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| Ancestor Gateway Forum - STAMFORD MEMORIES GATEWAY (Lincolnshire England) used as PRIDE and PREJUDICE FILM SET | New Topic | Search |
| Andy Matthews |
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As a yound boy of around 5 or 6 years old In the late 1960's I can remember being in town with my mum, on more than one occasion, and seeing peculiar road works being carried out at various spots in town. The work gang had a crane on caterpillar tracks that was positioned in front of huge holes in the ground that were fenced off. The holes would have been more than 6 feet across and would have been very deep as the crane used to lower a huge bucket down into the hole and it seemed to be going down for ages. At one point they were outside of the Coop at the top of High St and another occasion they were in Broad Street sort of outside Brown's Hospital. I am sure they also worked mid-way up High Street at one point as well. I used to be mad on cranes as a child and would watch for ages while my mum was in a shop or talking to someone and I have often wondered as I got older what they were doing. The work seemed to run on for a number of weeks and each time we were in the town they had moved to another spot. This would have been just before I started school so it must have been around 1967 or 1968. Does anyone remember this work being carried out and can they tell me what was actually being done?? |
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| Roger |
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Andy Have vague recollections of this - it was 40 yrs ago!! I believe a schoolfriend got a holiday job working on this. I've got a feeling it was something very mundane such as new sewage pipes. If you've got the time and if the "Mercury" still has archive copies of its old papers, I seem to remember there was at least one article on this with photo(s). |
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| Andy Matthews |
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Hi Roger, thanks for your reply. New sewage pipes is probably correct as the holes were very deep. I will check in the old Mercuries but it would be helpful if you or anyone can pinpoint which year it was - I would actually guess it was 1968. But thanks again anyway. |
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| Roger |
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Hi Andy I think it was 1968, although it might have been 1969. |
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| Kevin |
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I've got an idea deep down in my mind (not a place I visit very often!) that these deep holes had something to do with new water mains and the building of Rutland Water. |
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| Andy Matthews |
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Hi Kevin, That's very interesting, I hadn't thought of that one. But the timing would match the start of the Rutland Water work which did begin in 1968. I was speaking with an old Stamfordian the other day and discussing this matter and they remembered the very old town sewers being upgraded in the late 1960s. They told me that huge holes were dug in the ground around central Stamford that were very deep and the workmen did have a crane that lowered tools and men down the holes. They can particularly remember walking by the holes at night and seeing large packs of rats sitting around the top. Apparantly, some of these rats were huge and obviously came up when the sewers were disturbed. So it looks like that is probably the mystery solved but it may also have been linked to the start of Rutland Water. |
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| Peter |
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I don't think the holes were related to the Empingham Resovoir (as we called it back then!). The only construction for that, was a huge water intake on the River Welland just downstream of where the A1 crosses the Meadows. There used to be a weir there and they built the suction inlet just beside it. I worked as a 'chainboy' on the dam wall in the Summer 1972 holidays, employed by the main contractors Gleeson's. |
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| Clem Walden |
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One needs to go back in time to find the reason for the "Deep Holes" however the overall project was the upgrading of sewage infrastructure within the Town & beyond, together with the resiting of the Stamford Sewage Disposal works, which was at one time sited down the Uffington road on the right hand side, there was a lane (still there) that led to Hudd's Mill the sewage works were half way down that lane, the new Stamford Sewage works were sited in between Uffington & Barnack, & if one travels from Uffington to Barnack on the back road you first cross over the river, next is the railway crossing, look right after this crossing & you will see Stamford Sewage works, both the upgading & the resiting of the works took place between 1965-1980's for the following reasons:- After the war 1945 major new housing developments were undertaken new houses were being built in several areas of Stamford, northfields area, Lincoln road,Holland road,Masterton road,& other areas of the Town, these development's have continued throughout Stamford, about 1958 Jelsons started further major housing developments, Casterton road, both sides, new estates were appearing everywhere, by 1963 the existing sewage infrastructure became unsatisfactory. (I was told at that time there had been no major upgrading since the 1920's) With all these new developments the total infrastructure needed major changes, which started approx 1965, the town underground systems where cleaned out, silt, mud,blocked areas,new sections added,relined,ect (so I was informed at the time, "never went down myself" However I was personaly involved with both the old Sewage works & the new works on the Uffington/Barnack road, at the time I had a business dealing with contractual industrial electrical works, & we carried out all the electrical works for both the old & new sewage disposal works/plant. I wonder if we now need further improvements? 40 years have past & Stamford is still expanding, how many more housing sites have been built since 1980? perhaps the deep holes will return? Hope all the above helps. Kate:Thanks Clem - I should think this will put Andy in the picture. Good to know they were not just "digging Deep Holes - and filling them in again". |
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| Clem Walden |
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Kate, they never did then, but perhaps they do now? Kate: Well Clem, I don't stand there looking down at them as I did as a kid - (on the way home from school) examining the bottom of those holes and wondering what they were doing. . They used to have a little fire to keep them warm and would always have a word with us as we sauntered by. Just wizz past now and hope they are getting the job done. Well done to today's road workers for keeping our roads nice (in all weathers!). Can't be too easy at times. Especially with cars and lorries wizzing by and the rain coming down. Not too nice a place to eat one's sarnies. |
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| Clem Walden |
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Yes Kate, I agree very different today? with all the traffic etc. |
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| PatrickI remember |
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I remember the new sewage construction in High Street. The stone excavated was dumped in the old quarry at the junction of Uffington Road and Priory Road. It was levelled off and grassed and I think the Priory School pupils used it as a playing field. I wonder if any of the old people in the Home there know what they are sitting on top of? |
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