The 19th century was a period of rapid urban sprawl in Britain, and with that, comes a greater need for one thing: water.
Vast engineering projects like the Thirlmere Aqueduct began in order to hydrate growing populations in northern cities, specifically Manchester in the case of the Thirlmere.
But what did the north west’s other big city do to keep taps flowing? Flood vast swathes of countryside in Lancashire.
Read more: Lancashire or Greater Manchester? The battle for Rivington
The result is what we’ve been known to dub as Lancashire’s very own “little Lake District”.
(Image: Public) Rivington is a favourite haunt of many people, for walking and fishing, not least because of the beauty of the scenery – scenery that has been greatly enhanced by the presence of the reservoirs.
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Yet just over 170 years ago there were only fields, farms and rivers running through the valleys which were later flooded to provide water for Merseyside’s largest city.
(Image: Derek Cartwright) In 1846, three prominent engineers, Hawksley, Cubbitt and Rondel, were engaged by the Liverpool Council to examine the position and propose schemes which would solve the problem.
Read more: Horwich: Long-delayed Rivington Chase link road to open ‘in Spring’
Many thought that wells sunk in the sandstone rock under Liverpool could create an ample water supply.
Other suggestions were to draw the water from Lake Bala in Wales, or the River Alt and other sources, but these were quickly discarded.
Thomas Hawksley proposed to impound the water of the Rivers Douglas and Roddlesworth, and form a reservoir in the valley between Rivington Pike an Heath Charnock.
This scheme was agreed, and in 1847 and Act of Parliament passed to allow the work to go ahead. However, there was some opposition by a vociferous minority, and work was delayed for some time.
The Chorley Waterworks Company built their own reservoir – about nine acres on Anglezarke Moor – in 1850 to service the town’s needs, but when the Rivington Pike Scheme, as it was known, began, Liverpool Corporation was allowed to buy Chorley reservoir on the condition that in future they also supplied Chorley with water.
So work began in earnest, and generally speaking, the main reservoir system at Rivington, comprising High Bullough (Chorley) Reservoir, the Upper and Lower Rivington Reservoirs, Anglezarke Reservoir, Rake or Red Bank Reservoir at Abbey Village, Lower Roddlesworth Reservoir, and the filter beds at the southern end of the Lower Rivington Reservoir near Horwich, was constructed between 1850 and 1857.
In August, 1857, then first water from Rivington was delivered to Liverpool.
Even so, demand still exceeded supply, and another reservoir was built on the River Roddlesworth at Tockholes. Still more water was needed, and a Bill was passed by Parliament in 1867 which allowed the building of a further reservoir in the Yarrow Valley to the east of Anglezarke Reservoir, and two more filter beds at Horwich.
The principal streams supplying water to the Rivington Pike Scheme are the Roddlesworth, Flake, Yarrow and Douglas. From the Roddlesworth and Rake reservoirs, a channel had to be cut to carry the water to join the main system.
The scheme had been a massive undertaking, with a chain of reservoirs all decanting into the Lower Rivington Reservoir, from where the supply passes through the filter beds before being piped many miles to the holding reservoirs at Prescot.
The overall result was the greatest water-taking then in existence, and it served as a model for water works all over the world.
It contained a number of unique features.
For instance, it was the first scheme in which all the water supply was filtered and all stonework associated with various dams, connecting tunnels, washes and bridges was carried out to an unusually high standard.
Even though it was filtered, when the water was first delivered to Liverpool it was slightly discoloured because of the peat and vegetation from the sites and bottoms of the newly-filled reservoirs.
This naturally caused unfavourable comment, but the condition soon passed and the Liverpudlians were agreeably surprised at the pure quality of the supply.
Now owned by United Utilities, the area’s water still keeps Merseysiders hydrated to this day.