Thirlmere Aqueduct

The Thirlmere Aqueduct is part of a water supply system built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925.

The aqueduct was built to carry approximately per day of water from Thirlmere Reservoir to Manchester. The construction of the reservoir and aqueduct was authorised by the Manchester Waterworks Act of Parliament. The first phase was completed in 1897 and, for the pipeline sections, subsequent phases were completed in 1925. The first water to arrive in Manchester from the Lake District was marked with an official ceremony on 13 October 1894.

History

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In 1874 John Frederick Bateman advised Manchester Corporation that the increasing demand for water, then averaging per day, would soon exhaust the available supply from Longdendale. His first recommendation was to source water from Ullswater, but it was eventually decided to seek powers to acquire Thirlmere and build a dam there. In the face of local oppositionRitvo, Harriet (2003) "Essays on Science and Society: ", Science, 300 (5625: 6 June), p. 1510–1511, PMID 12791968 the project received Royal Assent in 1879. Under this act Manchester was granted priority of right to per person per day. A pumping station was built at Heaton Park Reservoir in 1954&ndash;1955 incorporating a large relief by Mitzi Cunliffe signed and dated 1955. The building materials and the reliefs are all symbolic of the...
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