Lamaload Reservoir

Lamaload is first mentioned in 1519, and Lamaload Farm is documented as a mansion house in the late 16th century; it remained an active farm in the 20th century. Three Roman coins were discovered during the excavation of the reservoir. The idea of a reservoir at Lamaload was first suggested in 1919 by Herbert Lapworth. Plans to construct the reservoir were proposed in 1957 to alleviate water-supply problems of the town of Macclesfield. Lamaload was chosen because it was close to Macclesfield, with a sufficient elevation above the town that gravity would result in water flow without requiring pumping, and had a steeply cut valley with the potential to store a large volume of water. It was…

Lamaload Reservoir () is roughly triangular in shape, around 0.93 km long and 0.53 km wide, with its long axis running broadly north–south. It lies 2.3 km southeast of Rainow, 308 metres above sea level, and is fed by the River Dean. The reservoir has a capacity of 1,909,000 m³, with a surface area of 16.765 hectares and a mean depth of 11.365 metres. The dam is at the north-west side. The underlying rock is Millstone grit and shales. The catchment area is 302 hectares. The reservoir is surrounded by moorland, broad-leaved woodland and plantations of larch and pine. The long axis of the reservoir lies parallel and to the west of Hooleyhey Lane; footpaths (Macclesfield Forest Footpaths…