The Dam That Took 14 Years and 1,000 Workers to Build - Derwent Dam Marks Its 110th Anniversary |
Severn Trent has released a stunning collection of archive photographs to mark the 110th anniversary of the completion of Derwent Dam, offering a rare glimpse of the extraordinary feat of engineering that shaped the Upper Derwent Valley. |
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One hundred and ten years ago, a team of around 1,000 workers completed one of the most ambitious civil engineering projects the Peak District had ever seen. The Derwent Dam, a magnificent Gothic-style stone structure in the Upper Derwent Valley, was finished in 1916 after 14 years of construction, and this week Severn Trent has released a collection of historic archive photographs to mark the milestone anniversary.
The images offer a remarkable window into the world of the dam-builders: workers perched on scaffolding high above the valley floor, cranes lifting enormous stone blocks quarried from Bole Hill and Grindleford and transported to the site via a specially constructed railway, and the gradual emergence of the twin towers that have become one of the most recognisable landmarks in the Peak District.
The majority of the workforce lived on site in prefabricated properties in nearby Birchinlee, a settlement that became known, affectionately, as "Tin Town." Chief engineer Edward Sanderman oversaw the entire project from 1902 until its completion in 1916.
The resulting reservoir stretches almost two miles in length, covers 175 acres, and reaches a maximum depth of 114 feet. Together with the nearby Howden Reservoir, built as part of the same original scheme, and Ladybower Reservoir, completed in 1945, the Upper Derwent Valley now forms one of the most visited and celebrated stretches of water in the country.
Donna Marshall, Severn Trent's visitor engagement manager, said: "Derwent Dam is stunning and a truly incredible feat of engineering. We are delighted to release these images to mark the 110th anniversary of the completion of the dam, which is a great way to remember all those brave workers involved in its construction."
The dam also holds a special place in British military history. In May 1943, the RAF's 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, used the reservoir to practise their famous bouncing bomb raids before carrying out their attacks on dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley. The site continues to attract visitors who come to honour that legacy, and last year the dam wall was illuminated in red, white and blue to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
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