Talk:Manchester Bolton & Bury Reservoir

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Construction of Reservoir - date of construction[edit]

Business owners were concerned for water supply to their businesses upon the building of a Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal. Conditions were included the 1791 Act. These were that river water shouldn't be taken into the canal if it affected supply to nearby business owners.

When Civil Engineer Hugh Henshall surveyed the canal prior to construction, he reported it could be supplied by flood and rivulet water. (p245 The Canals of NW England, Hadfield & Biddle, 1970, ISBN 071534992 9)

The decision to switch specification from narrow to broad canal during construction won't have helped. Whether that alone caused the issues, business owners raised their concerns almost immediately upon opening of the canal by 1797.

In 1802, a voluntary share of £20 was sought for a Reservoir in Radcliffe (p251 The Canals of NW England, Hadfield & Biddle, 1970, ISBN 071534992 9)

All of the above is stated also in a report of the MBB Canal Society in it's November 2017 Magazine, No. 116)

The original Reservoir at Elton was completed in 1805.

Water supply problems / concerns didn't go away.

The 2017 article in the Canal Society Magazine references a second resevoir being under consideration by 1833. However in 1839-1840 the existing resevoir was raised and enlarged.

Today, 2023, we see some boundary stones by the enlarged reservoir, bearing the converted title company name of Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company (their conversion being in 1831). The boundary stones bear the date 1842

Their presence would challenge reports of the resevoir being constructed in 1845. Equally, it would seem unlikely they would be placed so long after a construction of 1805 and without further cause, such as enlargement. Cranky Walker (talk) 06:23, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]