MANHOLE COVER LOVERS

There must be billions of them in the world. We pass them every day. We walk on them. We do not take any notice of them. They are heavy, and usually made of cast iron. They come in many different shapes, sizes and patterns. Look, and you will find them everywhere.

What are they? MANHOLE COVERS, that provide access to local service systems such as water, electricity, gas, and telecommunications.

Post photos of any interesting ones you find here.

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  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    LIMERICK, IRELAND -- FROM BRIAN O'C

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    Well, as not one of you replied to my suggestion for an International Manhole Covers' Day, I'll think of something else.

    And so,  a Manhole Cover from Ceret in France

  • Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)

    So sad, Val,...there is no official "International Manhole covers Day", is there?

    I discovered news about this:

    "Manhole Summit in Tokorozawa, japan,  on Nov. 19"

    but that was last year , an exhibit of painted manhole covers.

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Heleen de Vaan

    I just saw a message of Val in my email (not the IUOMA mailbox) about Manhole Cover day, and I think it a good idea!

    However, I cannot find the message to reply to - the link in the message in the email leads to this website and not to a message-to-reply-to...

    I would suggest 31 May as The MHC-day, because that is the day Val posted his first manhole cover photos in this group. And May is in spring (that is, here in the northern hemisphere), which is the perfect season to go out for manhole cover hunting spotting.

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    ANNOUNCING THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL MANHOLE COVER DAY -- 31 MAY' 2024
     
    Bonjour,
    This is to announce the launching of the first INTERNATIONAL MANH0LE COVER DAY which will take place on 31 May, 2024. *
    On that day, I suggest we all post a photo of the MHC nearest to where we live (there is one just outside my front door) saying,  a) where it is, and b) how close it is to my house/appartment/ranch/palace, etc.
    These photos are posted in a special section of the MHC Lovers Group page -- if I can work out how to set that up.
    Other MHCs that you spot on that day will also be posted there.
    I hope u will join in
    Regards. 
    Val
    * THANKS! Heleen
  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS CAN BE DANGEROUS....IF YOU ARE DRIVING A FORMULA 1 CAR AT THE US GP AT LAS VEGAS

    "F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Practice sessions chaotic with track problems

    The first day of the much-vaunted Las Vegas Grand Prix descended into chaos as practice was hit by problems with the new street track.

    The first session was called off after just nine minutes of running when Carlos Sainz's Ferrari hit a loose manhole cover, badly damaging his car.

    Esteban Ocon's Alpine was also damaged - like Sainz's Ferrari, losing a chassis - after he hit the same manhole as Sainz on his return to the pits after the red flag."

    (From BBC News)

  • Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)

    Yay! Manhole Cover Day!

    May Las Vegas fix its manhole covers by then?

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    Thanks Katerina. That's very good. If you don't mind, I will steal that idea -- the writing on a cOver, not the smiley -- and use it closer to The Day.

    And yes LA seems to have soerted out the problem for the F1 GP.

    Bestest, Val

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    2 MORE PARISIAN ONES FROM PIP

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    ENVIROMENTAL AWARENESS -- DRAINS AND MANHOLE COVERS CAMPAIGNS IN FRANCE

    Closely related – both functionally and spatially to Manhole Covers – are drain covers. Several towns in France (including 9 municipalities in Finistere, and Montpellier, Fitou and Collioure in the South of France) are currently running campaigns to raise civic awareness of the environmental dangers of dumping waste (chemicals, paint, detergents, etc; as well as cigagrette ends, paper, and so on) into drains and manholes. Attached to drains and manhole covers are metal plaques containing various messages. ‘NE RIEN JETER. NE RIEN VIDER. LA MER COMMENCE HIER.’ (‘Don’t throw anything away here. Don’t empty anything here. The sea begins here.’)

    ,

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS FROM LE MANS, FRANCE -- FROM WILLIAM B.

    Featuring the coat of arms of le Mans. "Gules, to the cross Or charged with a key sable in pal and quartered by four candlesticks Argent; to the chief Azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or, the shield edged Or ".

  • Bradford

    LA MER COMMENCE ICI ("HIER" ist Deutsch).

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    Merci Bradford. Je suis trés 'appy!

    'Ow are you?

  • Bradford

    Très bien, merci! 

    C'est l'automne le plus chaud depuis 21 ans ici.
  • Bradford

    Welcome, Carl!  Always nice to know there are more of us; makes me feel less weird, but in a good way.

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    TWO DUTCH ONES -- EINDHOVEN AND AMSTERDAM -- FROM HAN FISCHER

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    TWO MORE FROM CERET, FRANCE

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLES UNCOVERED -- SIGEAN, FRANCE

    A new drainage system is being installed just around the corner from where I live. These two Manholes have been Uncovered and await being replaced.

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    ANOTHER PARISIAN ONE FROM PIP

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    TWO MANHOLE COVERS FROM BOGOTA, COLOMOMBIA,  FROM BRIAN O'K

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    RUBBINGS

    Let's either keep this going or cancel it. Nothing is happening rubbing-wise;

    Post something if you're interested.

    Val

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia

  • Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)

    walking near the Acropolis, found a few:

  • Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS FROM WIVENHOE, ESSEX, ENGLAND (where Aan Brignull used to live)-- FROM DAVE SANDERS

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MORE FROM ANNE IN PARIS: merci!

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MORE MANHOLE COVERS FROM WIVENHOE, ESSEX, ENGLAND --  FROM DAVE SANDERS

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Prague/Praha, Czech Republic/Czechia, manhole "made in GDR", imported from DDR during communist time. 

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS, WIVENHOE, ESSEX, ENGLAND -- FROM DAVE SANDERS

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS FROM BOGOTA? COLOMBIA, SENT BY BRIAN O'K

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Example from Poland - Warsaw.

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Examople from Poland - Warsaw. 

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Example from Poznań/Posen - Poland. 

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    Many thanks, Carl.

    Great covers.

    Can you tell us, please, where you found them?

    Regards, Val

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Example from Poznań/Posen - Poland.

  • Heleen de Vaan

    Manhole cover in Diemen (pronounced as dee-men), a city close to Amsterdam. I never knew that Diemen has three ducks in their coat of arms until I saw this manhole cover :-) 

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    MANHOLE COVERS FROM WIVENHOE, ESSEX, ENGLAND -- SENT BY JOANNE BRUNT-BOWCOCK

    We have lots of Manhole Covers from Wivenhoe sent by Alan Brignull, Dave Sanders and now Joanne Brunt-Bowcock. Why is Wivenhoe so polular? It's where the Ubiversity of Essex is located, and where Alan, Dave, Joanne and I have all been associated with.

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Example from Warsaw, Poland.

  • Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)

    Found another manhole cover with STARS:

    and it has a tiny "heart", too...see it? From 2010-2011

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Example from Warsaw.....

  • Raphael Nadolny

    Examples from Warsaw, Poland. 

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    FOUR GREEK ONES FROM JOANNE

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- with Sydney Harbour Bridge -- FROM ADAM CARPENTER

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    THREE GREEK MANHOLE COVERS FROM PROFESSOR THEMIS BOWCOCK

  • Valentine Mark Herman

    DID YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN 'OPERCULIST?

    Extract from an article in The Independent (of UK) newspaper of 26 September, 2015

    "Drain-spotting is not a new hobby. An article published in a newspaper in the United States in 1962 declares that Britain “is full of operculists”, a term derived from operculum, meaning fish gill cover. The article also noted that the poet and art dealer Victor Musgrave actually collected coal-hole covers “like some people collect Picassos”.

    “My object,” said Musgrave as he showed off 40 of his choicest specimens at a gallery in Mayfair in 1962, “is to force people to look at coal-hole covers and to admire them. After all, our streets are full of them, and children use them for hopping and jumping games."