Leighton Reservoir is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

which drains via the River Burn to the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It neighbours Roundhill Reservoir and is about west of

Masham Masham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. The town is located northwest of York and was in the former Borough of Harrogate, Harrogate ...

. It takes its name from the nearby village of

Leighton Leighton may refer to: Places In Australia: * Leighton, Western Australia, a beachside locality In the United Kingdom: * Leighton, Cambridgeshire * Leighton, Cheshire * Leighton, North Yorkshire ** Leighton Reservoir * Leighton, Shropshire *Lei ...

. Work on the reservoir was started by the Leeds Corporation in 1908, and although the major parts of the building process were over by March 1926, the final cementation was not completed until 1941. The reservoir was allowed to fill with water over the winter of 1926–1927. A newspaper report from 1910, estimated that the final cost of the construction would be £437,000 (). Although the Leeds Corporation intended to build another reservoir in Colsterdale on the River Burn, this never came to pass, and Leighton Reservoir was constructed on two tributaries of the Burn; Pott Beck and Spruce Gell. Water from the reservoir is used to compensate for abstraction from the River Ure. Although not in

Nidderdale Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales (although outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park) in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows east from its source, the ...

, the reservoir is within the

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The Nidderdale National Landscape is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England, bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the east and south. It comprises most of Nidderdale itself, part of lower Wharfedale, the Wa ...

. Leighton is accessible for fishing and has a car park. The reservoir is on land owned by the Swinton Estate and they stock the waters with fish. Like its near neighbours in

Upper Nidderdale Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales (although outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park) in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows east from its source, then ...

, the construction of Leighton reservoir (and Roundhill) necessitated the building of an

industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British r ...

to bring in materials for construction. A railway was built from the north end of Masham railway station where a transhipment yard was located to transfer freight between the narrow and standard gauge lines. The line opened in 1905 and was closed by 1930. The reservoir has a mean depth of , a surface area of , a catchment area of , and it lies at an elevation of above sea level.

References

Reservoirs in North Yorkshire {{NorthYorkshire-geo-stub