Following on from a couple of posts about pining for Glossop...
Are there any bendcrete walls left and if so where?
PS I've put this in Rocktalk because I think it's not a current walls/training thread and also for greater coverage.
Eldon Square, Newcastle is still going strong.
As mentioned in the other thead, as far as I'm aware Glossop wall is still going strong!
What a place.
I must give it a visit, especially in all this "summer" weather.
I miss Broughton
If you could do all the problems at a (technical) grade there, then you knew that you could do that grade pretty much anywhere.
The climb at Amersham is - should be listed by English Heritage.
Being destroyed fairly soon though.
The wall at Kelsey Kerridge in Cambridge was a horrible slimey fibreglass precursor to bendcrete, not sure if it's still there
> The wall at Kelsey Kerridge in Cambridge was a horrible slimey fibreglass precursor to bendcrete, not sure if it's still there
It's still there hiding behind the much less interesting plywood. As I recall it even had a couple of half-bricks sticking out as holds.
The central area at Awesome Walls Stockport is bendcrete (or something very similar). A couple of nice chinneys and other routes that can be climbed (top rope) using cracks and jamming, as well as the bolted-on holds. There's also a bendcrete-type arete for leadingat the far end between the tall auto-belays.
Guildford Uni wall?
Wellington College, Crowthorne?
Possibly another one at Pangbourne College - haven't been to any of these for years, though.
> Guildford Uni wall?
> Wellington College, Crowthorne?
> Possibly another one at Pangbourne College - haven't been to any of these for years, though.
I've been to all of those (though Pangbourne only once)!
Guidford has been revamped I think - the glass like traverse above the trampolinists (trampoliners?) is no more.
I think these are both Bendcrete;
Fort Purbrook - Portsmouth
Southampton Climbing Wall (The Solent uni owned one)
Rope Race in Marple is going strong.
Has that got bendcrete bouldering or is it part of the lead/TR setup?
Awesome Walls Stockport was made by Rockworks.
The Wave at the Foundry is Bendcrete.
> The Wave at the Foundry is Bendcrete.
Been a little (?) while since I've been there but I hadn't remembered that being as featured as somewhere like Broughton was.
Maybe my memory has been corrupted by the steepness
Keele university have a bendcrete bouldering wall.
The wall at Inverness leisure centre is bendcrete too.
It’s a shame Bendcrete is becoming increasingly confined the realms of nostalgia.
I used to love it, particularly when it was done well. Broughton, Preston, Blackburn were all superb venues. No room for any of this modern day heel hooking and volumes shenanigans, it was all about the crimp!
Happy days...
I think sport Martley has a bendcrete portion to their wall with some crack features. Pretty sure their bouldering 'wall' was of the same stuff.
Does Glasgow Climbing Centre count?
The Sands Centre, Carlisle has a bendcrete boulding cave .
Probably no for much longer though
> Awesome Walls Stockport was made by Rockworks.
> The Wave at the Foundry is Bendcrete.
Serious question then: what is the actual difference between bendcrete and the walls made by Rockworks?
>> The wall at Kelsey Kerridge in Cambridge was a horrible slimey fibreglass precursor to bendcrete, not sure if it's still there
>As I recall it even had a couple of half-bricks sticking out as holds.
I've just found a couple of photos of me on that wall in 83ish, complete with EBs, whillans harness and bouffant hair. They don't look like half-bricks, but could be. Plenty of them.
> Southampton Climbing Wall (The Solent uni owned one)
No longer there (or at least not open to the public) since Boulder Shack opened.
There's a big lead wall and also a wave that's bouldering.
I don't remember half bricks, but iirc a lot of the holds were embedded bits of rock?
I'm not sure, I think the Channel View wall in Cardiff survived (with bolt on holds added). I used to love that wall - fingers of steel from countless traverses and some great problems. May be my glasses are tinted by summer flowers...If modern walls were around in the 80's - it wouldn't have had a look in.
> I don't remember half bricks, but iirc a lot of the holds were embedded bits of rock?
The new Warwick Uni wall has a section of featured surface. It even has a jamming crack although according to the induction this is only for demonstrating placement of trad gear and not to be used for climbing.
I loved climbing on Bendcrete. Done well it was very much like climbing on real rock
Used to visit the Bencrete wall at Blackbrook pavilion, Taunton in the early 90's. It had very thin padding on the floor and two movable gym mats that you had to manoeuvre into position. When you wanted to climb across the roof everyone else would have to stop because you needed both mats. I stopped going when health and safety came in because all the sit down starts and kick board disappeared under thick matting.
> I loved climbing on Bendcrete. Done well it was very much like climbing on real rock
Exactly, which is why it was good training.
Whickham Thorns has not been mentioned!
That's because it was made by Entre Prises
The Warehouse, Gloucester has a bendcrete or similar free-standing boulder in the bouldering loft. It's shaped like an elephant and is a lot of fun to climb, actually pretty nails in places, really replicates polished limestone. Will be a shame to lose this when they move, as presumably its not transportable.
The Warehouse boulder was made by Crispin Waddy/Livingstone.
Never knew that: climbing on the handholds of giants! It’s unfortunately not likely to fit through the door.
Generally the Bendcrete walls had a fibreglass structure which was then sprayed with a concrete layer.
Rockworks are fibreglass with a sand texture layer same as plywood wall finish.
I think both manufacturers have dabled with other mediums though.
Last Bendcrete walls i can think of being made in North west were University of Bolton and Chillfactore.
West view leisure centre has loads although some are now covered by newer plywood walls.
The non-resettability was a problem in the long run though. I used to go to Broughton in the 90s; went back a few years ago for a nostalgia trip just before it closed, and everything was like greased glass.
The fact the holds didn't change was a massive bonus. You always knew what to come back to.
Andy F
> The fact the holds didn't change was a massive bonus. You always knew what to come back to.
That's certainly true. In 1991 I started working on a problem at the Newcastle Berghaus wall (somewhere around the centre of the big overhang for anyone who knows it) and finally completed it circa 2003! Now that's pathos....
> The fact the holds didn't change was a massive bonus. You always knew what to come back to.
Indeed. I think the best bouldering walls are like the free standing boulders at Ratho which are featured bendcrete style but also have bolt on holds - the best of both worlds. You always have new problems to do (and with the option of "features for feet"), but your benchmark test pieces will always be there along with your aspirational decades or life long projects!
Machynlleth leisure centre still has one. We're waiting on a BMC rep to come and tell the manager its safe so it can be used again.
Were the walls in The Edge in Sheffield Bencrete?
if so they’re still there, in a spooky echoing empty facility. Still loads of holds up on the big overhang opposite the pillar last time I took a look
This has reminded me of the Stourbridge Crystal Leisure centre wall, which is in a converted squash court. Used to climb there loads, really unique old-school wall. The panels, which I think are fibreglass with sanded paint on for texture, were great, I particular it had the best indoor slab I’ve yet to climb on. Some of the eliminate routes (like the 50p sequence) were utterly desperate. The main walls had inset bit of rock, which I think were actually slate, glassy as anything but great fun. Somebody broke their ankle i think and that set in train the non-climbing management shutting down access except to their own courses, and I believe some unredeemable heathen bolted on obtrusive, massive plastic holds all over the walls. Utter desecration. I also remember somebody had graffitied ‘This is my church, this is where I go to heal my hurts’ on the ceiling. Simpler times.
Edit to add a link so you can see the full horror of that butchered slab:
https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15/q65/28423310_1015...
What's the horseshoe at Westway made of?
> Were the walls in The Edge in Sheffield Bencrete?
I think that might have been made by Paul Ingham on his own rather than Bendcrete. Of course Paul worked for Bendcrete and probably made all of their best walls along with the likes of Dave Kenyon and Al Williams.
Another Bendcrete wall is The Tower in Leicester.
Entre Prises I think, the made most, if not all, of the original indoor stuff.
Not sure how many are left but Broughton wall in Salford was the best climbing wall I've ever been to
In Leicester, that'll be just the bouldering balcony. Main leading wall is panels so will be something different.
Just popped into Glossop on way home, the bendcrete wall at the leisure centre is there and available but apparently rarely used. Might give it a go sometime when the weather's rubbish and I'm fed up of plastic.
There is a PDF guide for Glossop which you can find on the web, over 900 named problems (of which over 600 will be too hard for me )
Nope, the main lead/TR wall is also all from Bendcrete, I worked for them freelance at the time and spent 6 months building the walls.
Are the panels in the lead/TR room of the Tower the "traditional" spray on concrete style (as per Broughton RIP)?
If they are, my memory really has gone to s**t
> I think that might have been made by Paul Ingham on his own rather than Bendcrete. Of course Paul worked for Bendcrete and probably made all of their best walls along with the likes of Dave Kenyon and Al Williams.
> Another Bendcrete wall is The Tower in Leicester.
Is the brown(ish) features wall in the Foundry Bendcrete?
> The fact the holds didn't change was a massive bonus. You always knew what to come back to.
> Andy F
That's the truth. There's a reliance on getting it right first time, the Wave at the Foundry was either very good luck or very good judgement
I’ve used a lot of Bendcrete walls but I’m my opinion only Broughton got it right, this was due to good use of rock inserts, the surface seemed more durable than others and Geof Hibbert’s input to the design
I had a look in there a couple of weeks ago. At the moment they're ripping all the lower sections of wall out as Go Outdoors are transforming that area into a fishing shop.
But as you say all the old walls are just as they were left with a few holds still in place.
Shame it had to close.
Used to love the old Rochdale wall - a set of classic indoor problems. Enjoyed the Gloucester boulder too - these type of wall gae you the opportunity to make up your own problems/eliminates using 'real' holds.
i appreciate that modern walls are more flexible but, conversely, this seems to have resulted in them everywhere being monotonously the same.
It was fun one time to climb up the corner to the left of the glass doors/windows just on features, quite interesting - more like real rock.
> That's the truth. There's a reliance on getting it right first time, the Wave at the Foundry was either very good luck or very good judgement
Jerry Moffatt designed it, I read in his book.
I use Glossop occasionally, did quite a bit over the not a winter before heading back outside.
> There is a PDF guide for Glossop which you can find on the web, over 900 named problems (of which over 600 will be too hard for me )
A 3rd is almost halfway there.
There will be loads in that third that I can't do, but their grade indicates I may at least have a chance
Great memories of Broughton wall it had over a thousand problems!
Link to a small BMC article:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/broughton-climbing-wall-opening-extension
And here’s a list of problems for the nostalgic:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Handlers/DownloadHandler.ashx?id=1130
> There will be loads in that third that I can't do, but their grade indicates I may at least have a chance
Fair enough. It's how I convince myself a walk home after a night out isn't as far as it is, 'If I walk to that point, I'm almost half way there' and I think of that as my carrot.
Any pictures of these beauties ?
Broughton was a great wall, really hard core, did one round of the N.I.B.L there about 93/94, got an A2 pulley strain for my troubles!