IT was a quiz question on the Daily Politics TV show as to Jeremy Corbyn’s interests. Manhole covers was the answer. It turned out he had helped out a local history group in his constituency with a project by taking photos of them. I was curious.

As one website explained: “Drain covers mark the entrances to underground tunnels and shafts that shift utilities around the urban environment. While most are plain and functional, many cities add a touch of local flair to brighten up the streets beneath our feet”.

A manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, to prevent anyone or anything from falling in, and to keep out unauthorized persons and material.

It’s curious that St Helens has its own underground network of tunnels and shafts, yet they never seem to recover any archaeological remains, which is rather ironic as St Helen is the Patron Saint of Archaeologists and there is a statue to her on the front of the Town Hall, by the Mayor’s Parlour.

It’s probably policy to just dump them in skips. That nearly happened to the famous Blood Stone in Newton, until local residents managed to save it. I remember one cover that existed until recently in Haydock Street. It was the entrance to an air raid shelter. Probably there is nothing left on our roads and pavements that go back more than a dozen years, but if there are any you spot, please let me know. This does include any entrances to the depths below.

Manhole covers date back at least to the era of ancient Rome, which had sewer grates made from stone. There may be things dating back to 1868 when the town was born, as they began building sewers etc., and then for the power for our trams and trolley buses. With a local tradition of Catholicism, maybe there are tunnels leading from forgotten and yet to be discovered Priest Holes?

Because of their aerodynamic design, some modern racing cars create enough vacuum to lift a manhole cover off its recess.

During races on city streets, manhole covers must therefore be welded or locked down to prevent injury. According to urban legend, a manhole cover was accidentally launched from its shaft during an underground nuclear test in the 1950s, at great enough speed to achieve escape velocity. The myth is based on a real incident during the Operation Plumbbob nuclear tests, where a 900 kilograms (1,984 lb) steel plate cap was blasted off the test shaft at an unknown velocity, and appears as a blur on a single frame of film of the test; it was never recovered.

I am seeking photos and welcome them on email attachments. I am sure they will make an interesting display at a future exhibition. Which company names and designs will be embossed on them?

Email chrispcoffey@gmail.com or ring 01744 817130 or write to 37 Holbrook Close, St Helens, WA9 3XH.