Monday, July 18, 2005

Bottoms Gauging Basin


Bottoms Gauging Basin
Originally uploaded by Brenden Preece.
I went for a walk yesterday around Arnfield Reservoir with Gail and Adam. It was a blisteringly hot day again with very little wind. We stopped for a rest in the shade of the beeches near Arnfield Bridge. Arnfield Reservoir is still very low; United Utilities have drained it to supposedly dredge some of the sediment out, which is something they used to do fairly regularly. This time however they seem to be keeping the water level low and the fly fishing facilities that used to be there look like they are not going to be used again. Adam took a few pictures including one of a very tame white pigeon. The landscape round the reservoir is particularly unattractive at present so I thought I'd post a picture of Bottoms gauging basin.

When Bottoms Reservoir was built in the 1870's the owners of the mills further down the river Etherow insisted on the Gauging Basin being built. This was to make sure adequate water was paid into the river as'compensation' for that impounded in the reservoir. Without thisthe dam would stop the natural flow of water supplying the mills with power. To ensure the millowners obtained the water due to them, the gauging basin would be filled with water for a certain time and a secret depth gauge would check whether the flow of water was correct.

For some reason the architecture around these Victorian waterworks is a peculiar obsession of mine. I am not the only one. If you have a few minutes take a look at the website of a group of people who have been mapping The Hodder and Thirlmere Aqueduct Access Gates. It is a fine example of the obscure pastimes people pursue on the Internet and the authors themselves describe it as "a totally unproductive and meaningless exercise". But I find it fascinating. It also has some information about the Longdendale Valley Reservoirs - 'my' reservoirs.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Thursbitch

Thursbitch a novel by Alan Garner

I have just finished reading Alan Garner’s latest novel, Thursbitch. I was already aware that, like most of Garner’s other books, it was set in Cheshire. I was delighted to discover however that I actually knew some of the locations very well. For instance the opening lines of the book describe the road on which I drive into work each morning. More than any other author I know, Garner’s books are deeply filled with a sense of place.

The book has two stories, past and present, interwoven in what the book jacket notes call: "a visionary fable rooted in a verifiable place." The inspiration for the story is a memorial stone (see photo above) set high on a bank of a narrow lane in the east Cheshire hills. The inscription of the front of the stone reads:
“HERE JOHN TURNER WAS CAST AWAY IN A HEAVY SNOW STORM IN THE NIGHT IN OR ABOUT THE YEAR 1755 “ The rear of the stone reads “THE PRINT OF A WOMAN'S SHOE WAS FOUND BY HIS SIDE IN THE SNOW WERE (sic) HE LAY DEAD “ and herein lies the mystery at the heart of the story.

The book seemed as though it was going to be a challenging read when I first started it. This was due to the rich Cheshire dialect used in the dialogue of the 'past' part of the story. It reminded me of how my father used to speak. I met words like “raunging and skriking” that I have not heard for many years(Incidentally these two words were in widespread use Medieval English) However with a bit of perseverance I soon became deeply involved.

In this short novel Garner calls on wide ranging topics such as mythology, geology, land ownership, psychedelic mushrooms and the trauma of terminal illness. Although not necessary for the enjoyment of the novel, if the reader wants to take things further, there is plenty of scope for further background research into these issues.To find out more go to the Unofficial Alan Garner homepage (see link) and follow the link to Thursbitch Tangents.

I would recommend anyone to read this book. It may baffle you, it may unsettle you, it may give you nightmares but I’ll bet you will want to read it again. I certainly will.