Ruislip Reservoir - Feeder for the GJC

[mark99]

From Ruislip Lido website.

 

 

"What we all today know as Ruislip Lido started life in 1811 as Ruislip Reservoir and was built as a feeder for the Grand Junction Canal, later, in 1933, to become the Grand Union Canal (Company), and thus our nearest canal being known by the name it has today.

The area selected was initially a shallow valley flanked by Park Wood to the south and a now non-existent hamlet of Park Herne to the "north", where the latter was demolished to make way for the reservoir as it was built. The whole area of the "lido" covers a little over 150 acres and the area of water, around 60 acres in size, can best be described, as "pear shaped", somewhat appropriately perhaps, for reasons that follow.

 

As you enter the Lido if you walk around to the right there is a large wide "road" which actually forms the top of the dam used to create the lake, where a natural stream fills it from the far end, and water running off Northwood Golf Club.

John Rennie was the main engineer working on the construction, Hugh Mackintosh the constructor. On 5th December 1811 the project was announced as complete by Rennie, and fears of problems with it leaking due to a sandy bed were not founded. 

Those familiar with the geography of the area will realise that the canal is actually some distance from the canal and this required a channel to be made to feed the water from the reservoir to where it was to enter the canal at Hayes, some seven miles long.

Exiting the reservoir in an underground pipe to the "west" the channel passes, generally, under Bury Street, under Ladygate Lane and on towards Tile Kiln Lane, whereupon the route is less clear until it surfaces again in Austins Lane, Ickenham. From here it runs into the fields adjacent to Northolt aerodrome and then under the A40 almost in parallel with the Yeading Brook (having already, at some point "crossed" the River Pinn). Once under the A40 it entered the waste land opposite Northolt Aerodrome, again with the Yeading Brook for company, before making its way to Yeading and then on down to Hayes, entering the canal at Hayes Bridge. There is a section on the route of the feeder on this web site

The full length of the feeder no longer exists and parts of it were built on in the 1970's, fear of flooding these properties is thought to be the reason why the water level in the Lido, since 1990, has been kept artificially low, another thought is that by having lower levels should there be extensive rain in the area water can be diverted to the Lido from Northwood and alleviate flooding there.

 

Sadly it was the length of the feeder to the canal that proved the thorn in the side of Ruislip Lido. It is thought that the feeder first ran in water in 1816. The feeder was man made and did not use, or make use of, any water from any natural waterways. However, what it did do was collect local floodwater and this turned out to be polluted and contaminated both the canal and local drinking water supplies.

The whole concept of this reservoir being used to supply water to the canal was scrapped in 1851, so it lasted only 35 years in the guise of the purpose for which it was built. Today the canal is fed by the River Colne and, nearer the Thames at Brentford, the River Brent and so the reservoir is no longer needed. Indeed, the canal could have been fed from these rivers right from the outset were it not for the local millers who did not want water diverted from them to the canal. Hence the reservoir was only constructed  to appease their wishes.

 

So, in effect, Ruislip Reservoir (Lido) was put out to seed in 1851"

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More info on the Land Transactions.

 

 

"The reservoir at Ruislip was built by The Grand Junction Canal Company in 1811. 

Before it coming in to existence the area was common land and there also stood a group of cottages known as Park Herne, the foundation of which would be visible were it to be drained.

 

Having purchased common land from the Enclosure Commissioners the General Committee of the Canal Company then has to negotiate with King's College for a piece of Park Wood and with the owners of the cottages at Park Herne. 

 

The lessees for the College valued the woodland at £65 an acre whereas the Canal Company thought the value to be more like £25 an acre. 

 

The negotiations went on for two years but eventually The Grand Junction Canal Company, in February 1807 paid a little over £1,000 for a little over 35 acres. This was broken down as 10 acres at £45 and 25 acres at £24. It is assumed the valuation per acre reflected on how much timber was grown on each parcel of land. The woods were actually leased to messers David and James for wood production and they were compensated to the tune of £77 for their loss.

 

The Canal Company also faced opposition to the project for a Mr Henry Golder who owned one of the cottages at Park Herne who refused to sell to them at seemingly any price and other owners held off selling for better terms than those offered Eventually Henry Golder and a Mr Robert Lively sold out to another cottage owner, John Dean in the summer of 1807. This allowed the company to complete the acquisition of all the cottages as follows:

 

£210 to Re. William Blencowe for a cottage and 1.5 acres.

£100 to Daniel Hill for a cottage and 0.13 of an acre.

£250 to John Dean for three cottages and 5.5 acres.

 

Between 1807 and construction starting the property was all let out but in 1811 the work started. John Rennie was the consulting engineer and the constructor was Hugh Mackintosh.

 

 

Construction of Ruislip Reservoir

 

Construction took less than a year (mainly the large dam at one end) and on 5th December 1811 John Rennie reported to the general meeting of the committee of management of the Grand Junction Waterworks Company as follows "The reservoir at Ruislip has now been completed and although doubts were entertained with respect to its capability of being filled with water owing to an extensive bed of sand which was found near to its head, yest this has answered the most sanguine wishes as it is now nearly full of water and from the latest accounts transmitted to me there is no appearance of any leakage in it".

 

The Grand Junction Canal Company were contracted to supply piped water from the canal to the inhabitants of Paddington in 1798 and an act of parliament in 1811 transferred these powers to the Grand Junction Waterworks Company. It was the waterworks company that actually were the builders of the reservoir.

 

It was not until 1813 that the feeder to the canal was conceived, the delay one can only assume was to make sure the reservoir held water before undertaking more building works. 

 

The route was to cross Ruislip, down towards Northolt, then over to Yeading and finally entering the canal at Hayes Bridge a little over 7 miles away and (obviously) and downward slope along the entire length.

 

The land for it has to be purchased from many owners which in itself took time and construction of the feeder did not actually start until February 1816 and it first ran in water in early June that year. Much of the construction was a shallow indent in the ground. However, near Woodfield Gardens in Ruislip an aqueduct was built to carry the feeder over the River Pinn and this still stands to this day (2021) but is in poor condition. 

 

Sadly it was not a success, the feeder collected drainage and flood water from land on each side and this contaminated both the canal and, by dint, the drinking water for Paddington. 

 

The reservoir was not very successful either as it was too shallow to perform as it was intended and ceased being a feeder to the canal in 1851, so served as a canal feeder for just 35 years.

 

Standing idle for many years in the late 1930's The Grand Union Canal Company (a re-named Grand Junction Canal Company in effect) began to develop it as a lido with boating, fishing and swimming. The canal companys were nationalised in 1951 and ownership was transferred to the Ruislip and Northwood Urban District Council in that year"

Edited November 22, 2023 by mark99

[David Schweizer]

Having spent the first 25 years of my life in Ruislip, I know knew the Lido well. Below are several photos of the Lido building and the official opening ceremony. I am fairly certain that the man on the left in the third photo is Leslie Morton, who was general manger of the GUCCC at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by David Schweizer

[mark99]

[magnetman]

Interesting. 

 

They have Grand Junction to Grand Union Canal Company happening in 1933 and nationalisation in 1951. 

 

Are these correct? I thought it was 1929 and 1948. 

 

 

[mark99]

My playground in the 60/70's