Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire)

Derwent Reservoir
Derwent Reservoir - 11 July 2007
Location	Derbyshire
Coordinates	53°24′45″N 1°44′35″W / 53.41250°N 1.74306°W / 53.41250; -1.74306Coordinates: 53°24′45″N 1°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 countries	United Kingdom
Surface area	70.8 ha (175 acres)
Max. depth	34.7 m (114 ft)
Islands	1

Derwent Reservoir is the middle of three reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley in the northeast of Derbyshire, England. It lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Glossop and 10 miles (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.

Derwent Reservoir is around 1.5 miles (2 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.

At its peak the reservoir covers an area of 70.8 hectares (175 acres) and at its deepest point is 34.7 metres (114 ft) deep.

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.

The neo-Gothic solid masonry dam was begun in 1902, a year after the construction of Howden was begun, and proved a mammoth task. The huge stones that formed the walls of the dam were carried along a specially created railway from the quarries at Grindleford. Over 1,000 workers lived in a specially constructed self-contained town called Birchinlee 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 that died during the building of the dam were buried in Bamford Church.