Glencorse Reservoir is a

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 ...

in Midlothian,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, two miles west of

Glencorse Glencorse is a parish of Midlothian, Scotland, lying south of Edinburgh.Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Glencorse. Places are presented alphabetically It is bounded on the north-west by the former p ...

, in the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentla ...

. It is retained by an earth

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

, and it was built between 1820 and 1824 by James Jardine to provide water for the mills of

Auchendinny Auchendinny (Scottish Gaelic: Achadh an t-Sionnaich, meaning field of the fox) is a small village in Glencorse near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The village had a paper mill at Dalmore, until its closure in 2005. This was Midlothian's last r ...

, Milton Bridge and Glencorse, and to supply drinking water to the citizens of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. The dam is at its highest point, one of the tallest in Britain when it was constructed, and was built at a point where a spur of rock narrowed the channel of the Glencorse Burn, which caused great difficulties in its construction. The gravel bed on which the burn flowed was up to deep and when this was removed to create a clay-puddle dyke, the hill on the south side collapsed. The reservoir is the property of

Scottish Water Scottish Water is a statutory corporation that provides water and sewerage services across Scotland. It is accountable to the public through the Scottish Government. Operations Scottish Water provides drinking water to 2.46 million household ...

. The reservoir was built to provide water to compensate the mills at

, Milton Bridge and

and to ensure a supply of drinking water to

through a cast-iron pipe which took water to two small reservoirs in the city, at Castlehill and near

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. ...

. The reservoir has an area of . A Water Treatment Works was opened at Glencorse in 2012 to replace aged facilities at Alnwickhill and Fairmilehead and treat water from Talla, Fruid and

Megget Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles west of Selkirk. ...

reservoirs. In 2019, Glencorse Water Treatment Works was reported to have the capacity to supply up to 175 million litres of water per day and was supplying water to up to 450,000 customers in parts of West Lothian and Edinburgh. Beneath the surface of the reservoir are the remains of St Catherine's of the Hopes, a 13th century chapel.

References

External links

Scottish Water - plans for new Glencorse Water Treatment WorksRoyal Collection of Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: Collaboration Projects with Defence Estates - Archaeological investigationBBC Radio Four, Open Country, programme about the Pentland Hills and reservoirsForestry Commission - Picture Library - Glencorse ReservoirThe Scotsman, 17 February 2008:Walk of the Week - Glencorse, Loganlea and Threipmuir Reservoirs, Pentlands
Reservoirs in Midlothian {{Midlothian-geo-stub

See also

References

External links