from 'A History of Crich' Geoff Dawes a) The Chadwick Nick Reservoir [348532)
This was built by the llkeston and Heanor Water Board to hold water treated at its works at Homesford Cottage by the side of the Derwent where the Meerbrook Sough discharges drainage water from the Wirksworth area. This sough was started in 1841 to drain the lead mines around Wirksworth and on average discharges some 17 million gallons of good quality water a day into the Derwent.
At the time of building, in 1903, the llkeston and Heanor Water Board designed its system to supply some one million gallons during a working day of ten hours - keeping a reserve capacity of an additional ten hours to meet the requirements of the growing population. The water was pumped using steam power (it is now powered electrically) through an 18 inch diameter main up to 10 Chadwick Nick - a height of some 500 fr.
The Chadwick Nick Reservoir is 700 ft above the ordnance datum and is 150 ft long by 100ft wide with a working depth of 16 ft. It was excavated out of the millstone-grit rock in the southerly extension of the Tors beyond Chadwick Nick and the excavated rock was ground up to form an excellent concrete material, of which the walls and floors were constructed. The four walls are about 19 ft high, 3.6 ft thick at the base, tapering up to 2.5 ft at the top. It is divided by a concrete cross wall, 10 ft high, into two compartments, to enable one part to be cleansed whilst the other is kept in work. The reservoir is covered by a concrete roof covered with turf and supported by one-ring blue-brick arches; the arches being supported by about fifty free standing blue-brick piers. It has a capacity of 1.4 million gallons. The water, on being pumped up from the treatment plant, descends to the bottom of the reservoir and is decanted from the top by two floating arms into the gravitation main. The main is 15 in. in diameter and passes across the Amber at Bullbridge on its way to the llkeston reservoir. There is a junction near Codnor Gate from where a 10 in. main feeds the Codnor Reservoir (near Jessop’s Monument) which is the highest point in the Heanor district.
By the early 1930s the gravitation main was found to be of inadequate capacity to keep the customer’s reservoirs full during periods of prolonged dry weather or frost. With the increase of population and increasing demand it was found that a fall of several feet in the height of water was frequently occurring. When the balance was not restored during the night time the Codnor Reservoir, which was the one most affected, became empty. In 1932 the Water Board, under pressure from the Ministry of Health, and from the Ministry of Labour which was anxious to find work for the growing number of unemployed, and then enabled to borrow capital on favourable terms, initiated a duplication of items of plant and also the installation of a new 15" main from Chadwick Nick reservoir to Codnor so that, in effect, each of the towns of Heanor and Ilkeston had a separate trunk main.
a) The Chadwick Nick Reservoir [348532)
This was built by the llkeston and Heanor Water Board to hold water treated at its works at Homesford Cottage by the side of the Derwent where the Meerbrook Sough discharges drainage water from the Wirksworth area. This sough was started in 1841 to drain the lead mines around Wirksworth and on average discharges some 17 million gallons of good quality water a day into the Derwent.
At the time of building, in 1903, the llkeston and Heanor Water Board designed its system to supply some one million gallons during a working day of ten hours - keeping a reserve capacity of an additional ten hours to meet the requirements of the growing population. The water was pumped using steam power (it is now powered electrically) through an 18 inch diameter main up to 10 Chadwick Nick - a height of some 500 fr.
The Chadwick Nick Reservoir is 700 ft above the ordnance datum and is 150 ft long by 100ft wide with a working depth of 16 ft. It was excavated out of the millstone-grit rock in the southerly extension of the Tors beyond Chadwick Nick and the excavated rock was ground up to form an excellent concrete material, of which the walls and floors were constructed. The four walls are about 19 ft high, 3.6 ft thick at the base, tapering up to 2.5 ft at the top. It is divided by a concrete cross wall, 10 ft high, into two compartments, to enable one part to be cleansed whilst the other is kept in work. The reservoir is covered by a concrete roof covered with turf and supported by one-ring blue-brick arches; the arches being supported by about fifty free standing blue-brick piers. It has a capacity of 1.4 million gallons. The water, on being pumped up from the treatment plant, descends to the bottom of the reservoir and is decanted from the top by two floating arms into the gravitation main. The main is 15 in. in diameter and passes across the Amber at Bullbridge on its way to the llkeston reservoir. There is a junction near Codnor Gate from where a 10 in. main feeds the Codnor Reservoir (near Jessop’s Monument) which is the highest point in the Heanor district.
By the early 1930s the gravitation main was found to be of inadequate capacity to keep the customer’s reservoirs full during periods of prolonged dry weather or frost. With the increase of population and increasing demand it was found that a fall of several feet in the height of water was frequently occurring. When the balance was not restored during the night time the Codnor Reservoir, which was the one most affected, became empty. In 1932 the Water Board, under pressure from the Ministry of Health, and from the Ministry of Labour which was anxious to find work for the growing number of unemployed, and then enabled to borrow capital on favourable terms, initiated a duplication of items of plant and also the installation of a new 15" main from Chadwick Nick reservoir to Codnor so that, in effect, each of the towns of Heanor and Ilkeston had a separate trunk main.