THE BOWKER DRAIN

[Stanley]

David, to the best of my knowledge it never passed under the canal but kept to the South Bank all the way from the field next to Kelbrook New Road at the bridge where Harold Duxbury told me it started in a bed of gravel and the start was covered by a large flag stone. The only water I know that connected with it after passing under the canal is via the two wooden culverts from the bottom of Preston's meadow opposite LPM. See the topic above. I have a plan of it but is has currently escaped me.

[David Whipp]

Thanks Stanley.

The second plan that you posted shows the connection under the canal. I've passed that on to the powers that be in connection with investigations about where the water flows from that neck of the woods.

I wonder whether the top end of the Bowker Drain has been cut off by the construction of the marina?

During last year's heavy rainfall, I found what to me was a 'new' culvert which runs under Kelbrook Road from King Hill (the inlet is in the grounds of one of the big houses on Kelbrook Road). I guess this watercourse heads towards where the Bowker Drain originally began.

[Stanley]

There is no doubt that before the new road was built in the inter war years water from that hillside had to flow down towards Harold's gravel bed. I wondered about that excavation at LPM as well. At about the same time the British Waterways excavated at the side of the canal at that point and did something but I don't know what.

[Stanley]

Bumped and image restored. As for how the water got into Wellhouse dams, see this plan annotated by Harold Duxbury. The water flowed from the manhole in Eastwood Bottoms to a Pulsometer pump on the NE corner of the mill, from there it was pumped into the dams.

[Stanley]

Bumped. As you can see this is an important subject and should be kept in mind.

[Stanley]

The subject has gone quiet but the Bowker Drain is alive and well and at the moment still flows into Butts Beck in Victory Park.....