Beck Bypass - Bradford
Exploring the miles of culverts here, it was fascinating to see how the Victorian-era sections seamlessly connect with the modern-day RCP. These are some of the largest multi-storey drainage shafts I’ve ever encountered, which was surprising given that, for the majority of the time, we weren’t far from the surface. We could frequently hear cars driving over the manhole covers above us.
The beck offers an incredible amount of subterranean space to explore—provided you have the motivation. Bypass is one of the more recent sections, and we approached it from the south, passing through older segments first..
Our route would take us through older sections featuring large brick and stone passages, eventually bringing us close to the area beneath the cathedral. This section is known for being quite photogenic and relatively easy-going.
However, after misinterpreting the survey from the wrong angle, we inadvertently took a different path. This led us down a distinctly older section of drain made of blue brick that seemed to stretch on forever. The tunnel eventually narrowed to around four feet in height, forcing us to stoop for what felt like an eternity. Along the way, we noticed hundreds of stalactites forming on the ceiling, nearly touching the floor.
This was a clear sign that no one had ventured this far in a long time—or, at the very least, hadn’t gone this deep—because the formations remained intact rather than being snapped off and littering the floor. By this point, we were covered in drain gunk and had been underground for most of the day.
Eager to get out and breathe some fresh air, we turned back and exited near the university. Campus loiterers gave us plenty of strange looks as we emerged, kitted out in waders and covered in orange-colored stains. We drew even more curious stares when we stopped at the nearest Costa for a summer fruits frappe. It was a long trek back to the car through town, especially in the peak of summer, but after a day like that, refreshments were absolutely essential.
History
“The Bradford beck has been around since the medieval times and begins as a number of springs located around Keelham. These small springs merge into the Bradford dale which in turn merges with other streams flowing towards the city center making up what's known as the Bradford beck. The beck was once a clear above ground river giving it the name Bradford beck, which dates back to over 1000 years ago. The river was used to power numerous mills along its course and as demand for water power increased the river was subsequently re-routed. During the industrial revolution Bradford was a leader in the world's wool industry, but darker days were soon to arrive. By 1840 the river was being used to carry raw sewage and waste from the multitude of factories it served but the folk of Bradford were STILL using the Beck as a source of drinking water. Cholera and typhoid outbreaks soon began and the life expectancy for the people of the city was a staggeringly low age of just 18, the lowest in the UK. The river is referred to as "mucky beck" by some of the locals still to this day. The living conditions may have been poor but the land value certainly wasn't, and by around 1870 the majority of the beck had been culverted and built upon hiding most of its existence beneath the city's streets. To this day the quality of the water flowing through the beck is still classed as "poor ecological quality", and there is ongoing work to understand how the problem may be solved”.
