Sluice gate from Longdendale reservoirs
- Made:
- circa 1851
One of three sluice gates installed at Crowden Brook, c.1850, during the development of Manchester's water supply reservoirs in the Longdendale Valley.
In 1848 the Manchester Corporation began an engineering project to bring much needed clean water into the city. Led by engineer John Frederick LaTrobe Bateman, they constructed a series of reservoirs in the Longdendale Valley in the Peak District. These reservoirs collected 5,985 million gallons of water that flowed off the Pennines. This water then travelled about 18 miles into Manchester, solely using gravity.
This sluice gate was designed by Bateman. It was installed at Crowden Brook during the first phase of construction of the Longdendale reservoir scheme. The rotating cylinder or ‘tumbler’ controls the flow of water into the reservoir system. This giant sluice gate was one of three that stood side by side and was still in full working order when it was decommissioned in 1971, about 120 years after its installation.
Details
- Category:
- Water Supply & Sanitation
- Object Number:
- Y2007.37
- Measurements:
-
3.6 m x 3.7 m x 1.9 m, 4000 kg
- type:
- sluice gate