I am interested in the detailed engineering design of these dams and the
associated reservoirs. The Monuments Record descriptions give no references
to original plans or specifications and I can't find anything relating directly to
them in the on-line catalogue for the Northallerton record office. Robert
White, archaeologist with the YDNP, told me he believed some plans might
have been in the possession of someone in Healaugh (my guess is that could
be a descendant of a lessee).
Of the Blakethwaite dams, the lower one looks to me to be older. It has a
berm to the downstream face of massive stone blocks very similar to those
used for the construction of the upper dam. I have put some photographs on
flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=blakethwaite&w=32891147%40N05
Hopefully this link will take you to a page with (when I tried it) 9 pictures. To
view any picture and caption at larger size, just click on the image.
Tom Swailes
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