Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows River Yeo | | |
Primary outflows | River Yeo | |
Catchment area | 2,144 ha (5,300 acres) | |
Basin countries | United Kingdom | |
Surface area | 440 acres (180 ha) | |
Average depth | 14 ft (4.3 m) | |
Max. depth | 42 ft (13 m) | |
Water volume | 8,456 million litres (6,855 acre⋅ft) |
Blagdon Lake lies in a valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, close to the village of Blagdon and approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water (Bristol Waterworks Company as it was known then), when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1898, to designs by Charles Hawksley, and completing this in 1905. The Wrington Vale Light Railway was constructed primarily to bring building materials for the lake.
The reservoir was formed by the construction of a dam and provided water to the pumping station which originally contained four Woolf compound rotative beam pumping engines, built by Glenfield & Kennedy of Kilmarnock, which have now been replaced by electric pumps. Two of the steam engines have been preserved, with one in working order as part of the visitor centre which also includes educational facilities for children. The pumping station is now a Grade II* listed building.
The 8,456,000,000-litre (1.860×109 imp gal; 2.234×109 US gal) lake still provides 9,547,000,000 L (2.100×109 imp gal; 2.522×109 US gal) of drinking water each year, but also acts as a fishing lake. It provides a habitat for a range of flora and fauna and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The original suction tanks, which formed the water supply for the steam boilers powering the pumping engines, are now used for trout rearing.
Reservoir
The lake, which was originally called the Yeo reservoir, covers 440 acres (180 ha).[1] The River Yeo rises in the centre of Compton Martin village, from there it flows past the village of Ubley and enters Blagdon Lake. From the lake the river flows south of Wrington and Iwood, where there were once a series of watermills along its banks. Its route then takes it around the northern outskirts of Congresbury, and across the North Somerset Levels roughly parallel to the A370 road, past the site of a Roman villa before crossing under the M5 motorway and emptying into the Severn Estuary in Woodspring Bay, downstream from Clevedon and west of the village of Kingston Seymour. The watershed catchment area of the reservoir is 2,144 hectares (5,300 acres).[2]
The construction of the reservoir was approved by acts of parliament in 1888 and 1889 as part of a plan to provide drinking water to
The lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 14 ft (4.3 m) and only 42 ft (13 m) at its deepest point near the dam at the west end of the lake.
Dam
The
Pumping station and Visitor Centre
Blagdon Pumping Station and Visitor Centre includes science and environment exhibits and hands-on displays as well as a room dedicated to the charity WaterAid. One of the two steam-driven beam engines is still working occasionally. Outside this is space for picnics and a nature trail.[11]
When the lake first opened there were four
In 1984 it was decided to preserve the two remaining engines and incorporate them as the central feature in the Visitor Centre, including a museum in the old boiler house, which opened in 1988 and attracts over 30,000 visitors a year.[15] The flywheel is now driven by an electric motor.[16] The pumping station is now a Grade II* listed building,[2] while the Gothic-style meter house is Grade II listed and used as a bat sanctuary.[17]
Fishing
Blagdon Lake first opened as a trout fishery in 1904.[18] The lake is well known for trout fishing from its banks and the fleet of 18 rowing boats for hire. The suction tanks which originally supplied water to the steam boilers for the pumping engines are now used as rearing pools for the fish before they are transferred into the lake.[2] On average 50,000 trout are reared at Blagdon each year by Bristol Water to stock this and surrounding lakes such as Chew Valley Lake and the Barrow Tanks.[19]
Ecology
Blagdon Lake is designated a
A variety of water birds can be seen around the lake including:
References
- ^ a b "Blagdon Lake". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "Waterworks at Blagdon: Pumping Station with Receiving Tanks (1320936)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Bristol's Water Supply: The Yeo Valley Reservoir". Western Daily Press. 24 January 1902. Retrieved 5 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c "History of Blagdon". Bristol Water. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-85361-620-7.
- ^ Brooke, Gerry (27 July 2009). "Footsteps into History — Blagdon". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Blagdon Lake". Bristol Waters. Archived from the original on 7 May 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
- .
- ^ "Sources" (PDF). Bristol Water. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Blagdon Visitor Centre" (PDF). Bristol Water. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Discover Wood Trail" (PDF). Bristol Water. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Blagdon Pumping Station visit". Histalec News. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ASIN B001KMZF9I.
- ^ King, Matthew; Fenwick, Andrew; Davis, Ben. "Blagdon Pumping Station and Intake Upgrade" (PDF). Water Projects Online. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ Wallis, Geoffrey. "Keeping The Wheels Turning". Building Conservation. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Industrial Conservation Works, Blagdon Beam Engine". Dorothea Restorations. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Waterworks at Blagdon: former meter house (1424249)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "History Page of Dr Bell of Wrington". Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "Blagdon Lake". Where to Fish. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Blagdon Lake" (PDF). Mendip Hills AONB. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Blagdon Lake" (PDF). English Nature's SSSI Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Blagdon Lake". Somerset Ornithological Society. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Blagdon Lake". Natureflip. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
External links
- Blagdon Lake with link to brochure about Blagdon Lake Pumping station and Visitor Centre
- Blagdon Visitor Centre - Bristol Water official site
- Blagdon Lake Birds