Archie Workman is fascinated with drain covers. Archie lives in Penny Bridge in Cumbria. He now works as a lengthsman. Earlier, he worked in a foundry.
A lengthsman keeps a length of a road neat and tidy — keeping the grass and weeds cut at the edge of the road, keeping the drainage ditches clear, tending to the wild flowers, removing litter, and the upkeep of drain covers.
“I really enjoy the job – it is nice to be outside in the fresh air,” he said. “But I’ve found the drain covers so interesting.”
“I’ve also found it quite interesting to discover the geometry of the drains, and how they interconnect. There’s a whole world underneath us that we don’t realize.”
Archie has taken pictures of his favorite drain covers and other objects associated with a lengthsman’s work and published a calendar:
“I was gobsmacked at the response,” Archie said. “I’ve had people ringing me saying that their dad worked on the drains or some other member of their family, and they wanted to buy one for them.
“I’ve had orders mostly for people in the North West but there has been some from around the country.”
Sources:
http://daily-news.us/news/forget-trainspotting-was-odd-meet-the-drain-spotter
http://usa-news.us/news/thought-trainspotting-was-odd-meet-the-drain-spotter
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/30/thought-trainspotting-was-odd-meet-the-drain-spotter-4284503/
Drainspotting in Japan — a book and an iPad app
http://www.coolhunting.com/travel/drainspotting.php
International Manhole Museum
