Sunnyside Reservoir

Last updated
Sunnyside Reservoir
Richmond upon Thames London UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sunnyside Reservoir
Location Richmond-upon-Thames
Coordinates 51°24′33″N0°22′52″W / 51.4093°N 0.3811°W / 51.4093; -0.3811 Coordinates: 51°24′33″N0°22′52″W / 51.4093°N 0.3811°W / 51.4093; -0.3811
Type reservoir
Basin  countriesUnited Kingdom
Built1896
Islands None

Sunnyside Reservoir is a reservoir forming part of the Hampton waterworks complex within the London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

History

The reservoir was originally built by the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company in 1896 for pre-treatment water storage. [1] It has an area of 2.74 ha, [2] is 35 ft (10.7 m) [1] deep and has a capacity of 292 Megalitres. The walls of the reservoir are made from 3 ft (1 m) of puddle clay. [1]

The reservoir is now used as a settlement lagoon for washwater from the adjacent treatment works before the water is discharged back to the River Thames. The reservoir is now owned and managed by Thames Water.

There was an idea to build a bridge for cyclist and pedestrians over the river adjacent to the reservoir in 2002, but this was very expensive and not progressed. [3]

Related Research Articles

Hampton, London Human settlement in England

Hampton is a suburban area on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, which includes Hampton Court Palace. Hampton is served by two railway stations, including one immediately south of Hampton Court Bridge in East Molesey.

Metropolitan Water Board

The Metropolitan Water Board was founded in 1903 to bring the nine private water companies supplying water to London under a single public body. The members of the board were nominated by the various local authorities within its area of supply. A Royal Commission had reported in 1899 on the need for such controls. The board was abolished in 1974 and control transferred to the Thames Water Authority, now Thames Water.

Kempton Park Steam Engines

The Kempton Park steam engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park Waterworks in south-west London. They were ordered by the Metropolitan Water Board and manufactured by Worthington-Simpson in Newark-On-Trent.

Molesey Lock

Molesey Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England at East Molesey, Surrey on the right bank.

William Girling Reservoir

The William Girling Reservoir is located in the London Borough of Enfield and is part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain that supplies London with drinking water. It is named after William Girling OBE, a chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board (MWB). The reservoir and the nearby King George V Reservoir are known collectively as the Chingford Reservoirs. The storage reservoir, which is owned by Thames Water, is bordered by Chingford to the east and Ponders End and Edmonton to the west, and covers 334 acres with a perimeter of 3.5 miles (5.6 km). There is no public access.

Staines Reservoirs Storage reservoirs in the United Kingdom

The Staines Reservoirs are two large pumped storage reservoirs sitting to the east of the King George VI Reservoir near Heathrow airport in Surrey within the Colne Valley regional park. The village of Stanwell is mainly to the north east, and the town of Staines is to the south.

Queen Mary Reservoir

The Queen Mary Reservoir is one of the largest of London's reservoirs supplying fresh water to London and parts of surrounding counties, and is located in the Borough of Spelthorne in Surrey. The reservoir covers 707 acres (2.86 km2) and is 45 ft (14 m) above the surrounding area.

Molesey Reservoirs

The Molesey Reservoirs were a group of reservoirs in England near Molesey, Surrey, in the western suburbs of London. There was an adjacent water treatment works.

Stain Hill Reservoirs

The Stain Hill Reservoirs in London, England with embankments occupy 0.175 square kilometres. They are a pair which sit high between others; Kempton Nature Reserve; riverside houses in Sunbury-on-Thames; and a low area of flood meadow to the west alongside the closing stretch of the Port Lane Brook. Other nearby settlements are Molesey, Hampton and Hanworth.

Bessborough Reservoir

The Bessborough Reservoir is an embanked storage reservoir south of the River Thames in Surrey adjacent to the Knight Reservoir. To the south lies Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir and to the north the now disused Molesey Reservoirs. The A3050 runs to the north of the reservoir and the neighbouring town is Molesey to the east. It forms part the green buffer between Molesey and Walton on Thames. The reservoir is in the borough of Elmbridge.

Knight Reservoir

The Knight Reservoir is a large pumped storage reservoir located in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey. It was inaugurated in 1907 and stores up to 2,180 million litres of raw water abstracted from the River Thames prior to its treatment and supply to London and north Surrey. It is located south of the River Thames, west of West Molesey, and between Hurst Road (A3050) and Walton Road (B369). It is adjacent to, and west of, its twin Bessborough Reservoir.

Island Barn Reservoir

The Island Barn Reservoir lies south of the River Thames in England at West Molesey and north of Lower Green, Esher. The reservoir is 122 acres (0.49 km2) large with a capacity of 992 million gallons and is managed by Thames Water. It is within the borough of Elmbridge and is surrounded by the River Mole to the west and the River Ember to the east. Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir is a larger reservoir to the West.

Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir A reservoir in Greater London, England

The Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir lies to the south of the River Thames and to the west of the Island Barn Reservoir. To the north are the Bessborough and Knight reservoirs. The A3050 runs to the north of the reservoir and it is situated in Walton on Thames. It is managed by Thames Water.

London's water supply infrastructure has developed over the centuries in line with the expansion of London. For much of London's history, private companies supplied fresh water to various parts of London from wells, the River Thames and in the three centuries after the construction in 1613 of the New River, the River Lea, which has springs that divert alongside Hertford at an elevation of 40 metres AOD. Further demand prompted new conduits and sources, particularly in the 150 years to 1900 as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolution caused a boom in London's population and housing.

Chelsea Waterworks Company

The Chelsea Waterworks Company was a London waterworks company founded in 1723 which supplied water to many central London locations throughout the 18th and 19th centuries until its functions were taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1902.

Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company

The Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company was a utility company supplying water to parts of south London in England. The company was formed by the merger of the Southwark and Vauxhall water companies in 1845 and became part of the publicly owned Metropolitan Water Board in 1903.

The Grand Junction Waterworks Company was a utility company supplying water to parts of west London in England. The company was formed as an offshoot of the Grand Junction Canal Company in 1811 and became part of the publicly owned Metropolitan Water Board in 1903.

The Lambeth Waterworks Company was a utility company supplying water to parts of south London in England. The company was established in 1785 with works in north Lambeth and became part of the publicly owned Metropolitan Water Board in 1903.

Essex and Suffolk Water is a water supply company in the United Kingdom. It operates in two geographically distinct areas, one serving parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the other serving parts of Essex and Greater London. The total population served is 1.8 million. Essex and Suffolk is a 'water only' supplier, with sewerage services provided by Anglian Water and Thames Water within its areas of supply. It is part of the Northumbrian Water Group.

Walthamstow Wetlands

Walthamstow Wetlands is a 211 ha nature reserve in Walthamstow, east London. It is focused on the Walthamstow Reservoirs, built by the East London Waterworks Company between 1853 and 1904 as part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain. The site is one of the largest urban wetland nature reserves in Europe, and is particularly important for wildlife due to its position within the Lee Valley; a byway for migrating, wintering and breeding birds. Visitors can freely access the site's natural, industrial and social heritage in one of the capital's most densely populated urban areas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bramwell, Frederick (16 March 1900). "The Staines Reservoir Scheme For London Water Supply". The Times.
  2. Ordnance Survey map, 25-inch, Middlesex XXV.6 &10, Revised 1912, Published 1915
  3. Surrey County Council