Lake Vyrnwy
| Lake Vyrnwy/Llyn Efyrnwy | |
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View overlooking Lake Vyrnwy showing the full extent of the lake
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| Location | Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°47′N 3°30′W / 52.78°N 3.50°WCoordinates: 52°47′N 3°30′W / 52.78°N 3.50°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | River Vyrnwy and other small streams |
| Primary outflows | River Vyrnwy |
| Managing agency | Severn Trent Water |
| Built | 1881–88 |
| Max. length | 7.64 kilometres (4.75 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.80 kilometres (0.5 mi) |
| Surface area | 4.54 square kilometres (1,121 acres) |
| Max. depth | 26 metres (84 ft) |
| Water volume | 59.7 gigalitres (13.125×109 imp gal) |
| Shore length1 | 19 kilometres (12 mi) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Vyrnwy (Welsh: Llyn Efyrnwy, pronounced [ɛˈvərnʊɨ] or Llyn Llanwddyn) is a reservoir in Powys, Wales. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. It was built for the purpose of supplying Liverpool and the districts later designated as Merseyside with fresh water. It flooded the head of the Vyrnwy valley and submerged the small village of Llanwddyn. The Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate that surrounds the lake is jointly managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Severn Trent Water, and is a popular destination for days out, and for ornithologists, cyclists and hikers. The reserve is designated as a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area, and a Special Area of Conservation.
Dr George Deacon (1843–1909) began the design of the Vyrnwy Dam in 1879 at the age of 36. In 1890, following Vyrnwy, he founded an engineering practice in London which subsequently became Sir Alexander Binnie Son & Deacon, then Mr Binnie and Partners. Its present-day successor is Black & Veatch.
Dr Deacon was instructed to prepare the parliamentary plans for the scheme in 1879. The dam construction started in 1881 and was completed in 1888. It was the first large stone-built dam in the United Kingdom, and is built partly out of great blocks of Welsh slate. When built it cost £620,000, equivalent to £62,000,000 in 2015. The dam is 45 metres (146 ft) high from the bottom of the valley, and 37 metres (120 ft) thick at the base; it is 355 metres (1,165 ft) long and has a road bridge running along the top. It is decorated with over 25 arches and two small towers (each with four corner turrets) rising 4.3 metres (14 ft) above the road surface.
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Wikipedia