Embsay Reservoir | |
---|---|
Location | Yorkshire Dales, England |
Coordinates | 53°59′14″N 02°0′12″W / 53.98722°N 2.00333°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Moor Beck, Lowburn Gill |
Primary outflows | Embsay Beck |
Basin countries | United Kingdom |
Surface area | 0.11 km2 (0.042 sq mi) |
Water volume | 795,000 m3 (175,000,000 imp gal)[1] |
Surface elevation | 215 m (705 ft) |
Embsay Reservoir is located above the village of Embsay, near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water,[2] and supplies water to the north and west of Skipton, feeding 25,000 homes.[3] It has a dam height of 24 m (79 ft).
The reservoir was built by Skipton Urban District Council to service the needs of a rapidly rising population in the area.[4] Sanctioned by the Skipton Water and Improvement Act of 1904,[5][6] forty acres of Embsay Pasture were compulsorily purchased from the Duke of Devonshire in 1905, and work started almost immediately,[7] with the engineering contract being awarded to the specialist company, Messrs G H Hill and Sons.[8] The construction contract at the amount of £47,164 went to Messrs. Harold Arnold and Son, of Doncaster.[9]
During construction of the reservoir, engineers and 150 of the c. 200 navvy workers employed were accommodated in the Whitfield Syke cotton-mill on the north side of the reservoir.[10] In the mill's warehouse, the Navvy Mission Society, concerned about the welfare of the workers, was allowed to establish a chapel and a reading room.[11]
Construction of the embankment used locally excavated puddle clay, and stones were quarried from below the nearby Embsay Crag, the quarry still visible as a scar in the landscape today.[12][13]
The reservoir was completed before the end of 1909, and the reservoir was full by 10 January the following year. It was officially opened on 21 June 1910.[14] No houses were submerged as part of the project, but the old Whitfield Syke Mill was demolished.[15] Today, the mill's warehouse, consecrated as a chapel, stands as England's last physical link to the Navvy Mission Society.[16][17]
The reservoir is used for leisure activities such as sailing, angling,[18][19] and walking, and is the home of the Craven Sailing Club.[20][21] There are car parking facilities for visitors.[22]