Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire)

Practice site for Operation Chastise

The Derwent Reservoir is the middle of three reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Derwent in Derbyshire, England. The reservoir is located between Glossop and Sheffield in the Peak District and serves the potable water supply in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire by the water drainage in the Derwent Valley Aqueduct. The reservoir is operated by Severn Trent Water

The reservoir is about 2 km long and runs in a north -south direction. The Derwent is the main tributary of the reservoir. The reservoir closes to the north directly to the dam of the reservoir of Howden, where there is also a small island located. The Abbey Brook is another tributary of the reservoir. The Derwent drained the lake to the south and flows there into the Ladybower Reservoir.

The dam in the Gothic Revival style is completely built of hewn stone.

History

The construction of the Derwent Reservoir one years in 1902, after the construction of the Howden reservoir started. The design proved initially to be difficult so that only in November 1914 began damming the lake. In January 1916, the lake was the first time completely filled.

For a subset of up to 2700 construction workers who were working at the two dams, a settlement of shacks was applied, the officially Birchinlee was called, but in general, "Tin Village " ( German: Sheet village) was called and all the facilities of a place for 1000 residents offered. Between the village of Bamford and the construction site, a railway line was laid, over which the stones were transported from a purpose-built quarry near Grindleford for the dams. Remnants of this railway are indeed to recognize today, but today the road runs along the reservoir on the track.

To bring additional water into the reservoir, a derivative of the rivers Ashop and Alport was built in 1920-1931.

During the Second World War was used as a training area for Operation Chastise because of the similarity of the landscape around the lake with the dams in the present-day North Rhine -Westphalia and Hesse. Today, the Derwent Valley Museum commemorates the RAF unit who carried out this attack. The museum also commemorates the villages of Derwent and Ashopton that are sunk into the Ladybower Reservoir.