Brent Reservoir

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Brent Reservoir
Brent Res view.JPG
Brent Reservoir
Geographical location London
Tributaries River Brent , Silk Stream
Drain River Brent
Data
Coordinates 51 ° 34 '10 "  N , 0 ° 14' 50"  W Coordinates: 51 ° 34 '10 "  N , 0 ° 14' 50"  W.
Brent Reservoir (Greater London)
Brent Reservoir
surface 40 ha

The Brent Reservoir is a reservoir and is located on the border of the London boroughs of Brent and Barnet . The lake is known to the local population as the Welsh Harp . The name goes back to a pub that stood near today's lake. The lake currently has a water surface of less than 0.5 km², but was significantly larger in the 19th century (1.6 km² in 1853). The main tributary is the River Brent .

The reservoir was built by Regent's Canal Company between 1835 and 1838 to supply water to the Grand Union Canal near Paddington . An accident occurred in 1841. On the night of 16./17. January the dam was flooded and part of the dam collapsed. Before that, there had been snow and rain for a week and on January 16 there was a thaw. This led to large inflows that the reservoir could not cope with. Two people were killed by the tidal wave. The dam was rebuilt in 1843.

The area around the Brent Reservoir was a famous recreational area in the second half of the 19th century, including horse racing at Kingsbury Race Course. As urbanization progressed , parts of the lake were filled in and the area became less attractive. In 1972 the Welsh Harp Conservation Group was founded to protect the Brent Reservoir. Today the lake is a refuge for various bird species and is therefore a popular observation place for ornithologists . Most of the Brent Reservoir and the surrounding park are designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) .

Individual evidence

  1. Layer Reservoirs (Public) at ArcGIS - Great Britain Basemap (accessed October 27, 2016)
  2. The Welsh Harp Reservoir (PDF file)
  3. Welsh Harp Reservoir Through Time by Geoffrey Hewlett 2009. ISBN 9781445606408
  4. Lessons from historical dam incidents p.1 (PDF file 2962 kB)

Web links

Commons : Brent Reservoir  - collection of images, videos and audio files