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2021 Maintenance Hole and Gully Covers of Wirral { 28 images } Created 15 Apr 2021

They might be simple and utilitarian in purpose, but maintenance hole (manhole) and gully covers reveal a rich industrial and social history, one which we simply walk by and largely ignore every day. I started photographing these pieces of street furniture in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic as part of my daily routine of permitted exercise walks near my home in Wirral, north west England. With their distinctive designs, ornate shapes and names embossed on the cast iron covers they offer a glimpse of the past. Many, it seems, were installed even before World War II, at a time when the road network in England was being developed and built. Thousands are still in use today.

Wirral Metropolitan Borough has responsibility for around 35,000 active gullies, and historically the covers for these have been supplied by companies from as far away as London and Rotherham. Until local government reorganisation in 1974, the maintenance was divided between the old Cheshire County Council and the four local municipalities which now make up Wirral. It is still not uncommon to find covers with a long-closed foundry name emblazoned on them. In addition, there are around 600 manhole covers in Wirral, almost all round in shape, a design feature which makes them easier to fit and less likely to collapse than square or rectangular versions. Most of these are now in the ownership and care of United Utilities. Because of damage, around three gully grates have to be replaced each month in Wirral by the local council, which does not now have a programme of routine maintenance due to budget constraints. They simply wait until the covers have to be replaced before ordering a new one. One big problem is theft: there are periodic spates of disappearances, often associated with the price of raw materials. To date, however, Wirral has not suffered the fate of one local authority in Scotland where around 50 covers were stolen in what became known in 2004 as the Great Drain Robbery. To replace a humble cover can cost anything from £70-£500, depending on what traffic management measures need to be put in place.

I have discovered that I am not alone in my interest in the gullies. There are websites and Twitter accounts dedicated to documenting and commenting on the covers, and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is amongst possibly hundreds of what are termed operculists or gridders. It has been reported that he photographs the covers as a hobby. There are enthusiasts too in many other countries, often in locations where local authorities utilise colourful and decorative designs which add a touch of elegance to the average street scene. In some parts of the world, such as Berkeley, California, manhole covers has been renamed maintenance hole covers to reflect the more gender-neutral times we are living in.

It’s just another layer of history to add to the story of these humble objects which I walk past every day. Except now, I make a point of photographing them.
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  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
This version is a more modern one, a replacement gully cover installed the last two decades.
    200322CMC_Manholes-09.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully covers bearing the name of A C Woodrow and Co, and the initials for Cheshire County Council, the designated local authority before council reorganisation in 1974 created Wirral Metropolitan Borough. A C Woodrow & Co was an iron foundry and manufacturer which started in London and moved subsequently to Kent. They supplied gully covers for municipalities across the country.
    200322CMC_Manholes-10.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Ham, Baker and Co Ltd. of Westminster, London. The company was founded in 1893 by Frederic George Sison Ham and is still in operation today from its base in Stoke-on-Trent.
    200618CMC_Manholes-01.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Deptford Foundry, south-east London, metal foundry formed in 1831 by engineer Josiah Stone. The original foundry on Arklow Road was once a thriving centre of design excellence, producing a variety of metal goods from propellers, to manhole covers and train parts. The site is now an upmarket housing development.
    210302CMC_Manholes-01.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by O. Jones of Birkenhead, a company which supplied numerous covers in Wirral before local government reorganisation in the 1970s. The company no longer exists.
    210302CMC_Manholes-02.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by O. Jones of Birkenhead, a company which supplied numerous covers in Wirral before local government reorganisation in the 1970s. The company no longer exists.
    210302CMC_Manholes-03.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by E. Wilson & Co. of Liverpool. Their foundry was situated in the city’s Collingwood Street, but the company ceased trading in 1962.
    210302CMC_Manholes-04.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by Doulton of London, a company which was based in the Vauxhall or Lambeth area of the capital, but which no longer trades.
    210302CMC_Manholes-05.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover bearing the inscription Caldy, the area of Wirral where it is located. This prosperous part of the borough is unique in having its location embossed on its gully covers.
    210302CMC_Manholes-06.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Needham of Stockport Local man, John Needham, established a foundry in 1834 in the Cheshire town’s Millgate, initially manufacturing manhole and gully covers to municipalities across the country. When the company relocated to nearby Carrington Road in 1931, the business expanded to supply international clients, with the inscription ‘England’ being added to its products. After John Needham’s death in 1897, the firm continued to operate for another eight decades, finally closing in 1979.
    210302CMC_Manholes-08.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured Dudley & Dowell, Cradley Heath, a company founded at the end of World War I. In 1933 the company moved to Cradley Heath and in 1967 merged with the Brickhouse Group to form Brickhouse Dudley. Established in 1858 as Brickhouse Foundry, it became Brickhouse Dudley and closed in 1984. In 1986 it was reopened by Glynwed under the name Glynwed Brickhouse and operated under that name until 1999.
    210302CMC_Manholes-09.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by James Pendleton & Co. Liverpool. In Victorian times the company was based at the Dale Street Foundry, but it is no longer in existence.
    210302CMC_Manholes-10.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by O. Jones of Birkenhead, a company which supplied numerous covers in Wirral before local government reorganisation in the 1970s. The company no longer exists.
    210315CMC_Manholes-01.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover in a distinctive shape unique to the village of Oxton, Wirral. Several streets have these anonymous covers with this ornate pattern.
    210406CMC_Manholes-01.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A variant of a gully cover manufactured by Needham of Stockport Local man, John Needham, established a foundry in 1834 in the Cheshire town’s Millgate, initially manufacturing manhole and gully covers to municipalities across the country. When the company relocated to nearby Carrington Road in 1931, the business expanded to supply international clients, with the inscription ‘England’ being added to its products. After John Needham’s death in 1897, the firm continued to operate for another eight decades, finally closing in 1979.
    210406CMC_Manholes-02.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Doulton of London, a company which was based in the Vauxhall or Lambeth area of the capital, but which no longer trades.
    210406CMC_Manholes-03.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by Yates, Haywood and Co. of Rotherham and London. The company originated in Yorkshire in 1823 when James Yates took over what was left of the Walkers' Foundry business and went into partnership with Charles Sandford at the Phoenix Works. In 1833 the Rotherham Foundry. The company went through numerous changes before finally ceasing trading in 1970.
    210406CMC_Manholes-04.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Ham, Baker and Co Ltd. of Westminster, London. The company was founded in 1893 by Frederic George Sison Ham and is still in operation today from its base in Stoke-on-Trent.
    210406CMC_Manholes-05.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A distinctive triangular maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by Tuke and Bell Ltd, a company formed in 1908 in Lichfield, Staffordshire and is still in operation, based in nearby Wednesbury.
    210406CMC_Manholes-06.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A modern replacement gully cover, installed after the time of local government reorganisation in the 1970s handed control of roads from four local authorities to Wirral Metropolitan Borough.
    210406CMC_Manholes-07.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by O. Jones of Birkenhead, a company which supplied numerous covers in Wirral before local government reorganisation in the 1970s. The company no longer exists.
    210406CMC_Manholes-08.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover in a street in Wirral. Due to local authority budget constraints, these covers are no longer subject to routine maintenance, meaning they will be replaced only when damaged or broken. To replace such a cover can cost from £70-£500 depending on traffic management requirements.
    210406CMC_Manholes-09.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A modern replacement gully cover, installed after the time of local government reorganisation in the 1970s handed control of roads from four local authorities to Wirral Metropolitan Borough.
    210406CMC_Manholes-10.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by E. Wilson & Co. of Liverpool. Their foundry was situated in the city’s Collingwood Street, but the company ceased trading in 1962.
    210406CMC_Manholes-11.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by Needham of Stockport Local man, John Needham, established a foundry in 1834 in the Cheshire town’s Millgate, initially manufacturing manhole and gully covers to municipalities across the country. When the company relocated to nearby Carrington Road in 1931, the business expanded to supply international clients, with the inscription ‘England’ being added to its products. After John Needham’s death in 1897, the firm continued to operate for another eight decades, finally closing in 1979.
    210406CMC_Manholes-12.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A maintenance hole (manhole) cover manufactured by Doulton of London, a company which was based in the Vauxhall or Lambeth area of the capital, but which no longer trades.
    210406CMC_Manholes-13.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A distinctive triangular 'Hartlid' maintenance hole (manhole) cover, dating from 1970 the design of which was patented by Simon-Hartley Limited of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in 1942 and has been in wide use ever since on England's road network.
    210416CMC_Manholes-02.jpg
  • Maintenance Hole- and Drain Covers of Wirral by Colin McPherson, 2020-21.<br />
<br />
A gully cover manufactured by J C Hulse and Co., Dawley, Salop. The company established an iron foundry in 1947 on the site of the former Langleyfield brickworks, for the production of manhole covers, gully gratings, cisterns and other grey iron castings. The foundry was extended in 1963 but closed around 1976.
    210416CMC_Manholes-03.jpg