Forget abandoned tunnels, undiscovered mines and lost cities. There’s something even more mysterious running under the surface of Manchester city centre.

Next time you’re out exploring First Street, take a moment to pause. Listen out for a trickle. A lapping. Maybe even a faint echo of a splash.

Any guesses?

We’ll put you out of your misery.

Underneath Manchester’s First Street, you’ll find not one, but two rivers. Who would have thought that at House of Social, you’re actually living above water, eh? Well, not quite. But you get the idea.

But where do these hidden rivers go? Can they be seen above ground? How long have they been running underneath Manchester?

We had a lot of questions, too. So, we’ve taken a deep dive into First Street’s subterranean story to find out what’s really going on under our feet (pun intended).

First Street’s fascinating waterway system

You don’t have to be a curious Mancunian or stream fanatic to find First Street’s underground river system fascinating.

The River Tib and River Medlock are the two rivers that run underneath First Street and across a lot of Manchester city centre. Once considered the ‘lifeblood of the city’, both rivers heavily influence the infrastructure we see in the city centre today – from early building development to the urban splash.

Not many people knew about Manchester’s rich riverway history until Geoffrey Ashworth’s 1987 book, The Lost Rivers of Manchester. Ashworth’s first-of-its-kind research saw the book quickly sell out (not bad for a study about local underground rivers), and it has since been republished with further insights.

Ashworth’s research uncovers a network of wondrous watercourses that snake beneath the city, bricked over by Victorian engineers and modern developers, sealed into culverts, and left to rush through the urban darkness. According to his findings, within a four-mile radius of First Street lie nearly one hundred miles of rivers. We gasped, too.

Yet what makes these waterways so mysterious is how we know so little about their exact routes. Their paths have been altered, covered, redirected and forgotten over centuries.

That’s until Mancunian urban explorer, Martin Zero, came along. Back in 2017, Martin documented his interested journey of finding the ‘Lost River Tib’ on his YouTube channel. His video, The Lost Waterways of Manchester The River Tib, unveils that the mysterious river system does indeed flow into First Street.

During his pavement pilgrimage through the city centre, Martin unearthed the folkloric tunnels, trap doors and culverts to confirm that First Street does indeed have two rivers. Check out his video for more information. The comments section is a great read, too.

The River Medlock and The River Tib

The River Medlock is roughly 10 miles long, rising in East Oldham and flowing south to join the River Irwell. It’s beneath the very footpaths of First Street that the River Medlock is culverted.

For the non-hydrogeologists out there, “river culverting” involves creating an enclosed watercourse that is channelled through an underground pipe or covered structure. This process is often used for land development, and to create a crossing for infrastructure like roads or railways. Manchester’s rapid industrial growth meant many of its rivers were covered over in exactly this way.

But the Medlock isn’t Manchester’s only best kept secret.

The River Tib, a smaller brook that flows underneath pavements and the canal, has been buried underground for over 200 years. Its legacy lives on only in street names, such as Tib Street and Tib Lane.

It’s believed the River Tib begins its course at Tib Street (an obvious clue), slipping under Rochdale Canal and The Hacienda, finishing by HOME Cinema on First Street. However, the exact track of the river is not known. Some sections have been mapped out by urban historians, but we don’t know for certain.

First Street really has more than meets the eye. The mystery of Manchester is just one of the reasons it’s one of the best places to be as a student in the UK. And at House of Social, we’re proud to call all of its aquatic quirks our home.