Embsay Reservoir

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).

Embsay Reservoir
Picture of a reservoir with sailing boats on land bordering the water
Embsay Reservoir
Relief map of North Yorkshire
Relief map of North Yorkshire
Embsay Reservoir
LocationYorkshire Dales, England
Coordinates53°59′14″N 02°0′12″W
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsMoor Beck, Lowburn Gill
Primary outflowsEmbsay Beck
Basin countriesUnited Kingdom
Surface area0.11 km2 (0.042 sq mi)
Water volume795,000 m3 (175,000,000 imp gal)[1]
Surface elevation215 m (705 ft)

History

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]

References
  1. Water and Water Engineering. Fuel & Metallurgical Journals Limited. 1931. p. 103. Retrieved 28 April 2019. The town of Skipton in the Craven district of Yorkshire obtains its water supply from the Embsay reservoir, which was completed in 1910, and has a capacity of 175 million gal.
  2. "Embsay Moor". Yorkshire Water. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. "Yorkshire Water greenfield site scheme opposed". Craven Herald. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  4. Surveyor. 1904. p. 157. Retrieved 28 April 2019. ... The council of this town are promoting a Bill in the next session of Parliament to authorise the construction of a reservoir at Embsay Moor, 2½ miles from Skipton.
  5. The Builder. 1904. p. 612. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. Great Britain. Local Government Board (1909). Report of the Medical Officer. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 216. Retrieved 29 April 2019. ... A new reservoir is being constructed on Embsay Moor, under the powers of a local Act of 1904 ...
  7. The Surveyor and Municipal and County Engineer. St. Bride's Press, Limited. 1906. p. 131. Retrieved 28 April 2019. The construction of the Embsay Moor reservoir, which will have a capacity of 120,000,000 gallons, has been commenced. The engineers are Messrs. ...
  8. "The reservoir that brought water to the masses". Craven Herald. 23 January 2010. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  9. The Journal of Gas Lighting, Water Supply & Sanitary Improvement. Walter King. 1905. p. 836. Retrieved 28 April 2019. The Skipton Urban District Council have accepted the tender of Messrs. Harold Arnold and Son, of Doncaster, for the construction of the reservoir at the foot of Embsay Moor, in connection with the new water scheme.
  10. "Sisters showed their support for Navvy Mission Society". Craven Herald. 28 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. Mason, Viv (31 January 2019). "What lurks beneath Embsay Moor Reservoir?". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. Johnson, D. (2016). Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines: An Illustrated History. Amberley Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4456-5368-6. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  13. Rickerby, S. (1997). Yorkshire Dales Walks with Children. Sigma Leisure. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-85058-569-5. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  14. Telegraph, Bradford (4 September 1999). "Keys unlock local history". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  15. Williams, Alan (28 April 2019). "The Whitfield Sike project". Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group – Home page. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  16. "Cottages tell a story of the Whitfield Skye Mill workers". Craven Herald. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  17. Lunnon, Jane; Spencer, Ruth (2012). "An Investigation of Whitfield Syke Mill". The Archaeological Forum Journal: CBA Yorkshire. 1: 95–104. ISSN 2051-8242. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  18. Water and Water Engineering. Fuel & Metallurgical Journals Limited. 1970. p. 123. Retrieved 29 April 2019. The Skipton Waterworks Committee have been asked to consider the advisability of stocking the town's newly constructed reservoir at Embsay with trout. The reservoir at Embsay is said to be a most desirable fishing ground ...
  19. "Skipton Angling Association". Skipton Angling Association. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  20. "Craven Sailing Club, Embsay nr Skipton". Craven Sailing Club, Embsay nr Skipton. 27 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  21. Simon, J. (2015). The Rough Guide to Yorkshire. Rough Guide to... Apa Publications. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-241-21410-7. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  22. "Yorkshire Water: Free Reservoir Walks" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
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