Skyhook by the Bright Obelisk (C) Robin Stott :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

SP3165 : Skyhook by the Bright Obelisk

near to Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Great Britain

Skyhook by the Bright Obelisk

The polished pink granite obelisk, erected in 1880, honours Alderman Henry Bright whose "untiring exertions" secured for the town "its supply of pure water" from a borehole. A Liberal and a radical, Henry dragged Leamington into the 19th century by doggedly pursuing improvements in public health. He would have entirely approved of the sewer replacement works taking place within feet of his monument. Guessing: the chamber at this major junction is a holding tank for storm water that avoids any mixing with sewage, minimising pollution of the River Leam. In the 19th century much of the town was obliged to pay for a private supply of filtered river water. It was a cholera epidemic of 1848-9 and the increasing pollution of the river by villages upstream that made Henry redouble the search for an alternative supply. SP3165 : The Henry Bright Monument SP3165 : Plaque on the Henry Bright Monument.
The big green hydraulic crane from Walsall has lowered a precast concrete panel into the chamber. The site is at or near SP3165 : Something big is planned for here: 1. The view is up Hamilton Terrace from the Parade.

Leamington Spa Sewer Improvements 2010-12

Severn Trent Water is investing £7.6M in Leamington town centre to upgrade over 2.2km of the sewerage network to increase the capacity of the sewer system and reduce the risk of flooding in the town. In addition the sewer relief system will be upgraded to reduce pollution of the River Leam. Work started in September 2010 and will conclude in spring 2012.

Many of the sewers in Leamington town centre date back to Victorian times and are unable to meet the demands of today’s urban society. To meet these demands they need to be replaced with larger and more robust systems. This will reduce the risk of flooding from the town’s sewers. This is not the first time that similar works have been carried out. Since I moved to the area in 1984 there have been at least two major schemes of sewer enlargement and pollution prevention.

An essential part of the new system will be constructed in the Parade, a busy and popular shopping street in the town centre Conservation Area. Before Severn Trent can start these works, they need to divert existing gas and water mains which obstruct the proposed new sewers, and also replace old brittle mains which are nearing the end of their serviceable life. These works form Phase 1 of the scheme.

Work started on 10 January 2011. The diversion of the water mains in three locations took four weeks to complete. The diversion and replacement of the gas mains on both sides of the Parade is more complex and was expected to take around five months to complete. Works are still under way at the time of writing, July 2011.

(paraphrased from the large site notice in Euston Place Gardens, see SP3165 : Explanatory sign, Euston Place Gardens)

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year taken

2011

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Grid Square: SP3165, 790 images (more nearby)
Photographer: Robin Stott (find more nearby)
Image classification^?: Geograph
Date Taken: Tuesday, 27 September, 2011 (more nearby)
Submitted: Friday, 16 December, 2011
Geographical Context: Waste, Waste management People, Events Construction, Development City, Town centre Roads, Road transport
Place (from Tags): Royal Leamington Spa
Road (from Tags): Parade
Subject Location: OSGB36: SP 3180 6572 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:17.3221N 1:32.1128W
Photographer Location: OSGB36: SP 3179 6572
View Direction: East-northeast (about 67 degrees)