News

The Belle Vue service reservoir complex is located just off Mapperley Road in the city. There are, in fact, two reservoirs located there which were built in the 1850s and 1860s as part of the system of pipes and storage tanks to help ensure Nottingham had a reliable supply of water.

One reservoir has been drained down as part of the company’s proactive inspection programme and a team from Severn Trent took the opportunity to go inside the Victorian-built structure to take a look round, while also working on a plan to drain down and inspect the second reservoir on site.

Ciara Slater, Severn Trent’s service reservoir lead, said: “This really was a rare treat for us – usually the service reservoirs are full of water ready to supply our customers but, because we’ve been waiting to plan in some repairs, the reservoir was empty.

“That meant we were able to get inside and just look at the fantastic job that the Victorians had done on building the reservoir. It’s just beautiful inside – they left us a wonderful legacy that we’re intent on building on for generations to come.

“What’s even more amazing is that I imagine that hardly anyone in Nottingham knows it’s here. They walk past it every day without every realising that they’re right next to a superb piece of Victorian engineering that’s been working for 150 years to help keep their water flowing.

“It really is a hidden gem.”

Both reservoirs together are capable of holding 10.2 million litres of water and the complex is one of more than 400 similar sites the company owns and operates around the Midlands and into north and mid-Wales.