Multiple Wayspots Deleted

Wayspot Appeals
1

Multiple wayspots have been deleted in the same area as a result of a mass deletion “test” by another player. This has effort has resulted in six wayspots of the same type being deleted (so far) in a small area. These two are near me:

Pickhurst Lane Victorian Stinkpipe
Latitude:51.382238
Longitude:0.003818
155 Pickhurst Ln, Bromley BR2 7QT, UK

Den Road Victorian Stinkpipe
Latitude:51.399329
Longitude:-0.003109
32 Den Rd, Bromley BR2 0NH, UK

Den+Road+Bromley-1920w
Den+Road+Bromley-1920w500×730 57.9 KB

The Den Road stink pipe that was deleted is especially confusing. This is a prime example of its kind - nearly two centuries old, original, unrestored, complete and beautifully maintained by the local community. It’s in a lovely area of Bromley that is perfect for exploring. It even featured in a talk given by the Bromley Borough Local History Society.

Local Stink Pipes - Bromley Borough Local History Society

deleting stinkpipes
deleting stinkpipes1031×858 74 KB

Original Post

Clearly these wayspots were not submitted for deletion for a valid reason. Most of them were not deleted.

There are many of these wayspots in the UK because they are points of historical interest.

My local school regularly sends children out to search for them, because they are local history hiding in plain sight. Pokemon Go and Ingress do a great job here, because the children use the games to find them. Local people write blogs about them and track them in databases.

Many of the stink pipes in my local area are vents for local rivers that have disappeared under the ground, others are reminders of the great old houses that existed on the edge of London, now replaced by modern housing estates.

They are enduring testaments to one of the greatest engineering projects in history: a groundbreaking feat of civil engineering that not only transformed the city of London but set a precedent for modern urban sanitation projects worldwide.

Many people don’t see them. Many people don’t realise their historical significance. But they should. And having them part of the Niantic games is really helping to raise awareness - I’ve learned everything I have written here because I play the games.

Removing any of these portals from the game goes against a key goal of Niantic games: to encourage people to explore their local area and learn about its history.

1 Like
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As an update to my posts in the other thread shown here, the vast majority of reports have now been accepted.

This began as a result of a Stink Pipe Waypoint that was submitted for deletion maliciously by a local green player seeking to deny a blue player who was active in “their” area a nearby portal to their home.

The removal was appealed, with evidence of it’s continued existence and historical context provided, and the appeal was denied by Niantic. Whilst no further explanation was given, the only possible reason could be that Stink pipes are not considered valid waypoints by Niantic any more. Perhaps because they are too common, or perhaps they are just removed when there are multiple on the same road? One series of removals are literally labelled stink pipe #1, stink pipe #2, stink pipe #3 etc.

I have simply applied Niantics judgement to similar waypoints. Happy to hear further explanation as to if there are other criteria being applied, but it looks like I’ve got the right end of the stick.

If these are restored by Niantic then fine, I don’t overly object personally to their inclusion, nor disagree with the historical context given. I just want the criteria applied fairly/transparently/consistently.

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It would be great for someone at Niantic to look at the evidence for these portals being valid (see my post above) and make a firm decision. If it is left an open question like this, there’s going to be an opportunity for people to maliciously submit edits to get other people’s portals deleted. We risk losing a lot of very important reminders of our local history.

It’s hard to believe the Den Road stink pipe should have been deleted. It’s even referenced and photographed here by our own Bromley Borough Local History Society:

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Here one of our national newspapers reporting on a growing awareness of these historical structures. I would think that Niantic games are probably a huge part of this growing awareness.

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation calls them “iconic structures”.

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Stink_pipes

The BBC reports here on how a local community “mourned” the loss of a stink pipe which they viewed as a “local landmark”.

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I 100% agree with you. Are Stink Pipes valid or not? What was the reason for removing the original (malicious) report? Just tell us the rules and we’ll obey!

Like I said, I just want fairness and consistency.

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IMO, stink pipes are eligible in the same way that historic post boxes or phone boxes are. I believe that they are all Victorian-era, many are quite ornamental. I would never even have noticed that they existed if it wasn’t for Ingress and PoGo, now I look for them everywhere…

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Thanks for the appeal, @sublancer. We have taken another look but stand by our decision to retire these Wayspots.