Deep water seal Gully
The humble drain cover. A large slab of perforated metal, whose sole purpose is to rid our pot-holed streets of rainwater, syringes, condoms and car keys, yet still keeping important objects such as feet and ankles from plunging into the sewerage system.
Chad, who you may remember, enjoys leaving comments on this very website under the name of Vince, left another one, stating his disinterest in the subject of streetlighting. Aw, shame. His closing statement was that “[he] must go and start taking pictures of drain covers and roadsigns”. Suddenly, I remembered. Both of my brain cells lit up like Blackpool Illuminations.
N Downing And Sons, the company who made that very drain cover, were based in Railway Street, Stockton-On-Tees, and formed in 1880 when the owner, Mr. Nicholas Downing, dissolved his partnership with Mr John Matthew Henderson. It closed 100 years later in the early 1980s. The last family owner, Dave Downing, is now living in South Africa.
You might be wondering how I had an image of a drain cover to hand so readily. Back in August, I was outside Mercuryvapour Towers, waiting for Big Phil to pick me up and take me to Rievaulx Abbey. Unfortunately, he was running late, so I had a bit of time to wait. While I was waiting, I thought I’d test the camera, just to make sure it was working. I looked down at my feet, and noticed the drain cover below. I took the photo, and was happy in the knowledge that the camera was working perfectly. However, instead of deleting this image, I kept it on the camera
After returning home, I downloaded all of the images from the camera, and came across that one. Again, I didn’t delete it. Instead, I filed it away, in the hope that somewhere down the line, I would be able to blog about it. I have done that now.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:06:59 pm
The links to the comments feed at the very bottom of the page doesn’t work.
October 29th, 2007 at 5:13:34 pm
Thanks, consider it fixificated.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:40:26 am
Ha ha, I am dumbstruck
October 31st, 2007 at 7:27:40 am
You really should tell everyone about the times when we were much younger, all those times we caught you rubbing yourself against the street’s lamp post or touching it and then sniffing your fingers.
October 31st, 2007 at 10:25:41 am
Wow, it took you three days to think of that? Very poor.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:05:10 pm
Why Roy Castle but not this kid, that’s all I want to know.
I mean, he could play the trumpet AND he did record breakers.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:18:24 am
I was too busy rusty trumpeteering to read the latest lamp post news. Sorry to disappoint you.
“Come up with” implies I made it up, which is far from the truth.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:28:42 am
Wow. My drainage post appears to have caused some controversy, though I am too a little confused over the whole “sniffing your fingers” thing. Perhaps you’d like to submit some third-party evidence on this subject?
I’ll admit to the lamp post interest. This goes without saying, but I can’t admit to ever checking a lamp post for an aroma.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:22:15 am
I shared your website with some guys here. There was talk of having a whip round so you can lose your virginity, what do you reckon?
People were also fascinated by how lives diverge, but then come across each other again. People were amazed to find we lived but 5 doors from each other.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:27:26 pm
Hmmm. You can’t have shown them much of the website. On that particular session, you entered the site at 02:16:46, after searching for “Jamie Scribbler” on Live.com, then didn’t access any other post except this one, eventually leaving that comment at 02:22:14.
In fact, I can’t see where any other part of this site has been accessed from Japan since Sunday, except for the “Drink Or Drunk” category.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:31:09 pm
Bubbles, I think you just got Pwned
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:37:41 pm
Indeed, I’m predicting another “lack of girlfiend” comment.
This post has had the most comments than any other I’ve written. Grate! Er, sorry, I mean Great!
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:13:57 pm
Jesus. How fantastically immersing and fulfilling must ones life be to spend your time trying to intarweb bully someone from half a world away.
November 4th, 2007 at 4:39:36 am
“Half a world away” is how fantastically immersing and fulfilling my life is. You don’t have to call me Jesus either, I rarely use my official name.
Bully? I don’t think so, just provoking a response from the lamp post squad.
November 4th, 2007 at 5:08:41 am
Sorry for any offense caused, I am a sad little man.
Later wankers
November 4th, 2007 at 5:27:00 am
Bye now. Oh, and I’ve also blocked your IP, just to make sure that you keep to this promise (since removed). Been nice knowing you for the past 22 years, but seeing as leopards never change their spots, I knew it was only a matter of time before you stooped to the levels that you did.
And, as far as I know, Glen, nor Andy have the slightest interest in street furniture.