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Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2016 3:17 pm
by Chudleigh
Bishops_Palace_entrance.jpg
Bishops_Palace2.jpg


Whilst looking for the Bishop's Palace archaeological excavation, I came across this intriguing flight of stairs with some sort of culvert at the top, which appears to run straight under the Palace. Just north of the wall, towards the photographer, the wall bulges into the river for a short distance. Any bright ideas?

Chudleigh

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2016 4:49 pm
by edward carolan
Looks like river entrance to the site of the palace. the river looks deepest around that point where the embankment is. No idea why they would construct the out-shot to the embankment, other than decorative, unless there was something built on top on the site of the palace. If there was info as to the orientation of the site and the buildings therein. If the river is deeper at this point then it looks like you could have access downriver regardless the state of the river.

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2016 8:22 pm
by yoker brian
The embankment wall has been deteriorating for the past 4 - 5 years, as a result of scour damage by the flow of the river at that point weakening the foundation of the wall.

The "mysterious" tunnel is probably just a storm drain outflow into the Kelvin.

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2016 9:14 pm
by edward carolan
A drain with steps?

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Mon May 09, 2016 1:03 pm
by old jock
The "Steps" could be to reduce the flow and regulate the energy of the water, to minimize erosion.

Quite a common feature in watercourses, but unusual in this application I grant you.

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2016 8:37 am
by Chudleigh
Riverbank.jpg


Here is another, slightly different, one. It is the the bank opposite Glasgow Academy, about 100-150 yards north of the Kelvin Bridge. It is a metal gate high enough to be able to walk through, and the outlet pipe looks as if it may a later add-on and not the reason the gate was let into the wall.

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2016 9:22 am
by dazza
Chudleigh wrote:Here is another, slightly different, one. It is the the bank opposite Glasgow Academy, about 100-150 yards north of the Kelvin Bridge. It is a metal gate high enough to be able to walk through, and the outlet pipe looks as if it may a later add-on and not the reason the gate was let into the wall.


And inside it looks like this (before the metal gate was installed):

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2016 5:35 pm
by Chudleigh
But what are we looking at? Is it the confluence of two culverted streams? Is it Victorian? And how many more of these have you explored?

Re: Mystery Tunnel in Partick

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:21 pm
by dazza
Chudleigh wrote:But what are we looking at? Is it the confluence of two culverted streams? Is it Victorian?


It's the old outfall for the Pinkston Burn.
The burn does not appear to be natural, instead appears to have been built linking the Clyde and Forth canal to the Kelvin, possibly as a relief for water levels. The old watercourse is now used as a sewer. The tunnel goes on for a some distance before a small overflow chamber is reached. The burn used to empty directly into the River Kelvin but it looks like a new section of sewer and a dam were built in order to direct the sewage to a treatment works somewhere, meaning the old outfall section now remains dry until it rains, allowing the sewer to overflow and thunder down to the Kelvin again. Not sure where the sewer goes but after the overflow chamber it takes a steep downhill gradient and disappears, presumably running under the River Kelvin at some point.

Text © David B aka Pyroninja

Chudleigh wrote:And how many more of these have you explored?


Just the Pinkston. And that was quite enough, thank you.