Agden Reservoir is a water storage

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, situated at grid reference , west of the centre of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is owned by

Yorkshire Water Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England. The company has its ...

Kelda Group Kelda Group is a British utility company. It is based in Bradford, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but was taken private by a group of investors, Saltaire Water, in 2008. Sa ...

. The reservoir covers an area of and has a capacity of 559 million gallons (2.11x10⁹ litres) of water, the dam wall has a width of approximately with a height of . 'Agden' means 'Valley of the Oak Trees'. The reservoir is one of four built in the second half of the 19th century to satisfy the developing steel industry of Sheffield, collecting water from the moorlands around the village of

Low Bradfield Low Bradfield is a village within the Bradfield, South Yorkshire, civil parish of Bradfield in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated within the boundary of the city of Sheffield in the upper part of the River Loxley, Loxley Valley, 6¼ mile ...

, west of Sheffield. The other three being Damflask, Dale Dike and

Strines Strines is a village in Greater Manchester, in the valley of the River Goyt. It is located midway between Marple and New Mills, about six miles south-east of Stockport. The village falls within the Marple parish and the Metropolitan Borough of ...

reservoirs. Agden was completed in 1869 and is fed by Hobson Moss Dike and Emlin Dike which flow off the Broomhead and Bradfield moors respectively. The reservoir is surrounded mainly by coniferous woodland, however,

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Con ...

who own much of the woodland have started a policy of replanting and thinning to encourage broadleaved varieties of trees which give a better habitat for wildlife and also look more attractive. The reservoir is ringed by a popular walk which starts in the village of

and takes in Agden Bog which is a protected wetland area managed by the

Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering Sheffield and Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It has 15 reserves with its base in Sheffield. Reserves The trust manages fifteen reserves: : Agden Bog : Blacka Moor : Carbr ...

. The

Peak District Boundary Walk The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District (a ...

runs past the eastern end of the dam. The former Keeper's cottage is at the western side of the dam wall, now a private home, and Agden Lodge built in 1870 for Samuel Fox of Stocksbridge, remains as a private residence. There are also remnants of old farm dwellings around the reservoir - the Water Authorities allegedly had a policy of buying any available property around their reservoirs, solely for demolition, claiming they were a source of possible water contamination. Many fine old buildings were lost to this rationale, including Frost House early-1950s, Rocher Head Farm early-1960s and the 17thC Agden House on the western side, demolished 1972, although it's barn survives. Details of a walk around the reservoir and remaining buildings can be found here:

References

External links

* {{authority control Reservoirs of the Peak District Protected areas of South Yorkshire Reservoirs in South Yorkshire