New Years Bridge Reservoir Bypass Culvert and Dowry Reservoir Outfalls - Saddleworth
History
Dowry Reservoir History first - Within ten years of completing the Dowry Castle buildings, Parliament passed the Oldham Corporation Waterworks Act. This gave the go-ahead for the construction nearby of reservoirs to quench the thirsty mouths and mills in the expanding industrial town of Oldham.
In 1875, James Seville, executor of John Gartside’s will, petitioned against the building of the reservoirs. James said the mansion would be exposed to increased cold and damp, lose significant meadow space for sheep and cattle and have its fresh water supply cut off. He also stated that part of the proposed Dowry Reservoir would cover the access road to the Dowry Castle site. James’ petition fell on deaf ears.
Engineers Bateman and Hill designed the reservoirs. Construction began on 26 July 1876. New Year’s Bridge, Dowry, Crook Gate and Readycon Dean reservoirs added to the water supply already provided by Strinesdale and Piethorne. They were completed by 1883 and officially opened as the Denshaw Waterworks.
1878 the Oldham Corporation purchased the Dowry Castle estate. The sale included 350 acres of the Dowry Castle estate but excluded the mansion, farm buildings and the 55 acres surrounding them. For a while after 1878, the family seem to have kept Dowry Castle as a second residence. However, on 30 October 1894 Roger Arthure Gartside, John's surviving younger son, and John Edmund Gartside, John’s grandson, sold the remaining part of the estate to Oldham Corporation. The final act came three years later: 'Dowry Castle, together with all the farm buildings... has this week been sold under the hammer. The structures are to be taken down by the purchasers within a given period, and the land left bare. Mossley and Saddleworth Reporter, 7 August 1897 The materials, contents and inside fittings at Dowry Castle were sold by auction in 514 lots. No auction catalogue survives.
The history for New Years Bridge Reservoir is more or less the same as they were constructed at the same time. The name comes from the bridge; now a dam wall, Situated below this water tower was New Years Bridge Mill which was built on Denshaw Brook, on one of the old tracks between Castleshaw and Rochdale via Denshaw. It was the highest mill on the river Tame and Saddleworth, but now lies beneath the reservoir.
My Visit
This is somewhere I end up fairly often, nice stroll and a few landscape shots. I have seen the entrances to the culverts/overflows but had never had an urge to pop my head in as I just thought they ran under the road.
I stopped off here after a recent picnic with Ojay to get a couple of pretty photos, Ojay stopped when he saw me when passing. He mentioned one of the culverts was brick porn so on a quiet day I headed back for a little stroll through some brick porn.
The main reason for not popping my head in these is I thought they just passed under the road, like porn 2 or 3 minutes should have seen it done.
Brick porn it was, a nice 6ft culvert with a gritstone base, after 40 meters I was surprised I had not seen light at the end of the tunnel!
The culvert soon reduced to a 4ft stoop and still no light could be seen, now porn is fine but more than a few minutes I do find it a bit repetitive; this brick porn was starting to get a bit repetitive. Thankfully there was the sound of gushing water to keep me going to see what was at the end.
After 800 meters of stooping the bypass culvert joined the overflow from New Years Bridge Reservoir.
Work was still going on this new section, major upgrades having been done over the last year, so I bailed back the way I’d come to look at the Dowry Reservoir Overflows.
They’re nor huge, but do make a nice stroll, especially as you can stand up.
The second overflow wasn’t as long, but think this was the original overflow and far less frequented.
Well that’s it, good to learn not to dismiss something without having a look. Then again 800m of 4ft brick porn does get just a little bit too much even for me, especially as it was also the way back. The new culvert does look good, about 100m of concrete culvert and will no doubt pop my head in once the man in his digger goes away.
Cheers,
TLR.
History
Dowry Reservoir History first - Within ten years of completing the Dowry Castle buildings, Parliament passed the Oldham Corporation Waterworks Act. This gave the go-ahead for the construction nearby of reservoirs to quench the thirsty mouths and mills in the expanding industrial town of Oldham.
In 1875, James Seville, executor of John Gartside’s will, petitioned against the building of the reservoirs. James said the mansion would be exposed to increased cold and damp, lose significant meadow space for sheep and cattle and have its fresh water supply cut off. He also stated that part of the proposed Dowry Reservoir would cover the access road to the Dowry Castle site. James’ petition fell on deaf ears.
Engineers Bateman and Hill designed the reservoirs. Construction began on 26 July 1876. New Year’s Bridge, Dowry, Crook Gate and Readycon Dean reservoirs added to the water supply already provided by Strinesdale and Piethorne. They were completed by 1883 and officially opened as the Denshaw Waterworks.
1878 the Oldham Corporation purchased the Dowry Castle estate. The sale included 350 acres of the Dowry Castle estate but excluded the mansion, farm buildings and the 55 acres surrounding them. For a while after 1878, the family seem to have kept Dowry Castle as a second residence. However, on 30 October 1894 Roger Arthure Gartside, John's surviving younger son, and John Edmund Gartside, John’s grandson, sold the remaining part of the estate to Oldham Corporation. The final act came three years later: 'Dowry Castle, together with all the farm buildings... has this week been sold under the hammer. The structures are to be taken down by the purchasers within a given period, and the land left bare. Mossley and Saddleworth Reporter, 7 August 1897 The materials, contents and inside fittings at Dowry Castle were sold by auction in 514 lots. No auction catalogue survives.
The history for New Years Bridge Reservoir is more or less the same as they were constructed at the same time. The name comes from the bridge; now a dam wall, Situated below this water tower was New Years Bridge Mill which was built on Denshaw Brook, on one of the old tracks between Castleshaw and Rochdale via Denshaw. It was the highest mill on the river Tame and Saddleworth, but now lies beneath the reservoir.
My Visit
This is somewhere I end up fairly often, nice stroll and a few landscape shots. I have seen the entrances to the culverts/overflows but had never had an urge to pop my head in as I just thought they ran under the road.
I stopped off here after a recent picnic with Ojay to get a couple of pretty photos, Ojay stopped when he saw me when passing. He mentioned one of the culverts was brick porn so on a quiet day I headed back for a little stroll through some brick porn.
The main reason for not popping my head in these is I thought they just passed under the road, like porn 2 or 3 minutes should have seen it done.
Brick porn it was, a nice 6ft culvert with a gritstone base, after 40 meters I was surprised I had not seen light at the end of the tunnel!
The culvert soon reduced to a 4ft stoop and still no light could be seen, now porn is fine but more than a few minutes I do find it a bit repetitive; this brick porn was starting to get a bit repetitive. Thankfully there was the sound of gushing water to keep me going to see what was at the end.
After 800 meters of stooping the bypass culvert joined the overflow from New Years Bridge Reservoir.
Work was still going on this new section, major upgrades having been done over the last year, so I bailed back the way I’d come to look at the Dowry Reservoir Overflows.
They’re nor huge, but do make a nice stroll, especially as you can stand up.
The second overflow wasn’t as long, but think this was the original overflow and far less frequented.
Well that’s it, good to learn not to dismiss something without having a look. Then again 800m of 4ft brick porn does get just a little bit too much even for me, especially as it was also the way back. The new culvert does look good, about 100m of concrete culvert and will no doubt pop my head in once the man in his digger goes away.
Cheers,
TLR.
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