More Peak District
Ladybower Reservoir. These photos were taken on a cold but very sunny mid-February day (2010).
Ladybower Viaduct 1.
Ladybower Viaduct 2.
Ladybower Viaduct 3.
Ladybower Viaduct 4.
Ladybower was built between 1935 and 1943 by the Derwent Valley Water Board, and took a further two years to fill (1945). The London firm of Holloways, using a steel frame clad in concrete, built the two viaducts, Ashopton and Ladybower to carry the trunk roads over the reservoir. Both firms encountered mounting problems when the Second World War broke out in 1939 making labour and raw materials scarce. This extended the proposed build time, but was carried on due to the strategic importance of maintaining supplies. King George VI accompanied by Queen Elizabeth carried out the opening ceremony for the reservoir on Tuesday September 25, 1945.
Ladybower Dam & Overflow 1.
The dam's design is peculiar in having two totally enclosed bellmouth overflows (locally named the 'plugholes') at the side of the wall. These are stone and of 80 ft diameter with outlets of 15 ft diameter that each discharge via its own valve house at the base of the dam. The overflows originally had walkways around them but they were dismantled many years ago.