Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire)

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Derwent Reservoir
Derwent reservoir.JPG
Derwent Reservoir in July 2007
Derbyshire UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Derwent Reservoir
Location Derbyshire
Coordinates 53°24′45″N1°44′35″W / 53.41250°N 1.74306°W / 53.41250; -1.74306
Lake type Reservoir
Primary inflows River Derwent
Primary outflows River Derwent
Basin  countriesUnited Kingdom
Max. length3.05 km (1.90 mi)
Max. width0.3 km (0.19 mi)
Surface area 70.8 ha (175 acres)
Max. depth34.7 m (114 ft)
Islands 1

Derwent Reservoir is the middle of three reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley in the north of Derbyshire, England. It lies approximately 10 mi (16 km) from Glossop and 10 mi (16 km) from Sheffield. The River Derwent flows first through Howden Reservoir, then Derwent Reservoir and finally through Ladybower Reservoir. Between them they provide practically all of Derbyshire's water, as well as to a large part of South Yorkshire and as far afield as Nottingham and Leicester. [1]

Contents

Derwent Reservoir is around 1.5 mi (2.4 km) in length, running broadly north–south, with Howden Dam at the northern end and Derwent Dam at the south. A small island lies near the Howden Dam. The Abbey Brook flows into the reservoir from the east.[ citation needed ]

At its full capacity the reservoir covers an area of 70.8 ha (175 acres) and at its deepest point is 34.7 m (114 ft) deep.[ citation needed ]

History

Derwent Dam in full flow (11 July 2007) Derwentoverflow.JPG
Derwent Dam in full flow (11 July 2007)

The Industrial Revolution and urbanisation of the 19th century created huge demand for water in the industrial cities of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. The proximity of Sheffield and its neighbours to the Upper Derwent valley were thus factors in the decision to dam the valley to create the Howden and Derwent reservoirs. [2]

Construction of the neo-Gothic solid masonry dam began in 1902, a year after the building of Howden commenced, and proved a mammoth task. The chief engineer was Edward Sandeman. He was also in charge of building nearby Howden dam and he was awarded the Telford Medal in 1918 for his work ‘Derwent Valley Waterworks’. The huge stones that formed the walls of the dam were carried along a specially created railway from the quarries at Bole Hill near Grindleford. Over 1,000 workers lived in a specially constructed self-contained town called Birchinlee [3] or "Tin Town". One of the metal huts was preserved and moved to the village of Hope, where it is now a hairdressing salon. The workers who died during the building of the dam were buried in Bamford Church.[ citation needed ]

The filling of the reservoir began in November 1914, and overflowed for the first time in January 1916, with the water almost immediately passing into supply. The dam can support a total of 9.64 million cubic metres (340 million cubic feet) of water.[ citation needed ]

Only two years after the dam's completion in 1916, it was decided that the flow from the reservoir was insufficient to support the surrounding population. As a result, between 1920 and 1931 the rivers Alport and Ashop were also diverted from the Ashop valley into the reservoir using tunnels and a Venturi flume.[ citation needed ]

The diversion helped hold back water during the construction of the Ladybower Reservoir to the south, which was constructed between 1935 and 1945.[ citation needed ]

Bamford and Howden Railway

Dam wall (16 March 2009) Derwent Dam.jpg
Dam wall (16 March 2009)

Between 1901 and 1903 a standard-gauge railway of over 7 mi (11 km) was built from the village of Bamford to the south of the reservoir to Howden, to carry the thousands of tons of stone required for the construction of the two dams. Near the southern end lay the newly opened quarry at Bole Hill near Grindleford.[ citation needed ]

Remains of the railway can still be seen alongside Derwent Reservoir as well as at the western end of the Ladybower dam where over 1.5 mi (2.4 km) of cutting and trackway remain, and are known locally as 'The Route'. Between the Howden and Derwent dams the present road was built over the top of the railway.[ citation needed ]

After supplying well over a million tons of stone the Bole Hill quarry was closed in September 1914, with the end of the railway following soon after. The section between the mainline railway at Hope and Yorkshire Bridge was relaid in 1935 to aid the construction of the Ladybower dam, but closed again in 1946.[ citation needed ]

Countryside

The base of the dam (2001) Derwent dam.jpg
The base of the dam (2001)

The majority of the land around the reservoir is owned by Severn Trent Water, and of that around half is woodland. The woods consist predominantly of larch, pine, and spruce conifers, with the remaining third mainly sycamore, beech and oak.[ citation needed ]

The hills of the Peak District are given over to the pasture of sheep, leased to local farmers. The moorlands and gritstone edges are criss-crossed by footpaths open year-round other than during selected shooting periods.[ citation needed ]

A stone memorial to Tip, a sheepdog, stands on the bank of the reservoir. Tip remained with the body of local shepherd, Joseph Tagg, for 105 days after he died on Howden Moor in the winter of 1953-54. Tip was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Canine Defence League. [4]

Dambusters

During the Second World War, the reservoir was used by pilots of the 617 Squadron for practising the low-level flights needed for Operation Chastise (commonly known as the "Dam Busters" raids), due to its similarity to the German dams. Today there is a commemorative plaque to 617 Squadron on the dam, and one of the towers on the dam housed the Derwent Valley Museum. The exhibition now closed, was owned and run by the late Vic Hallam, and covered stories of 617 Squadron and its training for Operation Chastise. It also had a display on the history of the Derwent valley and the lost villages of Derwent and Ashopton. [5]

Occasional flypasts of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at the reservoir are also staged to commemorate the events during the war. In September 2014, a unique flypast took place with the two remaining airworthy Lancasters, one from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and one from Canada, flying three passes in formation. [6]

Derwent Dam from the top of the dam (August 2017) Derwent Dam August 2017.jpg
Derwent Dam from the top of the dam (August 2017)

See also

Related Research Articles

The Upper Derwent Valley is an area of the Peak District National Park in England. It largely lies in Derbyshire, but its north eastern area lies in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Its most significant features are the Derwent Dams, Ladybower, Derwent and Howden, which form Ladybower Reservoir, Derwent Reservoir and Howden Reservoir respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Derwent, Derbyshire</span> River in Derbyshire, England

The Derwent is a river in Derbyshire, England. It is 50 miles (80 km) long and is a tributary of the River Trent, which it joins south of Derby. Throughout its course, the river mostly flows through the Peak District and its foothills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birchinlee</span> Human settlement in England

Birchinlee is the site of "Tin Town", a village built by the Derwent Valley Water Board for the workers who constructed the Derwent and Howden Dams between 1902 and 1916. Most of the workers had previously been engaged in the construction, in Wales, of the Elan Valley Reservoirs where the accommodation was very basic. At Birchinlee, a "model village" was built; its infrastructure included hospitals, school, canteen (pub), post office, shops, recreation hall, public bath house, police station, railway station, rubbish dump with incinerator, and much else. One of the shops was a well-stocked store owned by the Gregory brothers from Tideswell. Accommodation consisted of workmen's huts, foremen's huts and married workmen's huts. The latter were decorated to a high standard, as photographs from the period confirm. The population rose to 900 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howden Reservoir</span> Reservoir in the Peak District, England

The Howden Reservoir is a Y-shaped reservoir, the uppermost of the three in the Upper Derwent Valley, England. The western half of the reservoir lies in Derbyshire and the eastern half is in Sheffield, South Yorkshire; the county border runs through the middle of the reservoir, following the original path of the River Derwent. The longest arm is around 1+14 mi (2.0 km) in length. The reservoir is bounded at the southern end by Howden Dam; below this, the Derwent flows immediately into Derwent Reservoir and subsequently the Ladybower Reservoir. Other tributaries include the River Westend, Howden Clough and Linch Clough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladybower Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Derbyshire, England

Ladybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped, artificial reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through Howden Reservoir, then Derwent Reservoir, and finally through Ladybower Reservoir. The reservoir is owned by Severn Trent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Noe</span> River in England

The River Noe is a tributary of the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. It flows approximately 12 miles (19 km) from its source, the confluence of two streams running off Kinder Scout in the Peak District, east through Edale and then southeast through the village of Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ashop</span> River in England

The River Ashop is a river in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. Its source is on the eastern slopes of Mill Hill, three miles south east of Glossop and just north of Kinder Scout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamford</span> Human settlement in England

Bamford is a village in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England, close to the River Derwent. To the north-east is Bamford Edge, and to the north-west the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden Reservoirs. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 1,241.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Win Hill</span> Hill in the Peak District, England

Win Hill is a hill north west of Bamford in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. Its summit is 462 m (1,516 ft) above sea level and it is bounded by the River Derwent to the east, the River Noe to the south west and Ladybower Reservoir to the north, with a ridge running north west linking it to Kinder Scout. The Roman road from Glossop over the Snake Pass crosses the ridge to the north and descends to Hope and the old Roman base of Brough in the Hope Valley, with the Hope Cross, a marker post dating from 1737, at the highest point of the road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crook Hill</span>

Crook Hill is a small hill in the Peak District National Park in the English county of Derbyshire, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of Castleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent Edge</span> Escarpment in United Kingdom

Derwent Edge is a Millstone Grit escarpment that lies above the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park in the English county of Derbyshire. An Ordnance Survey column marks the highest point of the Edge at Back Tor. North of Back Tor the edge extends into Howden Edge and enters the county of South Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent, Derbyshire</span> Human settlement in England

Derwent was a village 'drowned' in 1944 when the Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, England was created. The village of Ashopton, Derwent Woodlands church, and Derwent Hall were also 'drowned' in the construction of the reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Alport</span> River in England

The River Alport flows for 5.6 miles (9 km) in the Dark Peak of the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. Its source is on Bleaklow, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Glossop, from which it flows south through the Grains in the Water bog, then over gritstone below the Alport Castles landslide to Alport Bridge on the A57 Snake Pass route from Sheffield to Manchester, where it joins the River Ashop. The Ashop flows into Ladybower Reservoir about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) down the valley, which discharges via the Rivers Derwent and Trent to the North Sea. The source of the Alport is close to the Pennine watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Bridge</span> Human settlement in England

Yorkshire Bridge is a small hamlet at grid reference SK200850 near the Ladybower Reservoir dam in the English county of Derbyshire. Administratively the area forms part of the civil parish of Bamford and the district of High Peak. The people who built the Ladybower Dam wall lived in the houses at Yorkshire Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashopton</span> Human settlement in England

Ashopton was a small village in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Ashop. The village population was less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of Aston, Derbyshire. In the early 1940s, the village was demolished to make way for the filling of Ladybower Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John the Baptist's Church, Bamford</span> Church in Bamford, England

St John the Baptist church is a C of E church in Bamford in the Hope Valley, Derbyshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent Valley Heritage Way</span> Long distance footpath in England

The Derwent Valley Heritage Way (DVHW) is a 55 miles (89 km) waymarked footpath along the Derwent Valley through the Peak District. The walk starts from Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District National Park via Chatsworth, the scenery around the Derbyshire Dales, and through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. It follows the Riverside Path through Derby and continues onwards to the historic inland port of Shardlow. Journey's end is at Derwent Mouth where the River Derwent flows into the River Trent.

The Derwent Valley Water Board was constituted by the Derwent Valley Water Act 1899 to supply the cities of Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, and the county of Derbyshire, with water impounded by a series of reservoirs along the upper reaches of the River Derwent in the Peak District of Derbyshire.

This is a list of scheduled monuments in the district of High Peak in the English county of Derbyshire.

References

  1. "Derwent Valley reservoirs". www.ice.org.uk/. Institution of Civil Engineers. 18 June 2018.
  2. "Derwent Valley reservoirs". Institution of Civil Engineers.
  3. Richards, Julian (2007-01). Peak Secrets: Upper Derwent Valley. 1400productions, January 2007. Originally retrieved from http://www.1400productions.com/showreel.htm. Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Goddard, Jane (21 February 2018). "Faithful Tip maintained a 105-day vigil next to his fallen master". DerbyshireLive. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  5. Derwent Dam Museum (2012). "Derwent Dam Museum". Derwent Dam Museum. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  6. "Lancaster bombers flypast at 'Dambusters' Derwent Dam". BBC News. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.