|
|
BURRATOR RESERVOIR
| Burrator Reservoir
is a beautiful spot set in the midst of farmland and moorland close to the villages of
Sheepstor and Meavy. Mr Edward Sandeman
(1862-1959) was appointed Plymouth's Water Engineer in July 1891. He had previously
been the Assistant Engineer at Blackburn in Lancashire, where he had carried out important
works worth over £1 million. |
 |
| |
In December 1891 he prepared a
report on the water supply of Plymouth in which he
recommended the Burrator Gorge for a storage reservoir and the provision of a direct
pipeline from there into the Town. The Corporation adopted his scheme on March 30th
1892.
 |
The Plymouth Corporation Act of June 9th 1893
authorised the construction of the reservoir, along with a pipe-line from there to the
service reservoir at Roborough. Work started on the construction of the Burrator Dam
on August 9th 1893, with Sheepstor Dam being started the following year, both under Mr
Sandeman's supervision.
The Burrator Dam is built across the river
Meavy at the Burrator Gorge. It is constructed of concrete faced with dressed
granite. The smaller one at Sheepstor is built on a dividing ridge between the Meavy
and Sheepstor Brook and is formed by an earth embankment with a core wall of puddled clay
above the original ground level and a concrete section below ground.
|
|
The site upon which Burrator Reservoir
was constructed. The house in the centre of the picture still stands
beside the road around the lake. |
Burrator Reservoir was officially opened
on Wednesday September 21st
1898 by the Mayor, Councillor J T Bond. It cost
£178,000 of which the two Dams cost £102,000 and £24,000 respectively.
It was reported shortly afterwards that as a
result of the construction of the Reservoir, the revenue from the water property had
increased from £13,000 to £15,000 per year while the expenditure had decreased from
£4,000 to £3,500. Mention was also made of the fact that although the Reservoir
was completely frozen over in January 1917, when the top was covered with ice 10 inches
thick, a constant supply of water was still delivered to the Town.
The watershed for the Reservoir was stated in
the 1930s to be 5,360 acres. In order to preserve the purity of the water
discharging into the Reservoir, the Corporation bought the whole of the watershed in
1916. The last portion of land was freely donated to the Town by Mr John Bayly. Boundary posts marked "PCWW 1917"
can be found on the moorland surrounding that area.
 |
Work started on raising both the Burrator and
Sheepstor Dams by 10 feet in December 1923. This would enlarge the
capacity from 668 million gallons to 1,026 million. The work
was financed by the Government as part of an unemployment relief
programme. A suspension bridge was erected by Messrs Orr, Watt
& Company, of Motherwell ion Scotland, near Burrator Dam to carry
traffic while the work proceeded. |
|
A temporary suspension bridge was
erected across Burrator Lake while the dam was being increased in
height. |
At each end was a sign that read:
NOTICE
NOTHING EXCEEDING
10 Tons WEIGHT
MUST CROSS THIS BRIDGE.
CHARS-A-BANC
ARE NOT ALLOWED
ON THE BRIDGE. |
However, that apparently did
not deter Mr Russell Lillicrap, a timber merchant from Horrabridge, who drove his traction
engine towing a threshing machine across it. The weight stretched the cables so much
that they had to be repaired.
|
The enlarged reservoir was opened by the Mayor
of Plymouth, Alderman W H J Priest, at the Fyshinge Feast held on Wednesday September 12th
1928.
On September 21st 1929 the Council granted the
workmen a days paid leave.
The whole area has been afforestated and gives
the Reservoir the look of an alpine lake. The area of the Reservoir at overflow
level is about 150 acres.
|
 |
Brian Bishop bravely walking on
the waters,
totally covered with ice, January 26th 1963.
©
Brian Moseley. |
Sources:
[1]
|