Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Reservoirs & lochs · South West England

Drift Reservoir

Free admission

Drift Reservoir — reservoir in Cornwall, England.

Drift Reservoir, reservoirs & lochs in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2.5 h
Nearest railway station
Penzance · 4.5 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Drift Reservoir is a reservoir in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "reservoir in Cornwall, England". Coordinates: 50.1080°, -5.5910°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: West Penwith Moors and Downs SSSI
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Drift Reservoir is a reservoir in Cornwall, England, UK, just north of the village of Drift and west of Penzance. The reservoir is 1,200 yards (1,100 m) long and covers 65 acres (26 ha). The dam is at the southern end of the reservoir, and the northern end, splits into north-western and north-eastern shallow arms. It is currently managed, jointly by the South West Lakes Trust and South West Water. There is public access to the dam and parking area only.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The reservoir was first given statutory approval in 1938 (under the Penzance Corporation Act 1938) but construction was deferred until after World War II. A joint water scheme was agreed by the Penzance and St Ives Borough Councils to provide water for the Land's End peninsula in 1951 and work finally commenced on 1 March 1959 by Robert Alpine and Sons. The original design had to be amended during excavations when rotting granite was found. It was completed for the West Cornwall Water Board in 1961. It is still the principal source of water for the Penwith area. The valley of Trewidden Vean, now known as the Lost Valley, was evacuated starting in 1938, with the last family leaving in 1961.…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.1080, -5.5910
District
Cornwall
Parish
Sancreed
Postcode
TR20 8RH
Parliamentary constituency
St Ives
Nearest railway station
Penzance4.5 km
Official site
web.archive.org

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

More places in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Drift Reservoir?
Drift Reservoir is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TR20 8RH), in the parish of Sancreed.
Is Drift Reservoir a protected site?
Yes — Drift Reservoir is part of the Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the West Penwith Moors and Downs SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
How do I get to Drift Reservoir?
The nearest railway station is Penzance, about 4.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TR20 8RH.