The Longdendale Chain is a sequence of six reservoirs on the

River Etherow The River Etherow in northern England is a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The up ...

in the Longdendale Valley, in northern

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. They were constructed between 1848 and 1884 to a design by

John Frederick Bateman John Frederick La Trobe Bateman (30 May 1810 – 10 June 1889) was an English civil engineer whose work formed the basis of the modern United Kingdom water supply industry. For more than 50 years from 1835 he designed and constructed reser ...

to supply the growing population of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

with fresh water. The top three reservoirs (Woodhead, Torside and Rhodeswood) and Arnfield are for drinking water, and the lower reservoirs (Valehouse and Bottoms) are used as compensation reservoirs to maintain the downstream flow of the river. There was originally a seventh –

Hollingworth Reservoir Hollingworth Reservoir is a former reservoir near Hollingworth, Tameside, Greater Manchester. The reservoir straddles the Greater Manchester–Derbyshire border. It was constructed in 1854 as part of the Longdendale Chain, but was abandoned in ...

– which was abandoned in 1990, and has become part of the Swallows Wood nature reserve. p. 120. Water flowed by gravity through the

Mottram Tunnel The Mottram Tunnel (Mottram in Longdendale) is a tunnel carrying drinking water by gravity from Arnfield Reservoir, Tintwistle, Derbyshire, in the valley of the River Etherow, to Godley, Greater Manchester, in the valley of the River Tame. It w ...

to the Godley covered reservoir where it drops to the service reservoirs at Denton,

Audenshaw Audenshaw is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester. Historically part of Lancashire, in 2011 it had a population of 11,419. The name derives from Aldwin, a Saxon personal name, and the Old English suffix ''shagh' ...

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the southeast of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A ...

and

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...

Reservoirs

The reservoirs are listed from upstream to downstream i.e. from east to west: * Woodhead Reservoir *

Torside Reservoir Torside Reservoir is the largest man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire, England. It was constructed by John Frederick Bateman between April 1849 and July 1864 as part of the Longdendale Chain of reservoirs to supply water from the R ...

Rhodeswood Reservoir Rhodeswood Reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire, England. It was constructed by John Frederick Bateman between 1849 and June 1855 as part of the Longdendale Chain of reservoirs to supply water from the River Etherow t ...

* Valehouse Reservoir * Bottoms Reservoir * Arnfield Reservoir File:Arnfield8512.JPG , Arnfield File:Longdendale4654.JPG , Bottoms File:Longdendale4695.JPG , Valehouse File:Longdendale4698.JPG , Rhodeswood File:TorsideFromWoodheadDam8501.JPG, Torside File:WoodheadreservoirDerbyshire.jpg , Woodhead

References

Notes

Bibliography

- popularising lecture, with copious plans & elevations (of Longendale chain as well as Thirlmere scheme) {{authority control Reservoirs of the Peak District Reservoirs in Greater Manchester Works by John Frederick Bateman

Reservoirs

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography