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Thirlmere Aqueduct
Construction Chronology and Stats
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| 1 |
1876 - Letter from John Fredric Baternan (Chief Engineer Manchester Corporation) to the council recommends Thirlmere as an independent water source for Manchester |
| 2 |
1877 - Manchester Corp applies to Parliament for special powers to use Thirlmere as a reservoir |
| 3 |
1879 - Thirlmere bill passed despite opposition from locals led by John Harwood "The Thirlmere Defence Association" |
| 4 |
1881 - Route of aqueduct surveyed using a long chain to mark its course |
| 5 |
1886 - Work actually starts on the aqueduct - special rail siding built at Windermere station to relay men & materials by wagon |
| 6 |
1890 - Foundation stone laid in the thirlmere dam |
| 7 |
1893 Jun 10th Major burst at R.Sprint,Kendal during testing - water shoots 50 ft and a 1/2 ton piece of pipe sent flying, no one hurt (Reported by the Westmorland Gazette) |
| 8 |
1893 Aug 9th Last section was completed at Thickholme,Troutbeck Valley after 3 years.Initially the pipes were to go under the river but the workings were washed away,then a stone viaduct was built which had to be abandoned |
| 9 |
Thirlmere valley flooded 1890s originallly being two smaller lakes named Leatheswater and Wythburn water |
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Project took 7 years to complete and is 95 miles in length |
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Route to follow the 500 ft contour as closely as possible |
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4 mile tunnel through Dunmail Raise took 4 years to construct |
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Two other main tunnels under Nab Scar and Moor How |
| 14 |
Thirlmere reservoir height 590 ft Manchester reservoir height 360 ft |
| 15 |
Average gradient 20 inches to the mile |
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Average water speed 2-3 miles per hour |
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Thirlmere reservoir capacity 9000 million gallons approx supplying 50 million gallons per day to Manchester |
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Thirlmere dam height 58 ft - stone quarried from Longridge Lancs for this and other buildings and delivered by train (Lg quarries opened 1830 ) |
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Aqueduct diameter 7 ft cut and cover (cut to 8ft wide and lined with concrete) |
| 20 |
Where cut and cover could not be used the aqueduct would de fed into 4 cast iron pipes usually to cross rivers and valleys by means of syphons |
| 21 |
North Wells (stone squat buildings) - built where cut and cover or tunnel changed to pipeline - in the event of a burst valves could be closed to allow repairs |
| 22 |
South Wells (stone squat buildings) - built where pipeline changed to cut and cover - in the event of a burst valves could be closed to allow repairs |
| 23 |
12th Oct 1894 Ceremony at Thirlmere where John Harwood & Alderman John Mark opens valves for first time.Similar ceremony held the next day in Albert Sq. Manchester |
| 24 |
Cost £ 1.5 Million |
