Tunstall Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Tunstall Reservoir lies 3.5 km north of the village of Wolsingham
, in Weardale
, County Durham
.
The reservoir was constructed on behalf of the Weardale and Shildon District Waterworks Company between 1887 and 1879. It was created by erecting an earth embankment dam
across the valley of Waskerley Beck. The dam, 1020 feet long and 82 feet high, was constructed with a puddle clay core. Puddle clay was also used in the cut-off trench into the hillside but when this was found to leak, the supervising engineer, Thomas Hawksley
, adopted the then novel technique of pouring cement grout into holes bored along the trench. Tunstall was one of the first two dams on which the grouting technique was used, the other being at Cowm Reservoir in Lancashire
, for which Hawksley was also responsible.
As a result of amalgamations, Tunstall reservoir passed to the Weardale and Consett Water Company in 1902 and to the Durham County Water Board in 1920. Following nationalisation and subsequent privatisation, it is now owned and operated by Northumbrian Water
.
Until 2004, the reservoir supplied a water treatment works located immediately below the dam wall, but, with the opening of a new treatment works adjacent to Burnhope Reservoir
at Wearhead
, the Tunstall works was abandoned. The reservoir is now used solely to maintain minimum regulatory flows on the River Wear
, in support of raw water abstractions further downstream, at Chester-le-Street
.
The reservoir borders the Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods
Site of Special Scientific Interest
. At the northern end of the reservoir, there is a small marshy area where the nationally scare Thread rush, Juncus filiformis, occurs; to protect this, Northumbrian Water has designated the marsh as a private nature reserve. The rest of the reservoir is used for boating and angling.
Wolsingham
Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...
, in Weardale
Weardale
Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, in England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
.
The reservoir was constructed on behalf of the Weardale and Shildon District Waterworks Company between 1887 and 1879. It was created by erecting an earth embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
across the valley of Waskerley Beck. The dam, 1020 feet long and 82 feet high, was constructed with a puddle clay core. Puddle clay was also used in the cut-off trench into the hillside but when this was found to leak, the supervising engineer, Thomas Hawksley
Thomas Hawksley
Thomas Hawksley was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with water and gas engineering projects.The son of John Hawksley and Mary Whittle, and born in Arnold, near Nottingham on , Hawksley was largely self-taught from the age of 15 onwards, having at that point...
, adopted the then novel technique of pouring cement grout into holes bored along the trench. Tunstall was one of the first two dams on which the grouting technique was used, the other being at Cowm Reservoir in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, for which Hawksley was also responsible.
As a result of amalgamations, Tunstall reservoir passed to the Weardale and Consett Water Company in 1902 and to the Durham County Water Board in 1920. Following nationalisation and subsequent privatisation, it is now owned and operated by Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water Group plc is the holding company for several companies in the water supply, sewerage and waste water industries. NWG's largest subsidiary is Northumbrian Water Limited , which is one of ten companies in England and Wales that are regulated water supply and sewerage utilities...
.
Until 2004, the reservoir supplied a water treatment works located immediately below the dam wall, but, with the opening of a new treatment works adjacent to Burnhope Reservoir
Burnhope Reservoir
Burnhope Reservoir is a reservoir above the village of Wearhead, County Durham.The reservoir was created by the construction of an earth embankment dam across the valley of Burnhope Burn, a tributary of the River Wear, 1 km above Wearhead...
at Wearhead
Wearhead
Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland....
, the Tunstall works was abandoned. The reservoir is now used solely to maintain minimum regulatory flows on the River Wear
River Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
, in support of raw water abstractions further downstream, at Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
.
The reservoir borders the Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods
Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods
Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Wear Valley district of County Durham, England. It occupies the steep eastern slopes of the valley of Waskerley Beck, alongside and downstream of Tunstall Reservoir, some 3 km north of Wolsingham and is one of...
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. At the northern end of the reservoir, there is a small marshy area where the nationally scare Thread rush, Juncus filiformis, occurs; to protect this, Northumbrian Water has designated the marsh as a private nature reserve. The rest of the reservoir is used for boating and angling.