The Village Beneath The Dam

[SputnikBoy 10]

It was a popular pursuit back in the day: evicting hundreds of families from their homes and flooding their villages. Nobody questioned the authorities back then, but I'd like to see them try it now! Mind you, all the villages are full of well-heeled folks now, who have friends and influence people, so the idea would never be mooted.

 

Thruscross reservoir, up near Otley, North of Leeds, also has a village underneath it (Thruscross). The road which ran through the village descends into the water at one side of the lake, and emerges on the other side.

 

Interesting. Any photographs available?

[simonj 10]

Interesting. Any photographs available?

 

 

There's some photos here taken during the 90's drought. Googling it finds some other interesting sites as well.

 

http://uk.geocities.com/lyapunovia/ThruscrossDrought.htm

[Plain Talker 11]

Thruscross reservoir, up near Otley, North of Leeds, also has a village underneath it (Thruscross). The road which ran through the village descends into the water at one side of the lake, and emerges on the other side.

 

I wonder if anyone's been daft enough to try and negotiate the road? hehe

[Albatross 10]

Thanks for that post Carol.

Brought a tear to my eye as I have a border collie who is just like that. She's happy as long as she's with me no matter what I'm doing, and I only have to look at her and I get a wag of the tail. I know I will be lost when anything happens to her she's such a big part of my life.

[linaian 10]

This morning when I got to work, I searched for 'Shepley' in Sheffield Forum as I am going to the folk festival there this weekend. I came across this thread and started reading all the interesting stories and history behind the dam at Ladybower. My boss then mentioned that it's the anniversary of the Dambusters today at Ladybower and just as he said about 10.15am, the Lancaster flew past our window (in Rotherham) followed by the Dakota. What a strange set of events!

 

Really interesting stuff guys but those plugholes are what nightmares are made of.

[chiggers 10]

I am sure that BBC East Midlands did a program about the dams, and life in the villages before the valley was flooded, somewhere late 80s/early 90s. The reason it sticks in my mind is that it showed a picture of the cricket team from one of the villages taken after, as I recall, their last ever match, with a line of tin scoreboard number plates perched against a stone wall. It must have been a very poignant moment. I would love to know which village it was, and where the ground was; if it was Derwent then it might just be possible to see it again when the water level is low.

 

Incidentally, I believe that some of the oak panelling from Derwent Hall is now lining the walls of the parlour of the Mayor of Derby at the Council House, and the bells from the church are now in a church in Chaddesden.

[chiggers 10]

It was a popular pursuit back in the day: evicting hundreds of families from their homes and flooding their villages. Nobody questioned the authorities back then, but I'd like to see them try it now! Mind you, all the villages are full of well-heeled folks now, who have friends and influence people, so the idea would never be mooted.

 

Thruscross reservoir, up near Otley, North of Leeds, also has a village underneath it (Thruscross). The road which ran through the village descends into the water at one side of the lake, and emerges on the other side.

 

It happened as recently as the 1980s in Derbyshire - Carsington reservoir saw quite a lot of farms etc. disappear under water

[Ousetunes 10]

chiggers - If it was Derwent then yes, the ruins, as you'll have no doubt read, have been exposed on numerous occasions in the past (1976, 1989 and 1995 immediately spring to mind. In 1995 it was possible to walk along the floor of the reservoir and see the river and where the bridge used to cross over, along with the debris from the church and Derwent Hall etc).

 

Ashopton village lies beneath Ashopton Viaduct (A57) and to the best of my knowledge has never been exposed because this is the deepest part of the reservoirs and the water level has never fallen to such a level. Not only that, but the ruins will be covered in silt, so it's unlikely that even if the reservoirs were emptied we'd find much evidence of Ashopton village.

 

Having said that, the thought of the reservoirs being totally emptied thrills me; just what could there be down there? (On the other hand, there have been fatalities from cars going into the dams, so perhaps best left to the imagination eh?)

[chiggers 10]

Ousetunes - I live in Belper, and went in 1989 when the level was down, although I didn't venture into the reservoir bed itself then. I would love to be able to locate the cricket ground if it were in Derwent (one of the very few in Derbyshire that I haven't been to!), but Sod's Law says it would have been Ashopton

 

I have quite vivid recollections of going there with my parents in the early 60s, and would have sworn that the church tower was still visible then, but obviously my memory is playing tricks with me.

 

Can anyone else remember the BBC East Midlands documentary? It was, I think, a 30-minute thing, presented by one of the local male newsreaders, who I think is still about now. If anyone has a copy, I would like to see it again.

[Ousetunes 10]

Some pictures here from the drought of 1996 (use the arrows to change the main picture).

 

 

Incidentally, some of the stained glass from the church can now be seen in the east window at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Hathersage.

 

For the record, the church spire was visible during the low waters of 1947 and as it was dangerous it was blown up.

[Plain Talker 11]

Some pictures here from the drought of 1996 (use the arrows to change the main picture).

 

 

Incidentally, some of the stained glass from the church can now be seen in the east window at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Hathersage.

 

For the record, the church spire was visible during the low waters of 1947 and as it was dangerous it was blown up.

 

ousetunes, those photos of the dam, and the ones earlier in the selection, of hardwick hall were just brilliant.

 

I have fond memories of my poppa taking me and my sister, as kids, to see places like Hardwick, Chatsworth. thoresby, and haddon Halls, and places kike tattersall Castle in Lincolnshire, and Bolsover and Conisborough Castles. (I was in "Hardwick House"- which was blue- in junior school, Chatsworth was red, Thoresby was green, and Haddon was yellow).

 

on Sundays, if we weren't exploring castles, and stately homes, we were scroaming over Mam Tor, hunting for fossils. (when the old road was still there, and hadn't been "shuddered to death"! hehe )

[Eater Sundae 12]

Pete R - fascinating post.

 

I read somewhere that the cement used to make Ladybower Dam wall took something like 50 years to set (totally set rock hard). That's a sobering thought for anyone walking beneath (or even along) the dam wall!

 

The whole engineering skill used to construct the dams I think deserves more commentary. Books like the Silent Village only touch on various aspects but don't go into great detail. There MUST be more photographs of the building of Ladybower, Howden and Derwent Dams. What, for example, happened to the walkway which surrounded the plug-like overflow (near the Bamford Road) which was used to show the King and Queen around when they officially opened the dam?

 

Do you have any photographs Pete R which you could share with us? Could you tell us more about what must be spooky tunnels running through Derwent Wall? What does it sound like in there? Is it damp or dry?

 

I, and I'm sure other forummers would appreciate any further comments on this absorbing matter.

 

I went to a talk, one evening, by Vic Hallam, many years ago. I seem to remember he talked a lot about the building of the Ladybower Dam. There was more in his talk than in the Silent Valley book. Unfortunately I cannot remember the detail. It would be interesting to read/hear more about the construction. I think I remember him talking about concrete being injected into the dam, and coming up in farmers' fields away from the site.