Bartley Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Bartley Reservoir is a reservoir for drinking water
in Birmingham
, England
. It covers 460,000 square metres.
It is known as the place where Bill Oddie
did much of his early birdwatching
, and features in his books (notably Bill Oddie's Gone Birding) and television programmes. His first ever published article, for the West Midland Bird Club's annual report, was about the bird
s of the reservoir.
. It was transferred to Warwickshire
when Northfield became part of Birmingham in November, 1911, and thus became part of the West Midlands county
on the latter's creation in 1974.
However, the south-west end of the reservoir overlapped into the parish of Frankley
, in Worcestershire (Hereford and Worcester
, from 1974). In April 1995 part of Frankley (including the south-west part of Bartley Reservoir) was transferred to Birmingham and thus joined the rest of the reservoir in the West Midlands county.
Shortly after the completion of the Elan Valley Reservoirs
in the early 1920s, it became apparent that more storage capacity would be required to maintain the daily supplies needed by Birmingham
. The reservoir is close to the terminus of the Elan aqueduct
and adjacent to Frankley Reservoir
.
The contract for the construction of the reservoir was let by Birmingham Corporation Water Department
in February 1925 to Edmund Nuttall, Sons and Co. Ltd., of Manchester
, and the Francois Cementation Company undertook all cementation. It was completed in 1930.
The reservoir is about ⅜ mile (600 m) long, over ⅛ mile (200 m) wide, and about 60 feet (18.3 m) deep at the dam. Its surface area is 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) and content over 500 million USgals (1,892,706 m³). The reservoir is also home to Bartley Sailing Club.
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It covers 460,000 square metres.
It is known as the place where Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
did much of his early birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, and features in his books (notably Bill Oddie's Gone Birding) and television programmes. His first ever published article, for the West Midland Bird Club's annual report, was about the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s of the reservoir.
History
Most of the land occupied by Bartley Reservoir was in the parish of Northfield, originally in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. It was transferred to Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
when Northfield became part of Birmingham in November, 1911, and thus became part of the West Midlands county
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
on the latter's creation in 1974.
However, the south-west end of the reservoir overlapped into the parish of Frankley
New Frankley
New Frankley in Birmingham is the only civil parish in Birmingham, England. As such, it has its own parish council.It was established in 2000 in an area in the south-west of the city, around Bartley Reservoir, transferred from Bromsgrove in 1995, which had previously been part of the Frankley parish...
, in Worcestershire (Hereford and Worcester
Hereford and Worcester
Hereford and Worcester was an English county created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the area of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester.It bordered Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands to the...
, from 1974). In April 1995 part of Frankley (including the south-west part of Bartley Reservoir) was transferred to Birmingham and thus joined the rest of the reservoir in the West Midlands county.
Shortly after the completion of the Elan Valley Reservoirs
Elan Valley Reservoirs
The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales , using the rivers Elan and Claerwen...
in the early 1920s, it became apparent that more storage capacity would be required to maintain the daily supplies needed by Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The reservoir is close to the terminus of the Elan aqueduct
Elan aqueduct
The Elan aqueduct, crosses Wales and the Midlands of England, running eastwards from the Elan Valley Reservoirs in Powys to Birmingham's Frankley Reservoir, carrying drinking water for Birmingham....
and adjacent to Frankley Reservoir
Frankley Reservoir
Frankley Reservoir is a semi-circular reservoir for drinking water in Birmingham, England. Its construction was authorised by the Birmingham Corporation Water Act of 1892...
.
The contract for the construction of the reservoir was let by Birmingham Corporation Water Department
Birmingham Corporation Water Department
The Birmingham Corporation Water Department was responsible for the supply of water to Birmingham from 1876 to 1974. It was also known as Birmingham Corporation Waterworks Department.-Early History 1808 - 1876:...
in February 1925 to Edmund Nuttall, Sons and Co. Ltd., of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and the Francois Cementation Company undertook all cementation. It was completed in 1930.
The reservoir is about ⅜ mile (600 m) long, over ⅛ mile (200 m) wide, and about 60 feet (18.3 m) deep at the dam. Its surface area is 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) and content over 500 million USgals (1,892,706 m³). The reservoir is also home to Bartley Sailing Club.