- Talla Reservoir
Infobox lake
lake_name = Talla Reservoir
image_lake = TallaReservoir.jpg
caption_lake = (2006)
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =Tweedsmuir ,Scotland
coords = coord|55|29|N|3|24|W|region:GB_type:waterbody_source:GNS-enwiki|display=inline,title
type =reservoir
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basin_countries = United Kingdom
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cities =Talla Reservoir, located a mile from
Tweedsmuir ,Scotland , is an earth-workdam fed byTalla Water . The reservoir is supplemented by water from the nearbyFruid Reservoir . It was opened in 1899.To assist in bringing the materials for its construction, the
Talla Railway was built.History
In the late 19th century engineers surveying for the Edinburgh and District Water Trust (EDWT) identified the area around the ancient loch at Talla in the hills above
Tweedsmuir in theScottish Borders as an ideal site for a new reservoir to supply the increasingwater demands of the expanding city ofEdinburgh , 28 miles to the north.In the mid 1890s the land was secured from the Trustees of the Earl of Wemyss and March Estates for £20,000.
Construction was by James Young & Sons. On
September 29 1897 a stone-laying ceremony marked the start of construction of Victoria Lodge, at the southern terminus. The building is now a private house. Material was lifted from there to the construction site by a ropeway, called a 'Blondin' after the famous tightrope walkerCharles Blondin .Materials brought in included stone and aggregates from quarries inNorth Queensferry andCraigleith . Pipes, valve gear and pumping equipment came from central Scotland. Puddle clay, the mixture ofclay ,gravel andsand used for a watertight seal (which was perfected by canal builderJames Brindley ) came from theCarluke area. Over 100,000 tons of material were transported for the building of the reservoir, and at least 30 of the workmen (who were mostly Irish) died during construction and are buried at Tweedsmuir churchyard.Construction work was virtually complete by late 1904 and Talla Water was diverted into the bed of the reservoir on
May 20 1905 .The official opening ceremony on
September 28 was carried out by Lady Cranston, wife of the Lord Provost.ources
* [http://www.railscot.co.uk/Talla_Railway/article.htm John Furneval's article on Railscot]
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