researchwoma Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I am a mature student at Nottingham University where we are researching 'Improvisational Architecture'. This covers Pre-fabs, Nissen Huts and buildings and churches made from Corrugated Iron. Birchinlea is my particular interest - I see Hollybird mentions family coming up from Cornwall to work on the Dams and live in Birchinlea. Anyone got any other information ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete R Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I worked for severn trent for 17 years, and the first few were spent in the derwent valley, people used to say to me they would pay to work in a place like that! I spent a while working inside Howden & Derwent Dams, periodically opening and closing the manually operated 36" valves (a 2 person job), by opening the valve about 3" you would get a huge plume of water outside, the towers are joined by a tunnel inside the wall, half way along the tunnel there is a 'plumb line' telling you the wall is vertical, it does move fractionally when the dam is in flood. Ladybower didn't impress me as much as the old dams, although I can claim to have cut the grass on the embankment, it used to take 3 of us 3 days with machinery, and it kept us super fit walking up, down, and accross it! Nostalgia - it's a thing of the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ousetunes Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete R Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I haven't got any photo's although if you can get your hands on a copy of 'Walls Across The Valley' by Brian Robinson it shows the construction of both dams in words and pictures. The answer to whether or not the dams leak is that they both have minor leaks, although Howden is the wetter of the two but they've been standing for nearly a hundred years now so I shouldn't worry. The walkways around the overflow shafts at Ladybower were removed because when it was in flood, debris used to collect behind them, and it was considered there was a risk of the walkways would give way under the increasing weight of water and in turn block the shafts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.C.Builders Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Time to jump into the Time Machine and travel back over the decades. This brings me to the late-1950's. There was a bad drought that caused the reservoirs and dams to drop their water level considerably. Unbelievably, the Derwent Dam became a mere puddle and fully exposed the village church that normally lay beneath its surface. I actually set foot in that ruined church while the dam was at an all-time low. It was such an eerie experience. Can anyone shed any light at all on the village and the church prior to the dam being built? Very interesting question that I have always wondered about the history of that village submersed under the dam. most bizarre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SputnikBoy Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Very interesting question that I have always wondered about the history of that village submersed under the dam. most bizarre! I'm most happy to see that this thread has been resurrected recently. It too had disappeared beneath a dam of new threads. I still drop into the forum periodically to see what might be going on. So, if anyone has anything new to contribute to this thread, please do. The posts so far have been most interesting and I thank all contributors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat631 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Anyone wishing to go through the tunnel in Derwent Dam wall may be interested in an earlier post. No. 57. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostmarbles Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Interesting thread , only wish there were more photo's of the village as my 4 x gr grandmother was born there @ 1796 The World's gone mad and i've lost touch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat631 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 A few photos here of Derwent Village and the valley. http://www.peakdistrictcottages.net/dpdopder.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat631 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Inside Derwent Dam wall, as I'm sure PeteR will remember it. No. 1 shows the stairs down to the tunnel beneath the Dam busters Museum in the west tower. No. 2 shows the tunnel that links the two towers. No. 3 shows a valve in the chamber beneath the east tower. No. 4 shows the tunnel entrance/exit below the east tower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.