The history
Situated near Dowdeswell Reservoir, the Cheltenham Corporation Waterworks was built in 1925 to provide drinking water to the expanding town of Cheltenham. Equipped with two powerful pumps made by Gwynnes, the facility would draw water from the reservoir, treat it through multiple filter beds, and then distribute it to the town's water supply.
The site was eventually acquired by Severn Trent Water, which operated it until its closure. Around 2020, seven large filter beds were demolished to create an overflow car park for a nearby business, though the main waterworks building still stands. The exact year of closure is uncertain, but it may have been as early as the 1990s. The shutdown followed the construction of a more modern facility, the Mythe Water Treatment Works, in Tewkesbury. Today, the reservoir serves as a balancing pond to manage floodwaters.
The explore
This one was a two and a half hour drive for me so I promised the handbrake a day out in Cheltenham and left her, spending money at the nearby eatery place next to the former waterworks whilst I headed over to the pump/filter house.
As I was climbing out of the place I bumped into a local couple who told me the building and indeed the rest of the site had been purchased by the owner of the nearby eatery and was due to be renovated and would become part of the complex.
As I was heading across the carpark I noticed a small, more modern brick building and decided to check it out. It seems this is the entrance to the underground reservoir but without a light I didn't venture in. From what I understand it's a vaulted ceiling affair and if it wasn't so far I'd definitely be heading back.
The underground reservoir
How the renovation/development will look
Situated near Dowdeswell Reservoir, the Cheltenham Corporation Waterworks was built in 1925 to provide drinking water to the expanding town of Cheltenham. Equipped with two powerful pumps made by Gwynnes, the facility would draw water from the reservoir, treat it through multiple filter beds, and then distribute it to the town's water supply.
The site was eventually acquired by Severn Trent Water, which operated it until its closure. Around 2020, seven large filter beds were demolished to create an overflow car park for a nearby business, though the main waterworks building still stands. The exact year of closure is uncertain, but it may have been as early as the 1990s. The shutdown followed the construction of a more modern facility, the Mythe Water Treatment Works, in Tewkesbury. Today, the reservoir serves as a balancing pond to manage floodwaters.
The explore
This one was a two and a half hour drive for me so I promised the handbrake a day out in Cheltenham and left her, spending money at the nearby eatery place next to the former waterworks whilst I headed over to the pump/filter house.
As I was climbing out of the place I bumped into a local couple who told me the building and indeed the rest of the site had been purchased by the owner of the nearby eatery and was due to be renovated and would become part of the complex.
As I was heading across the carpark I noticed a small, more modern brick building and decided to check it out. It seems this is the entrance to the underground reservoir but without a light I didn't venture in. From what I understand it's a vaulted ceiling affair and if it wasn't so far I'd definitely be heading back.
The underground reservoir
How the renovation/development will look
