Butterley Reservoir

Butterley Reservoir is the lowest of the four reservoirs in the Wessenden Valley and is the third to be fed by Wessenden Brook below Blakeley Reservoir and Wessenden Reservoir.  It was formed by an embankment placed across the brook near the site of Upper Bank Bottom Mills. 

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Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of tiny mineral particles and/or rock fragments.  Pieces of broken rock get carried by a river, or air until they reach the sea or a lake, the rocks then fall the the bottom, where, over time they build layers, this is called sedimentation.

As layer upon layer is formed, the upper layers press on the lower ones, squashing them, forcing the water out from between the bits of rock, causing crystals to form.  Those crystals cojoin, or cement, the pieces of rock, and over millions of years sedimentary rock is formed. 

Most sandstone is composed of quartz, a hard colourless or white mineral made of silica which does not break down chemically, or feldspar a common rock-forming mineral which is colourless or pale-coloured.  If there are impurities in the minerals or crystals, that can change their colour, therefore sandstone can come in any colour but predominantly brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. 

Sandstones held together with quartz are resistant to chemical weathering, but if the cement is made up of clay or is rich in iron the sand grains can work loose and be washed away.  Sandstones with lots of bedding planes are more susceptible to decomposing.  Dependant on the make-up of the sediment and the conditions, some layers may be weaker than others resulting in brittleness, breakages and weathering.  The more quartz the more resistant the sandstone is to weathering.

Limestone is also a sedimentary rock, but where sandstone is formed by tiny pieces of rock, most limestone is formed of the skeletal remains of marine organisms such as coral, forams and molluscs, along with impurities such as mud, sand or silt.   The remains of the marine organisms form the mineral calcite, and, mixed with the impurities and compressed over thousands of years, forms limestone.  Like sandstone, it may contain quartz and feldspar.  It is quite common to see marine fossils in large sections of limestone.

Ripple Marks  These shapes and forms are features which occur when sediment, which has fallen to the bottom of a river or lake, is subject to movement by either water current or waves, or wind. 

Laminae are thin layers, plate, or scales of sedimentary rock, organic tissue, or other material.

Types of Ripple Marks

Straight

Straight ripples are-laminae that all dip and lay in the same direction, and are formed by unidirectional flow of the current.

Sinuous

Sinuous ripples produce a pattern of curves up and down. The layers formed in this type of ripple dip at an angle to the flow as well as downstream., and are also formed by unidirectional current.

Catenary

Catenary ripples generate cross-laminae with a unidirectional swoop and are curvy. It looks a bit like a repeated "W". These are also created by unidirectional flow with the dip at an angle to the flow as well as downstream.

Linguoid / Lunate

Linguoid ripples have a curved surface on the steep slope side similar to the caternary and sinuous ripples.  They have a random shape instead of the repeated "W" that are curved generating a laminae similar to caternary and sinuous ripples. 

Lunate ripples, meaning crescent shaped ripples, are exactly like linguoid ripples except that the gentle sloped sides are curved rather than the steep side. All their other features are the same.

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1908 map showing the temporary tramway

1890 - The reservoir was approved by the Huddersfield Corporation Waterworks Act of 1890.

1891 -The ceremonial first sod of earth was cut on 27 August 1891 by Alderman James Crosland.  It took place in torrential rain. 

The workforce who constructed the reservoir were housed in accommodation at Upper Bank Bottom Mill and Lower Bank Bottom Mill, two water powered mills which had been acquired by the Corporation that were eventually demolished. The navvies also built their own club on Old Mount Road for socialising and this is now the Pule Side Working Men's Club.

1893 - there was an outbreak of smallpox resulting in some workers being placed in isolation.

1894 - temporary tramway built to deliver raw materials to the site.  The tracks were run by two locomotives: the Blakeley and the Brooke.

1895 - it was reported to the Town Council that work had come to a standstill due to "the severe and prolonged frost and snowstorms".

1901 - as the reservoir was being filled, problems were identified with the underlying rock strata which caused the main embankment to leak. 

1903 - it was reported that the construction costs had spiralled to £304,000 — more than double the original estimate — and that around a further £90,000 would be needed to remedy the leaks.

1906 - work was eventually completed and the reservoir was filled to capacity by the end of the year.

1914 - it was announced that the Corporation intended to buy a further 42 acres of land containing five farms in the catchment area of the reservoir in order to limit the chances of pollution.

Thanks to 'Huddersfield Exposed' for permission to use the information on the History of Butterley Reservoir  .

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Logging the EarthCache

In order to log this EarthCache, answer the following questions. Please send them to me, do not include them in your log. You can send them to me by using the message facility or email, both of which can be found by looking at my profile. Answers must be submitted within 5 days of logging a find on the EarthCache.

Go to the published coordinates where you will find yourself on a 'half landing'.

1. Standing on the 'half landing' looking up the stairs, look at the right hand block of stone which forms the first step up, what kind of stone is it?   Describe the composition of the stone, is it composed of grains/crystals? What colour is it, any structures within?  Can you see any fossils? Is the surface of the step rough or smooth to the touch? 

2. How many layers can you see on the surface of that step?  How and why do you think there are layers within this stone?

3. Move up to the third step from the half landing, describe the patterns you can see on the surface of the stone step.   Do the patterns look like any of the Ripple Marks shown in the cache page description, if so, which Ripple Marks?  

4. Finally, please post with your log, a photo of you, your GPS or a personal object, standing on the steps.  No spoiler photos please.

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