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Drain-spotting: The people who keep their minds in the gutter
By Bethan Bell
image copyrightAmir Dotan
Tour guides usually urge people to look up! when exploring a city, but a downwards glance can also offer portals into the unknown. Like bellybutton piercings of the streets, the gleam of these cast-iron discs are little glimpses of jewellery not usually seen.
Manhole covers, coalhole covers and drain covers all offer access to an underground world that, if not exactly thrilling, is at least full of artistry, history and in many cases, beauty.
Dr Shepherd Thomas Taylor, who studied medicine in 1860s London, is the first person known to have captured their charm. ....

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