Strines Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Strines Reservoir is a water storage reservoir situated at 53.4099°N 1.6557°W, it lies 8 miles (12.9 km) west of the centre of Sheffield
in South Yorkshire
, England
.
In addition to Strines, three other reservoirs were built, these were Damflask
, Agden
and Dale Dike
. Strines was meant to be the final of the four reservoirs constructed, however Dale Dike was not completed until 1875, having to be rebuilt after the failure of its dam wall caused the Great Sheffield Flood
of 1864. Strines reservoir was constructed with a dam wall of approximately 330 metres (1083 feet) in length and 29 metres (95 feet) in height which flooded an area of 22 hectares. It holds 452,900,000 gallons of water.
at Low Bradfield
. The Oxford English Dictionary
defines the word “strynds” or “strinds” as a rivulet or a stream.
Today the reservoir is attended by Yorkshire Water
staff who can gain vehicular access to the valve house through a locked gate and gravel track which runs along the top of the dam wall. The reservoirs overflow is located at the south end of the dam wall and takes the form of a 25 feet (7.6 m) concrete spillway
which is crossed by a steel footbridge. The overflow water goes down Bradfield Dale to the Dale Dike Reservoir which is just 400 metres downstream. Water drawn off for consumer use is piped seven km to the water treatment works in the Loxley Valley.
At the southern arm of the reservoir is Pear House Clough down which flows one of the small southern tributaries. The clough is surrounded by Pear House Wood, an ancient broad leaved wood with an area of 16 hectares. The wood is part of the New Native Wood Challenge Scheme funded by the Forestry Commission
Challenge Fund which aims to manage, enhance and extend native woodland. The wood has been fenced off to exclude livestock to allow new planting and natural regeneration of trees. New species planted are Sessile Oak, Hazel
and Holly
while much of the regeneration is Birch
, Alder
and Rowan
. The northern arm of the reservoir formed by Strines Dike is surrounded by a coniferous
plantation.
At 53.4055°N 1.6549°W, high on the south flanks of the reservoir at a height of 315 metres stands Boot's Folly, also known occasionally as Strines Tower or Sugworth Tower. This is a folly
constructed in 1927 by Charles Boot
who resided at nearby Sugworth Hall. The 45 feet (13.7 m) square tower with castellated top and flag pole was built from left over stone when the nearby Bents House was constructed. The stone for Bents House had come from the disused Bents Farm and Pears House Farm when they were demolished. Boot's Folly was constructed to provide work for Sugworth Hall’s workmen during The Depression
. Today the interior is bare but it originally had wood panelling and a spiral staircase, the staircase was removed some years ago after a cow climbed the stairs and became stuck. The Folly gives fine views of the reservoir and Bradfield Dale.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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...
.
Construction
The reservoir was constructed in 1869 after the Sheffield Water Committee made the decision in the late 1850s to build four reservoirs in Bradfield Dale to impound water from the surrounding moorland to provide for the growing town of Sheffield. Sheffield had previously received its water supply from the Crookesmoor dams close to the town centre but by the mid 19th century these were becoming inadequate.In addition to Strines, three other reservoirs were built, these were Damflask
Damflask Reservoir
Damflask Reservoir is an English water feature situated at grid reference five miles west of the centre of Sheffield in the Loxley valley close to the village of Low Bradfield and within the city's boundaries...
, Agden
Agden Reservoir
Agden Reservoir is a water storage reservoir, situated at grid reference , west of the centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water which is part of the Kelda Group...
and Dale Dike
Dale Dike Reservoir
Dale Dike Reservoir or Dale Dyke Reservoir , famous for causing the Great Sheffield Flood, is in the north-east Peak District, in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England, a mile west of Bradfield, eight miles from the centre of Sheffield, on the Dale Dike, a tributary of the River...
. Strines was meant to be the final of the four reservoirs constructed, however Dale Dike was not completed until 1875, having to be rebuilt after the failure of its dam wall caused the Great Sheffield Flood
Great Sheffield Flood
Not to be confused with the floods in Sheffield in 2007.The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke.- Collapse of Dale Dyke Dam :...
of 1864. Strines reservoir was constructed with a dam wall of approximately 330 metres (1083 feet) in length and 29 metres (95 feet) in height which flooded an area of 22 hectares. It holds 452,900,000 gallons of water.
Etymology
The name Strines dates from as early as the 13th century, when it was mentioned in the Sheffield Court records as the Water of the Strynd or Strynds, referring to the stream which rose on the moors at the top end of Bradfield Dale and flowed down the valley to join the River LoxleyRiver Loxley
The River Loxley is a river in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England. Its source is a series of streams which rise some to the north-west of Sheffield on Bradfield Moors, and converge at Low Bradfield...
at Low Bradfield
Low Bradfield
Low Bradfield is a village within the in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated within the boundary of the city of Sheffield in the upper part of the Loxley Valley, 6¼ miles west-northwest of the city centre and just inside the northeast boundary of the Peak District National Park...
. The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
defines the word “strynds” or “strinds” as a rivulet or a stream.
The reservoir and its environment
The reservoir’s main source of water comes off the Derwent Moors, two km to the west with the Strines Dike and Foulstone Dike rising at a height of around 500 metres above sea level and converging before flowing down to the reservoir which stands at a height of 250 metres. There are several smaller tributaries to the reservoir which flow off Ughill Moors to the south. There is only one habitation in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir, this is Brogging House, a dwelling which pre-dates the reservoir by some time being recorded as being leased by George Woodhead in 1715 and is probably significantly older than that. The house stands at the north end of the dam wall and at one time served as the reservoir keepers house when one was needed.Today the reservoir is attended by Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England. The company has its origins in the Yorkshire Water Authority, one of ten...
staff who can gain vehicular access to the valve house through a locked gate and gravel track which runs along the top of the dam wall. The reservoirs overflow is located at the south end of the dam wall and takes the form of a 25 feet (7.6 m) concrete spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
which is crossed by a steel footbridge. The overflow water goes down Bradfield Dale to the Dale Dike Reservoir which is just 400 metres downstream. Water drawn off for consumer use is piped seven km to the water treatment works in the Loxley Valley.
At the southern arm of the reservoir is Pear House Clough down which flows one of the small southern tributaries. The clough is surrounded by Pear House Wood, an ancient broad leaved wood with an area of 16 hectares. The wood is part of the New Native Wood Challenge Scheme funded by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
Challenge Fund which aims to manage, enhance and extend native woodland. The wood has been fenced off to exclude livestock to allow new planting and natural regeneration of trees. New species planted are Sessile Oak, Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
and Holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
while much of the regeneration is Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
and Rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
. The northern arm of the reservoir formed by Strines Dike is surrounded by a coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
plantation.
Access
Access to the reservoir for walkers is quite good with a bridleway approaching from the minor public road to the north known as Mortimer Road. From the south walkers may gain access by using part of the Sheffield Country Walk which approaches from Sugworth Road. It is also possible to walk up Bradfield Dale from Low Bradfield using various footpaths which also pass by Dale Dike Reservoir.Boot's Folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
constructed in 1927 by Charles Boot
Charles Boot
Charles Boot of Sheffield, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver in Buckinghamshire, England.- Basic biography :...
who resided at nearby Sugworth Hall. The 45 feet (13.7 m) square tower with castellated top and flag pole was built from left over stone when the nearby Bents House was constructed. The stone for Bents House had come from the disused Bents Farm and Pears House Farm when they were demolished. Boot's Folly was constructed to provide work for Sugworth Hall’s workmen during The Depression
Great Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
. Today the interior is bare but it originally had wood panelling and a spiral staircase, the staircase was removed some years ago after a cow climbed the stairs and became stuck. The Folly gives fine views of the reservoir and Bradfield Dale.