dodgy UK and you'll see the blue line there plots the root of the River tib and my red arrow points to the Rochdale canal lock 89 and you'll see our blue line the river tip crosses underneath the Rochdale canal deep down in his little culvert nor more than a very small tunnel and you'll see the box there talks about the trapdoor in the Rochdale canal that goes down to the river tip so that's what we're looking at today and that's where we are let me show you in detail where we are on Google Maps there you go there's Google Maps and you'll see we're just off Whitworth Street they're near an Oxford Road station the top purple arrow shows LOC 89 where we are and the bottom purple arrow shows roughly where the tip enters the Medlock you'll see the river Medlocke there and the dotted line I've put in just to show roughly where the culvert runs you'll see the the river Medlock is heavily collated through the city centre of Manchester and and that's where the tip meets the Medlock and it's inside a culvert so we never get to see it and but it also illustrates the distance between LOC 89 and where the tip finally ends and meets the river Medlock and you'll see it's only basically a short distance okay so there's very little evidence of the river tip in Manchester the only clues are tip street where the river tip runs down on the Neath tip Street and this arrow on the side of the Rochdale Canal the trapdoor was put in probably when they built the canal and because they knew the riveted was underneath and so they built the trapdoor into the canal so that when they wanted to drain that section they could let the trapdoor down went the canal into the river tip about 16 20 feet below and then the tip will check the canal waters down towards the Medlock now even when the tip runs into the Medlock it does so when the Med locked in a culvert so even that's out of sight out of mind we can see the river tip when it finally meets the Medlock so derivative really is a bit of a mysterious River so anything to do with the river tip I'm completely fascinated with and when I made that video about the river tip I thought I'd never get to see this trap door now I'm going to warn you the trapdoor was not very big it's only a small trapdoor but it's a great great thing to see when you know what it is so quick background canal and rivers trust did an open day lock 92 I went to that and made a video got chatting to a gentleman and I asked a question like I always do what do you know about the river tip and the truck door a lock 89 and of course he said to me alright yeah next week we drain in that section and we're going to open the trap door of course my jaw dropped to the floor and I was like oh I need to come and see and when are you doing it and he very very kindly invited me down to go and take a look at the work that was happening now me and Connor went down and like I say the kids out and allowed was good to go down into the drain canal our own risk but they were fantastic with us and we had a brilliant brilliant day so let's get back down to the Rochdale canal let's see if they've drained the water and we're we're up to and let's see most of all if we can take a look at the trapdoor also we're going to maybe take a look along the canal a look at what we can find some of the things that are lying about there amongst the modern all the rubbish some things very much that I've been there a long time and some things that might be very much alive so let's take a look down at lock 89 so basically the drain in this section of the canal you can see down those Deansgate locks that down there and this bit now currently the water although you can't see it is dropping as we speak be about another hour or so so we're going to go and get a quick drink and then when we come back hopefully this section here will be completely drained and we can get in and take a look at the trapdoor that goes down to the river tip the two-hundred-year-old trapdoor which will be absolutely amazing so forgive me for getting quite excited about all this so we'll come back in a bit and hopefully well the water will have gone down or we can take a look to see if we can see the trapdoor and by the way needs to say was in is down to have a look at this today beau kindly by the canal and rivers trust so these guys here have allowed us to come down Fillmore Basin where we're gonna actually get into the canal in a bit to see if we can look at the chain that pulls the trapdoor up amazing stuff anyway seen a bit now just while we're here a little bit of extra information for you that building on the left-hand side there is the Hacienda Apartments but then those apartments stand on the site of the old Hacienda Club and where we are here at lock 89 the old the Hacienda Club used to stand backing onto the Rochdale canal the apartment that new building there has got nothing to do with the original Hacienda at all but in 1983 1984 new order made a little homemade documentary called play at home and they interviewed Mike Pickering the then DJ of the Hacienda lay it was in EM people the group called em people and the interview was carried out here at lock 89 on the Rochdale canal and somewhere back there in that picture that screenshot is the Hacienda just on the left-hand side just a little bit of extra information for those that may know or may not know right so we've been awaiting run a quick coffee and the water level is going down quite considerably now that's a lot that's what Katie Dan you can see there's like a little graze there a little bit ready to do some work in the lock and I'll just show you the water level now tell the boats gone to one side there so you can just sort of see the face of the cutout coming visible now all fences and stuff in there in fact we want to go over there in a minute and see if the trap doors become invisible or I think it might be under a load of silt to the back of the dig away the silt right so we're just going to go over to this side of the canal where the little arrow is on the side and we'll see if there's anything coming visible as the water levels dropped I mean it's just me getting excited this suppose with you because in a bit we are actually going to hopefully get into the canal and see the door for I just want to see if it's coming visible let's find out a little arrow all there it is on the door apparently it's not out there in the middle the trapdoor apparently is here just beyond the arrow here don't think we can see anything yet so where maybe another hour but the water going down we'll see you see if you can finally see a little 200 year old trapdoor the book is not only warm up right at the moment a truth team from the canal and rivers trust is entering the canal and they're going to start looking for that trapdoor we've got the chain the chain is there they're gonna lift the door now only volume I remember quite a hot guy for me that's it what now that boys going oh yeah silence nothing look around coming up later let's see the whip though yeah so all that water is now going down there into the tip I know Oh [Applause] to all the water that's going down the blue ball if you like now he's dropping down about 16 to 24 down underneath here into the river tip and it will run underneath work with straight underneath the home cinema complex and out into a culvert into the river medlocke arrow though like to be very pleased to know I've got the earth they've got the gear on got the wellies on and we're going to get into the canal canal with rivers trust people have allowed us to put the gear on and they've invited us down into the canal to take a look at the truck door we're going in at our own risk and everything what the kindly provided some gear for us and so let's get in the base of that canal and see if we can see that two hundred year old trapdoor you see the trap door now with what has gone really right down and these quite small tumors with you let's see let's take a look at this trapdoor then dry amazing so we're down in the canal the trapdoor is quite small small Dan what thoughts arose with you oh my god seriously old-fashioned swords what second quarter look at it [Music] [Applause] [Music] you could no longer thought or touch that to see it is amazing it's like something off an old ship you know the wood that's really really old well that water is basically dropping down there now about 1624 down into the river tip I've gotta admit I never thought I would ever see this trapdoor in my lifetime when I heard about with and heard that um been offering for many many years I thought well obviously it's buried you probably never be able to see it turns out the Baldwin do a couple of times but it looks like an old ship that's been sold for years the lip normal wood on the end everything absolutely incredible I like to say this care everything these you could probably drop down there and drop down the shaft into the tip and it's got little wooden like the sides of it wasn't as well you can just about see that what's more than what I thought so as I was saying this sort of in a frame you can see the sides there that wood and the whole thing was to built been built as a door in a frame no bigger than a loft after suppose really and so when you think about it two hundred and fifteen years ago a blacksmith in his Forge made that chain and the hook on the top and a carpenter or a joiner in his workshop made that door and the frame that it sits in his commissioned work for the Rochdale Canal other than our parents and our grandparents and older than their parents and during that two hundred years was have been for the Titanic sank and nine British monarchs have lived reigned and died [Music] we've actually just seen got this stinks down there a bit we've seen a couple little tiny fish go down it's okay cuz they'll end up in the tip and then they Medlock so it's alright and see if I can see some more for you just little tipple as they were the fish so what I'll do is I'll just take a little local pier to the lock can go to factors of what's quite deep just well that's draining see the lock there just beyond can't go beyond this point cause of all this rubbish here and they are gonna clean it out they're gonna clean the canal out that's the purpose of this though the Argo no actually get the leaves up clean up their filters the sacks light will be sacks and lift them out with the crane and get rid of a lot of this rubbish that's nice and always in it there's a lot of people went past ah there just showed them on the on the on the video but ended up telling them about the rivet Abunda well they said to me where's where's the water going to end up giving this almost semi presentation to all these people about the river tip The Lost River tip and where the water's going in all the rest of it I just have to tell them it was a mission so I'm just truly privileged to be out see that - those with you I've always wanted to see that and probably one of the very few that happened there with people walking past there today they'll probably will see it I won't be interested in it and you know and here am I stood in the middle of the canal over the semi religious experience so just a little bit of detail then so you can see not that I know but you can see the old Mason's map there I'll show you the old little triangle there that's what the Masons put on when they were laying the old serve rocks so they could get paid and obviously you've got where the bolts have rubbed a long way along the side and then you've got a layer of fur brick there now I bet those bricks are quite interesting about Lake Litella tale because if they're the original bricks that line the canal 200 years old brick technology was constantly changing because obviously there's probably a billion bricks in Manchester that built the railway arches and the canals and everything so I'm sure that you know from the very early ones that maybe made that he changed all the time but they are quite a square looking brick I think I've read somewhere I heard somewhere that some of these bricks will sort of like wire cork so I long to clay that the wire cut square and the sure they look quite regular these bricks all right so we take a walk down there you see Connor and the other guys have gone down there so we'll just take a walk down the canal a little bit now the wood gets really deep apparently the further down there you get you start the base of the canal becomes bedrock the older sandstone the red sandstone and hook them one's really deep here in the middle so I'm gonna walk down the side of the older the bolt yeah whatever that word why is it fondest felt a skateboard there and I've asked if I can take it and keep it and living around not when I'm I can make it alive oh good deal look at that oh now I did say that some of the finds were alive and this is a pike quite common in British canals and the quaint apparently the quite ferocious they have teeth and it scared me that's massive countless copies instead nice one slippery fish I'm telling you I'm getting out the way cause only flicking at me by all the saving well we've got it he's got it there's one big fish right so we're gonna save that do the time so he's going to say that he's going to take you to the bottom there and put it in the bit of the canal wake and swim so that gentleman there was obviously one of the team of the canal and rivers trusts on the day we were filming and apparently that's his speciality saving fish so of course I said to him that was massive that fish I wouldn't have had the woman out pick it up myself and he says to me that was absolutely nothing you should have seen the monster that I pulled out or saved further up the Rochdale canal in a place called little burrow which is just near the town of rots Dale pulls out his phone shows me a picture of an absolute monster that he saved and that's a Pike I would have nightmares about that just look at the head on that absolute monster stuff a nightmares [Music] he's going to take that fish and put it in there you know the bit of the canal way can actually swim free because it de-stresses the animals in distress distress man so it's a big earner in it I on the thought that fish like that in here so the pack is being saved thank God but what I wanna sighs that was wondering what a catch so we're just getting towards Deansgate likes now in the canal what's getting quite deep and you can see I'm on down there saving the pike who's going to put it down into the lock down there so what's in the Medlock I never thought that underwater they watch atella canal and they matter more to unbelievable in fact I've got me rallies took almost geisha wondering where we are this is Dean's gate locks she's just down there I'm struggling it again huh well well he's out in the mud so Connor decided he'd have a little treasure hunt with his book it hope you found their shape better G and we've got a record not sure what it is no label so when we preview of a walk down there down the canal Connor got found a bucket and he started putting some of his finds in the book is so let's have a walk in Connors bookie so the first thing Connor was what the little little penny board there we found an altar peaks cap their daughter how old that eyes are if it's old or just some sort of a fancy dress and then in the book it we've got a couple of wallets there and a fully unopened bottle of coke so thank you Connors book it so a few days later I went back to lock 89 on the Rochdale canal and they finished the work job done they've done a grand job there of cleaning it all up you can see all the bricks on the bottom there and it looks absolutely fine and dandy so well done guys from the canal and rivers trust that lock is a credit to year so I hope you enjoyed the video we finally got to see the trapdoor the two-hundred-year-old trapdoor that I thought I'd never see in my lifetime like I said I hope you enjoyed the video thank you to the canal and rivers Trust for allowing us to come down here at our own risk and give it us the gear to keep us safe and everything's of to them for that took from the Rochdale canal thanks for watching and I shall see you very soon in the next video [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Martin Zero

Views: 4,043,608

Rating: 4.7272196 out of 5

Keywords: Rochdale canal, manchester history, urbex manchester, history of manchester, martin zero, secret trap door, river tib, manchester canals, canal and rivers trust, canal conservation, lost waterways of manchester, lost rivers, family friendly, urban exploring, canal lock, lifes better by water, canal history, british waterways, british history

Id: OZeXcH4hmtY

Length: 26min 47sec (1607 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 25 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/samclarke_84]

Wow, I really enjoyed that video. I'm fascinated by the history of manchester. It makes me sad that places like the river Tib are hidden and forgotten.

It was great to see the trap door in your video. I was sad to see the litter going down in to the Tib though with the water.

It's great that the canals are being cleaned out. It would be great to go along and see the good work. Is it documented when each section is being done?

[u/ppolo99]

Clicked the video and huffed at its length... 20 mins later and I'm still watching. Fascinating!

[u/onecelledcreature]

I love these videos, he has loads covering all sorts of little historical bits in the area, we were really caught up in his enthusiasm for this trapdoor though, great stuff.

[u/[deleted]]

That is absolutely amazing. I’d never heard of the River Tib at all until now. God, who knows how many secrets there are in the city that have been lost?

[u/TheSamR]

Thanks for posting this! Was a great video. Fascinating.