The Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. Ladybower Reservoir Portal to other worlds
Ladybower Reservoir Portal to other worlds
Undoubtedly, it is the best association with this picturesque place. However, the funnel reservoir is not a miracle of nature, it’s human technological interaction with nature. Of course, the impressive sight, like the gateway to hell, has become a popular tourist location. Ladybower is a large Y-shaped reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. Built between 1935 and 1943 by the Derwent Valley Water Board, it took a further two years to fill (1945).
Below the dam is a cut-off trench 180 feet (55 m) deep and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide filled with concrete, stretching 500 feet (150 m) into the hills each side, to stop water leaking round the dam
Portal to other worldsTourist attractionSpillway of this form is not the only one in the world, but also the biggestThe area now attracts photographers and touristsThe bell mouths are often completely out of the water and only rarely submerged, often after heavy rainfall or flooding
Ladybower Reservoir Portal to other worlds
The building of the dam wall undertaken by the Scottish company of Richard Baillie and SonsThe dam differs from the Howden Reservoir and Derwent Reservoir, as it is a clay-cored earth embankment, and not a solid masonry damThe design of the dams is peculiar in having two totally enclosed bellmouth overflows at the side of the wallWonderful Ladybower ReservoirThe opening ceremony for the reservoir took place on Tuesday 25 September 1945, attended by King George VI accompanied by the future Queen ElizabethThe water used for river control and to compensate for the water retained by all three dams, along with supply into the drinking water system and hydroelectricity generation
