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Bottoms Reservoir

Bottoms Reservoir is one of the Longdendale Reservoirs (Link Longdendale Chain, Wikipedia) which extend for 6 miles eastwards; it is the closest to Hadfield and Tintwistle. When this immense 29-year civil engineering project was completed in 1877 the chain of reservoirs formed the largest body of man-made water in the world, and was Europe’s first major conservation scheme.

Manchester Corporation commissioned Bottoms and the other reservoirs in the mid-19th century to provide drinking water for its rapidly increasing population. Four Acts of Parliament were needed for the entire scheme. The reservoir, named after Bottoms Mill which stood here before the valley was flooded, was the last of the reservoirs to be constructed; it was completed in 1877.

Summarised from an information board at the site.