Chasewater

An act of Parliament, the Wyrley and Essington Canal Act 1794 (34 Geo. 3. c. 25), received royal assent on 28 March 1794, entitled "An Act for extending the Wyrley and Essington Canal", this authorised a long extension, from Sneyd past Lichfield to Huddlesford Junction on the Coventry Canal, together with the raising of up to £115,000 to complete construction. As part of the act the Wyrley and Essington Canal Company were required to provide a water source to keep the new length of canal topped up. The flood wave caused significant damage with roads and bridges destroyed, fields flooded and livestock killed. The increased capacity of the reservoir created Jeffries Swag at the western end of…

The surrounding area is designated as a country park. The reservoir hosts a variety of activities including water skiing, sailing, angling and bird watching. Running around Chasewater is the Chasewater Railway. The large house situated halfway along the dam wall was originally the weir master's cottage. The weir master would walk up to the hexagonal valve house, constructed to the same design as BCN tollhouses, and operate the gate valves to release water from Chasewater reservoir into the canal. The construction of the M6 Toll between the reservoir and the A5 required the construction of a new bridge over the motorway to access the southern side of the lake, where an Innovation Centre…