HMS Fervent

This is one of those locations that i had read about even before i got into this exploring lark and this was around 2008  and news was it was open for a while and obviously then sealed and covered over like it was never there.
So after many years  the site this was sat on which was the former Merrie England/Pleasurama site,was under redevelopment which came to a standstill over local politics and failed plans,the sites laid empty and lacking in any work for years ,then a new firm took over and during their groundworks this place popped open,kindly advertised on facebook by some local fervent group who insisted on plastering pics of it open then allegedly sealed and lost,all to gain public interest in "saving it" ,total clusterfuck as all it did was highlight it to the many local facebook groups and explorer types ,in short every man and his dog with a torch and a mobile phone was on the case.
This place was hit by the many tourbuses and it was hit harder than a brothel on a friday night.Suffice to say we managed to get in and out shortly after the place popped open and then revisted a few days later as the local lads had started to filter in,by the end of the week this place had been well and truly trampled underfoot as well the contractors knew so not surprising it got sealed up ,not like a facebook group trying to save it helped it's cause one little bit..But hey ho such is facebook..Anyhoo i digress,my point is this may not be epic but it's local and as like everyother place local as soon as the tourbus starts rolling it isnt long before stupidly large groups of people visit and in the end it becomes a joke..!!

Some history:
“HMS Fervent was commissioned as a shore base on 10 October 1939, with, according to naval custom, a small motor boat as its ‘name ship’. The large amusement building, Merrie England, was recquisitioned for the accommodation of ratings and stores. Army-type huts were erected in the grounds for office and administrative accommodation. It was not long before the tunnels under the cliffs had been utilised as protection from the air raids and for the base ammunition magazine...”

It is fairly obvious that this network pre existed WW2 and at some point modified for use as a shelter and then for Naval use.The passage leading up the old chalk steps was only about 5 foot high and not very wide so i can't see how this would have been easy to use transporting shells up to the promenade where two very large guns where situated,but the specifics im just not sure on...

Thanks to a Mate for the early Tip off about this

The Guildford Shaft

The 214 step spiral staircase was cut to connect it with the castle.

It was used again during both world wars; four-hundred-years after it was first built.


...

Lady Bower Reservoir In-fall and pipe

The view looking back up to the in-fal is pretty boring at night and there are only fourshots i could get really without the torchlight alerting people to us being in there,there was lights on in the pump house and didn't wanna risk it so just the four shots

Flo Selecta!!

History blatantly robbed from a quote form Paul powers post on this from a few years back !

The Markeaton Interceptor Storm Relief Culvert also known as "The Flow Selecta" and "The Markeaton Interceptor" is a storm relief culvert running under Markeaton park taking water from the Markeaton basin across through Derby city center, and out into the River Derwent. The culvert was constructed in 1938 in response to the 1932 flooding of the area; with various improvements made in 2006. For the most part the culvert is of concrete and brick construction and approximately 12ft high. Access points can be found at regular intervals, the largest of which rises up by 8 floors. The culvert is almost one and a half miles in length and takes water from the Markeaton basin across Derby and out into the River Derwent.

Last explore of Full day 1 this was i think and we met up with a couple of Friends from forum and facebook alike to say hi..then off we squeezed and climbed into the In-fall which apart from the nice junction really is all to be seen,didnt fancy the 2km walk to the outfall so was just a flying visit,and you will be glad to hear my last report from this trip

Megatron Sheffield May 2015

Megatron is a massive storm drain ( if its nto a storm drain my bad but it's been reported on as such) and a culverted section of the river sheaf just before it joins the river Don in the city centre.This was top of my list and first location visited after a nights kip at pauls.

Upon entering after a quip hop of a fence and down into the main drag i was i have to admit not disappointed by what greeted me.quick wlk upstreak for a few shots which may have come out better if it was dark but hey ho..then off we went downstream past varying sections of different construction types,there are many deeper holes to navigate around so as much as staring up and around at my surroundings i paid attention to where i put my feet as we trundled down sloped past arches and into some pretty cool massive spaces..

Thanks again to paul for his guidance as i managed to stay up right and not go over once in here which he took great pleasure in telling me that others has done

Pics...In some form of order i think..