Baildon Reservoirs

1899 OS map segment showing reservoirs.

There have been several reservoirs in Baildon.

• Baildon Bank, West Lane Reservoirs. Now built on - Honey Pot Drive etc.
• Baildon Moor Reservoirs 1, 2 & 3. No longer used as reservoirs.
• Weecher Reservoir
• Somerset Avenue, Service Reservoir

Reservoir Capacities

On Monday 7 Feb 1910 at the Baildon District Council's Waterworks Committee meeting the Manager reported on the capacities of the Baildon Reservoirs and stated that the capacity at that time represented 145 days supply.

Baildon Reservoir Capacities 1909, 1910. Gallons.

	Weecher	Baildon Moor No 1	Baildon Moor No 2	Baildon Moor No 3	Total
Feb 1909	33,195,000	1,100,000	3,242,000	4,274,000	41,811,000
Jan 1910	30,883,000	1,318,000	3,242,000	4,800,000	40,243,000
Feb 1910	30,883,000	1,182,000	3,242,000	4,628,000	39,935,000

In August 1948 it was reported at the Baildon Council meeting that tests by the surveyor and water engineer, Mr G. S. R. Dickinson, had traced pipe leaks amounting to a loss of 80,000 gallons of water per day. The tests were as a result of the Council's anxiety over the increasing consumption per head of population. A leak of 40,000 gallons daily had been found on Station Road. Two further leaks had been found between Beck House and the junction of Kirklands Road and Station Road. It was recommended that further detection work should be done to help in tracing a possible multiplicity of leaks.

Baildon Local Board references to reservoirs in their minutes

7 Oct 1873 - It was proposed and seconded by Mr Jagger and Mr Holmes that a second reservoir be constructed. This was to be 90 yards by 100 yards.

21 Oct 1873 - Messrs. Beech and Ellis were to be appointed consulting engineers for the construction of the second reservoir.

5 May 1874 - The tender of £4004-3-3 by Thomas Morrell & Co. for the building of the second reservoir was accepted.

16 June 1874 - It was agreed that the old reservoir be enlarged enabling a further 600,000 gallons to be stored.

7 Nov 1874 - It was decided that the old reservoir should be built up to the height of the new one.

7 Nov 1882 - It was agreed that the plans and requisite deeds be drawn up for two reservoirs for which, at present, the Board possess no grant from the Lord of the Manor.

13 Nov 1889 - The Board approved a scheme for a new reservoir at Birch Close allotment with a capacity of 30,000,000 gallons of water.

1 July 1890 - Two members of the Board reported that they had caught Joseph Halliday (Dennis) stealing water from the Board's reservoir. Agreed that he be written to and warned of the serious consequences if the offence be repeated. Dennis lived at Acre Cottage adjacent to the reservoir and sold water from Acre Well in a cart to villagers who had no mains services or access to any wells.

17 March 1891 - The Board agreed to arrange a loan of £1169 (for the construction of the Weecher Reservoir) from the Friends Provident Institute. A further loan of £6500 was also to be arranged.

12 May 1891 - The Seal of the Board was affixed to the conveyance of land for the new reservoir and easement over land at Birch Close (Messrs Taylor & Holmes).

22 July 1891 - The contract for building the Weecher Reservoir was let to J & T Young of Armley.

7 July 1891 - Seal of the Board affixed to conveyance of Land from Mr Ferrand to the Board in connection with Weecher Reservoir.

22 May 1894 - An offer to Mr Holden was made giving him the right to fish in the new reservoir for a fee of £15 per annum.

17 July 1894 - Mr James Bray appointed to supervise clay puddle at Weecher. Salary 35s/- per week.

Baildon Bank, West Lane Reservoir

West Lane Reservoirs

Address	West Lane
Postcode	BD17 5DL
Photo
Open Street Map
Other Links	Google Maps

These were two almost circular reservoirs on the North side of West Lane near Oakleigh and Clark House.

Confirmation is needed that the site was known nationally as a site where there were once ancient cup-and-ring stones and was home to a Bronze Age burial mound and that some of the discovered stones were also on display at Cliffe Castle museum, Keighley.

Since the closure of the reservoirs the land has been developed in several stages. The Summerfield estate was built adjoining the reservoir land. Local residents formed the Baildon Bank Reservoir Group, later the West Lane Action Group to fight plans to develop the reservoir site. In 1998 more than 420 letters were sent to Yorkshire Water calling on the company to honour a pledge to consult residents before developing the site for housing.

Cala Homes (Yorkshire) Ltd and Keyland Developments submitted an outline planning application which was refused in Sept 2001 they appealed and the appeal was rejected in May 2002 however a public inquiry into the appeal was to re-open at St John's Church Hall, Baildon, at 10am on Monday, April 29 2002.

Bradford Council's Unitary Development Plan listed the reservoir land as suitable for development. On 25 Sept 2003 outline planning permission was granted by Shipley planning office for development of the site for housing. The permission was granted in-spite of objections from MP Chris Leslie, Councillors and residents.

In 2003 the revised Unitary Development Plan (rURDP), intended for adoption in 2004, adopted 15 October 2005, recommended that development of remaining land (SH/1.32) be delayed for 8 years.

As part of the consent given for the Planning application 07/01356/FUL a Section 106 agreement finalised in October 2007 stated that several things would be funded by the developer, David Wilson Homes:

1. Bus stop £8000
2. Playing pitch £40000
3. Recreational Sum £50000
4. Education Sum based on the number of houses
5. + affordable houses

That area is a residential development, Honey Pot Drive etc. built by David Wilson Homes.

On the remaining land there have been several planning applications with increasing numbers of dwellings on the same land. The 2020 application was after more of the reservoir infrastructure had been removed, giving the architect more scope:-

• 2016. 2 dwellings. Granted.
• 2017. Initially for 4 dwellings reduced to 3 with conditions. Granted.
• 2020. 5 dwellings. Granted.

Baildon Moor

Baildon Moor Reservoirs

Address	Acre Reservoirs
Address	Bingley Road
Photo
Open Street Map
Other Links	Google Maps

The two lower tanks were built separately over 15 years, 1850-1865, the lower one being the first to be built.

In the photos below there is a plan of the reservoirs that appears to be from the Baildon Local Board of Guardians showing details of the top reservoir. Pipe routes and valve placements are shown.

These were fed by springs from Bradup on the edge of Ilkley moor, by the two radio masts, picking up a spring at Birch Close then onto Baildon moor collecting water from Spink Well, Near Drift and Far Drift and lastly Acre Well near Bingley road.

Water also came from a spring between the top reservoir wall and the 17th tee. Contributors here have never managed to find this source but it still runs, feeding the bottom two reservoirs. All this water runs through a 9inch pipe which is still (2011) active and in good condition.

At a later date Weecher Reservoir was built and this supplied the top reservoir. This supply was closed down in 1989.

As of 2010 little or no maintenance had been done since the 1960s, the last big job was when the top reservoir leaked into the road. Rombalds Water put in a pipe all the way down the roadside of the top tank. This water is then fed into a drain on the bottom corner which goes under the road round the 2nd green and finishes in Spring woods.

As of 2011 this wall is in a bad state of repair with many loose stones in it and is in need of pointing. This reservoir leaks so quickly in a dry spell it drops 10 feet in a few weeks.

The wall on the other side of this tank has leaking and blocked pipes on its banks and in winter the water bursts out and runs over the bank and out under the wall.

The stone work inside has been badly damaged by vandals and will be expensive to repair.

A survey in 1993 by Babcock Engineers recommended the removal of the trees.

The greenkeeper's sheds were in the corner of the reservoirs and were often broken into, so when the Filter House became empty the Baildon Golf Club offered to buy it but the deal included the reservoirs.

Since 1999 the Golf Club has spent £8,000 in repairs and when the wall fell down behind the 1st green it became impossible for the Golf Club to afford any more repair work.

In a chance conversation Mr Malcolm Leyland had with Mr Arthur Edwick about how hard the Golf Club was finding it to keep up with the expense of the reservoirs, Mr Edwick offered to buy them.

Before the reservoirs were built the beck only flowed in winter and wet weather because it relied on drainage from the moor. When the reservoirs were built the springs fed them all the time and water continuously flowed from the over-flow in the bottom reservoir down the beck.

In 2007 someone dropped some stones down one of these vent chambers and created a blockage which then caused flooding on part of the golf course and the fields below. Yorkshire Water agreed to clear this and admitted responsibility for the pipe and did the repairs.

The 9 inch pipe crossing the moor has vent chambers every 100 yards, many of these are buried. The author of most of the above history (Malcolm Leyland) knows of four.

Boating, Diving and Swimming

In 2011 Gary Hudson of Duck and Dive, Shipley, created plans for turning the reservoirs into a recreational, educational and rehabilitation area. For this purpose Arthur Edwick granted Gary rent free use and access to do preliminary work on the site, with the situation to be reviewed once the plans were in place. Vegetation and rubbish were cleared from the site and two sections of the divider between the two smaller, lower, reservoirs was removed to allow circular boating. Gary approached Baildon Parish Council for help in preparing a business case.

However as work was progressing more questions were being asked about the integrity of the structures.

Photos

• Baildon Reservoirs
• 

  South West corner stone carved 1875

• 

  Juvenile Stonechat on the glass topped wall

• 

  Reservoir drain into Barnsley Beck

• 

  View of the 3 reservoirs

• 

  Acre Reservoirs Fishing Lakes sign 2016

• 

  Baildon Spring Water Sign. June 2018

• 

  Inside the larger reservoir. During a guided tour. June 2018

• 

  Stone ready for carving at reservoir entrance. Nov 2021.

• 

  Early plan of Baildon Local Board for the building of the top reservoir

Parish Council Warden Report Oct 2012

This is a report produced by the then Parish Council Warden, Mark Scimshaw that was made available on the Parish Council website on 30 October 2012.

The bottom two reservoirs have been condemned as in dangerous disrepair following an engineers report commissioned by BMDC drainage dept. They must be repaired or demolished. Repair is not feasible on the grounds that the gradient of the banks would have to be altered, that is the banks would have to be rebuilt with a longer slope meaning that the reservoirs would have to be reduced in size considerably to accommodate the longer slopes of the banks within the walled enclosure, or would have to extend substantially beyond the current enclosure. It is suspected that the clay lining currently in place may have degraded and would need replacing. These two reservoirs will therefore be demolished.

The bottom two reservoirs have been drained to a safe level but it remains sufficient to support the fish population - the fish will be rescued before demolition.

It has been discovered through drainage of the bottom two reservoirs that the top reservoir is leaking into them. The top reservoir is currently full and still receiving water from the moor. However, the water is not drainage from the moorland itself - it arrives via ancient pipes from Spink Well and Acre Well on the moor. Mr Edwick, with the approval of BMDC, has hired an excavator to try to locate the valve on this pipe near to the enclosure in order to switch off the flow for a period, to allow the leak in the top reservoir to be investigated. Previous supply lines from Weecher Reservoir and elsewhere have long been sealed off.

A `flood report` is being sought to see if the water from this pipe can be diverted away from the reservoir and fed down outside the enclosure to join Barnsley Beck - this is not an addition to the flow of Barnsley Beck, but only the same flow that would have otherwise reached it by the water going through the reservoirs and out of their overflow.

The bottom two reservoirs, once removed, will be used as car park and `recreation` space. No coaches will be allowed on the site.

There will be no landfill used to level the site.

There will be no access road created across common land, nor will there be any other use of common land. An access point with a wide splayed entrance will be made at the lower end of the enclosing wall where it runs immediately adjacent to the road. In order for there to be a safe line of sight for traffic entering and leaving the site this section of wall, over a substantial length, will be considerably reduced in height.

Various companies have expressed an interest in taking the stone linings of the reservoirs, but given the large size of the stones - they are far bigger than cut building stones - and difficulty in removing them it may be that there is minimal profit to Mr Edwick.

The above matters are all under consideration by the various parties involved and at present there are no firm plans or timescale.

Update Nov 2012

The wall of the reservoir has glass from broken bottles embedded in the concrete along the top. It is assumed that this was done some years ago to stop people climbing over the wall and/or walking along the top of it. The insurance company have instructed Mr Edwick to remove the glass for safety reasons.

Engineers Report 2012

In November 2012 an investigation revealed that the wall had collapsed due to leaks from the lower reservoir. To stop these leaks it would be necessary to either extend the sides of the reservoir out onto the moors or inwards into the water holding areas of the reservoir. Extending out onto the moors cannot be done and extending inwards would make the reservoir unusable. It is therefore likely that the reservoirs will be kept empty until other options have been investigated.

Site Works

The stone blocks that were used to protect the clay lining of the upper reservoir were removed. It had already been realised that the upper reservoir was leaking into the lower ones.

The developer who bought the reservoirs from Mr Edwick did substantial earth moving and landscaping. He mentioned that one of the conditions when he bought them was that there had to be water in at least one of the tanks. Much of the upper, large reservoir was filled in and the middle reservoir levelled. The developer mentioned his plans to sink a bore hole in the centre of what had been the larger reservoir and build a small well head shed. 3 or 4 tankers per day would then be used to take the water away for bottling. A sign was put up "Acre Reservoirs. The Home of Baildon Spring Water" and later a large flat faced stone near the entrance looking ideal for carving a similar message into it. (See the image gallery above.)

Planning & Building Control

July 1977 - 7/04145/FUL Extension To Equipment Store. Granted.

May 2011 - 11/14982/POST - Request for official postal address following installation of post box at Baildon Reservoirs

June 20011 - 11/20351/DEMO - Proposed demolition of open reservoir and surrounding walls

January 2016 - 16/00031/ENFUNA - Enforcement Enquiry. Unauthorised engineering operation consisting of excavations and deposit of waste and soils to configure embankments and pond to form a development platform. This led to requirements to:-

• Cease the importation of waste
• Shape up the land
• Retain an open drainage
• Retain existing drainage outflows
• Seed with Heath Scrubland grass mix, repeat as required
• Remove all containers, cabins, plant, vehicles and construction equipment

March 2016 - 16/00371/PMJ- Part infilling of existing reservoirs followed by the development of two houses to be incorporated in the structure of the top and middle reservoirs. Pre-application advice, unacceptable in principle, 23 March 2016.

July 2016 - 16/04799/FUL- Acre Reservoir. Creation of two detached eco dwellings within the structure and site of existing reservoirs. Refused.

June 2018 - 18/02100/FUL - Siting of a single static caravan at Acre Reservoir, for a period of 365 days. Including 2 car parking spaces, solar panels and gravel access road. Decline to determine.

March 2019 - 19/06147/DANREP - Report of a dangerous wall

Village Stocks

When the Potted Meat Stick was installed in Towngate the Towngate Stocks were removed and the stone pillars used in the reservoirs. Later in 1904 the stone was recovered from the reservoirs and returned to Towngate

Ownership

The notes from the Baildon Local Board minutes mention that the Lord of the Manor granted permission for the building of the first reservoir but there is no mention of further permission being granted. Is it possible that they were built without permission on land they did not own? What are the implications for that in later transfer of "ownership".

Since being built in 1850 the reservoirs have been "owned" by Baildon Local Board of Guardians, Baildon Urban District Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Rombalds Water Board, Baildon Golf Club, Mr Edwick (2011), a Bingley based developer and again Bradford Metropolitan District Council (2021).

Council takes possession of Baildon reservoirs

Article dated Thursday Nov 18, 2021 at 09:29 AM

Bradford Council has gained control of an area of land in Baildon which has been a site of concern for local residents for many years.

Earlier this week at the end of a long and complex legal case, the courts granted the council possession of the 1.45 acre site known locally as Baildon Reservoirs.

This is the first step in a process which will return the land, which was formerly the location of three disused reservoirs, to the public.

For many years the council had been trying to stop fly-tipping and other activities which didn’t have planning consent.

Yesterday, the locks were changed on the gates at the site and officers will now carry out a detailed assessment of the land.

The future use of the reservoirs will be subject to discussion with local councillors, the Town Council and residents but it is likely to be absorbed into the larger area of common land known as Baildon Moor.

Restoring the land could take some time, however, this will be depend on its condition.

If refurbished, it could be developed into a valuable recreational space or be turned into a safe haven for the area’s wildlife.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We are very pleased to have finally gained control of this piece of land. Bradford has a number of fantastic moorlands and Baildon Moor is no exception.

“It has taken great determination and persistence but we haven’t given up.

“This is the first step in a process which will turn a problem area into a useful and valuable public space which can be enjoyed by everyone.”

Weecher Reservoir

An entry in the minutes of the Baildon Board for 17 March 1891 mentions Weecher Reservoir:- The Board agreed to arrange a loan of £1169 (for the construction of the Weecher Reservoir) from the Friends Provident Institute. A further loan of £6500 was also to be arranged. Google Maps link

Disgruntled Ratepayers

In Sept 1894 it was reported that the ratepayers of Baildon were discussing the cost of the Weecher Reservoir. The reservoir intercepts Weecher Beck near Knapley Ing and the site, extending over 20 acres, is to be fully covered with clay puddle. The contractors, Messrs J & T Young of Leeds, had tendered approx £12,920 and according to Mr Walker, the engineer, the works, including the price of the land and easements, parliamentary and other contingencies, were not to cost more than £16,000. However, by September 1894, something like £30,000 had been spent - and a leak in the reservoir had shown itself. The contractors had handed the works over to the Baildon Board and the clerk of works, Mr Wiseman, was instructed to complete some of the work, but he and his men were dismissed.

Mr Samuel Jenkins, of Woodbottom, opened a meeting of ratepayers at the Drinking Fountain on Sept 15 but they soon moved to the large room of the Mechanics Institute. Mr Joshus Moorhouse was chair. Others present were Raphael Ambler, Oliver Firth, both ex Board members, R. Wiseman, S. Jenkins, Edward Clough, Joseph Mattock and Benjamin Riley. At the meeting Mr Wiseman reported that the reservoir was only 2/3 the size it should have been and that the height of the bank stopped 10ft short of the plan. Reva Reservoir, built for Yeadon Waterworks Company, on the same hillside and of similar cost was capable of holding 95 million gallons compared to 30 million for Weecher Reservoir. The contracted thickness of the clay puddle was 4ft 6in but in places it was found to be 8in. After the discussion the meeting resolved:- "That this meeting of ratepayers of Baildon is not satisfied with Weecher Reservoir costing £30,000, and only being capable of holding 30 million gallons, while Yeadon Waterworks Company have a reservoir of 90 million gallons for the same money; and further, that an inquiry should be made to ascertain who are the persons that have received the various sums, and what amounts. That the committee also inquire into the whole question as to who is responsible for the £14,000 increased cost, and report to a future meeting." There was some discussion as to whether the meeting was a properly authorised ratepayers meeting with the chair saying that the meeting was not a "town's meeting" and therefore had no legal powers.

At the Local Board meeting where they discussed the ratepayers resolution it was agreed that everything would be laid before them if they thought it would help. The meeting also discussed the reasons why Mr Wiseman had been dismissed. Several instances of poor work and not following the plans were mentioned. The work at the reservoir has been of a class that certainly wont hold water.

Somerset Avenue

This covered reservoir is in use (2021) and is on Somerset Avenue close to the junction with Hope Lane and Green Lane. Google Maps link

• Somerset Avenue Service Reservoir
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  Somerset Avenue Reservoir

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  Reservoir Sign

References