Why 15 year construction of this Yorkshire reservoir is a story to behold

Located in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, the reservoir today is a popular spot for walkers, cyclists and sightseers. But just under a century ago, it was a very different picture.

When work began on the site in 1921, it was a hive of industrial activity. Building in such a remote area required some serious developments in infrastructure.

A railway line was created to transport materials to the site and a temporary village was constructed to house the project’s workers and their families. T he remains of both can still be seen when approaching Scar House today, though they were dismantled when the reservoir was completed in 1936.

Reported to have once been home to more than 1,000 residents, the village was somewhat luxurious for its time, with shops, a hospital and school and even a concert hall and cinema, as well as a golf course and football club.

As The Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership sets out: “The village had hot and cold water, electric lighting and flushing toilets. The population of Pateley Bridge had no such luxuries and the workmen were under strict instruction that if they or any of their family misbehaved in any way, they would lose their job and be thrown out of the village.

“There were ten large hostels for workmen (full-board for a week at one of the hostels cost £1), 34 semi-detached bungalows, 28 houses in five blocks and several other buildings.”

The reservoir and dam was built from more than one million tonnes of masonry. It was created to supply the burgeoning population of Bradford and still now, water is transferred to the city via the Nidd aqueduct.

Today, the reservoir also has another string to its bow. It is a designated Dark Sky Discovery Site, officially recognised as an excellent place to stargaze due to its remote and peaceful location.

Technical details: Nikon D850 camera, 70-200mm lens, exposure of 1/500th second at f13, ISO 640.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor