The Longdendale Chain is a sequence of six reservoirs on the

River Etherow The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derby ...

in the Longdendale Valley, in northern

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. They were constructed between 1848 and 1884 to a design by

John Frederick Bateman John Frederick La Trobe Bateman (30 May 1810 – 10 June 1889) was an English civil engineer whose work formed the basis of the modern United Kingdom water supply industry. For more than 50 years from 1835 he designed and constructed reser ...

to supply the growing population of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

with fresh water. The top three reservoirs (Woodhead, Torside and Rhodeswood) and Arnfield are for drinking water, and the lower reservoirs (Valehouse and Bottoms) are used as compensation reservoirs to maintain the downstream flow of the river. There was originally a seventh –

Hollingworth Reservoir Hollingworth Reservoir is a former reservoir near Hollingworth, Tameside, Greater Manchester. The reservoir straddles the Greater Manchester–Derbyshire border. It was constructed in 1854 as part of the Longdendale Chain, but was abandoned in 1 ...

– which was abandoned in 1990, and has become part of the Swallows Wood nature reserve. p. 120. Water flowed by gravity through the Mottram Tunnel to the Godley covered reservoir where it drops to the service reservoirs at Denton,

Audenshaw Audenshaw is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester. Historically part of Lancashire, in 2011 it had a population of 11,419. The name derives from Aldwin, a Saxon personal name, and the Old English suffix '' ...

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hi ...

and

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

Reservoirs

The reservoirs are listed from upstream to downstream i.e. from east to west: *

Woodhead Reservoir Woodhead reservoir is a man-made lake near the hamlet of Woodhead in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. It was constructed by John Frederick Bateman between 1847 and June 1877 as part of the Longdendale chain to supply water from the River Etherow ...

Torside Reservoir Torside Reservoir is the largest man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. It was constructed by John Frederick Bateman between April 1849 and July 1864 as part of the Longdendale chain to supply water from the River Etherow to the urban ...

Rhodeswood Reservoir Rhodeswood Reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. It was constructed by John Frederick Bateman between 1849 and June 1855 as part of the Longdendale chain to supply water from the River Etherow to the urban areas of Great ...

Valehouse Reservoir Valehouse (or Vale House) Reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. It was built between 1865 and 1869 as part of the Longdendale chain, which was built to supply water from the River Etherow to the urban areas of Greate ...

* Bottoms Reservoir *

Arnfield Reservoir Arnfield Reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. It was constructed in 1854 as part of the Longdendale chain to supply water from the River Etherow to the urban areas of Greater Manchester.Arnfield File:Longdendale4654.JPG , Bottoms File:Longdendale4695.JPG , Valehouse File:Longdendale4698.JPG , Rhodeswood File:TorsideFromWoodheadDam8501.JPG, Torside File:WoodheadreservoirDerbyshire.jpg , Woodhead

References

Notes

Bibliography

- popularising lecture, with copious plans & elevations (of Longendale chain as well as Thirlmere scheme) Reservoirs of the Peak District Reservoirs in Greater Manchester Works by John Frederick Bateman {{derbyshire-geo-stub

Reservoirs

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography