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Upper
Derwent Valley |
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The
Upper Valley of the Derwent is a deep valley surrounded by gritstone edges
and dominated by three great reservoirs, constructed by the Derwent Valley
Water Board primarily to provide water for Sheffield.
The upper two dams, Howden and Derwent, were constructed between 1901
and 1916 and they were such a large undertaking that a village called
Birchinlee was constructed in the upper valley to house the workers and
a narrow-gauge railway was built between Howden Dam and the Midland Railway
at Bamford. Traces of both these may still be |
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seen. The dams were opened by King George V in 1916.
In
1935 an even larger project began downstream of the two earlier dams - the
construction of Ladybower Dam, which flooded the area around the junction
of the Derwent with the Ashop. This project, first mooted in the early 1920s,
caused considerable controversy because it involved the flooding of two
villages; Ashopton - which lay at the junction of the Ashop and the Derwent
- and Derwent, which lay upstream on the Derwent river. Despite protests
the dam went ahead and was finished in 1943, though the reservoir took a
further two years to fill. At the time this was the largest reservoir in
Britain. |
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flooding of the two villages was the worst damage inflicted by the water
authorities in their many projects around the Peak District, and highlighted
the damage which these can do to the environment - though paradoxically
Ladybower is now a major tourist attraction. |
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Another
claim to fame for the Derwent reservoirs is their association with the 'Dambuster'
squadron of the RAF, for they used the Derwent to practise for their famous
raid on the Ruhr dams. Since then this event has been regularly commemorated
in the Derwent valley with fly-pasts of old bombers and aerial displays.
In recent years forestry has become an important factor here and much of
the sides of the Upper Derwent valley have been clothed in conifers. Fortunately
the Forestry Commission and Seven Trent are relatively |
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landowners who allow access. Amenities for visitors are available at Fairholmes
where there is an information centre and car-park. |
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Fairholmes
Visitor Centre Open daily Easter - end October and winter weekends (Tel:
01433 650953) |
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Cycle hire (Tel: 01433 651261) |
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The visitor
centre also has toilets and offers refreshments.
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