Ashworth Moor Reservoir

The origins of Ashworth Moor Reservoir lie in late-Victorian efforts to expand the water supply of Heywood and neighbouring districts. Under the Heywood Waterworks Act 1877 (40 & 41 Vict. c. clii), the Heywood Waterworks Company (HWC) was authorised to construct a new reservoir on Ashworth Moor, in the township of Ashworth, as well as the adjoining township of Spotland. The bill authorised a system of embankments, the western of which was to terminate near the Hare and Hounds public house. The legislation also authorised associated infrastructure, including a catchwater drain feeding the reservoir, a conduit carrying water from the reservoir to the Heywood Waterworks Supply Reservoir, and…

Ashworth Moor Reservoir is located in the western part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England, on the south side of the A680 road which links Rochdale and Edenfield. Situated in the Pennines upland area, it is a heavily modified artificial lake situated at an altitude of approximately 281 m, with a surface area of around 22 ha and a mean depth of around 6.4 m. The reservoir drains a catchment area of roughly 39 ha. The reservoir and its surrounding land are managed by the water company United Utilities as part of its countryside estate, and are accessible to the public and form part of a managed countryside area used for informal recreation, including…