Controlling Water
Following yesterday's nod towards Horsey Windpump, I'm keeping today's post more parochial; I will talk about the Rivelin Valley in Sheffield.
Sheffield's links with the steel and iron industries go back centuries. We've fashioned items for decoration, dining, warfare, transportation, and construction for so long that it's sometimes easy to forget how good we are. For the longest time, we relied upon water as part of the production process.
We had to manage it because we couldn't be without it. We became brilliant at building holding ponds to keep up the slack when the rivers were not flowing.
Any walk along the valleys of the Porter, Loxley or Rivelin rivers will give you plenty of examples of how good we became. Rivers were diverted into holding ponds and released when water supplies were low; these ponds were the older equivalent of large batteries.
My favourite is the Rivelin Valley, steeped in history with remnants of small workshops and holding ponds combined with water flowing from the Derbyshire hills to form the valley we see today. As a bird nerd, I can say there is much to see: kingfishers, herons, and dippers all frequent its waters. But its meandering route also provides the walker with changing scenery, all the while within the backdrop of the noise of flowing water.
I know there will be similar places across the country, but this is a must-see if you want a beguiling combination of history, wildlife and beauty.
And look out for those holding ponds.
Structural Products Specialist
1moIt was a match made in heaven! On to the next we are about to start. Let’s get it. #badass