Penygarreg Reservoir Powys Wales

Penygarreg Reservoir (Cronfa Ddwr Penygarreg)

Penygarreg Reservoir (Pen-y-garreg) in Powys in mid-Wales is part of a series of reservoirs created in the Elan Valley at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century.

History

To supply water to Birmingham and the industrial towns of the Midlands, Birmingham Corporation Water Department built several dams on the Elan and Claerwen rivers. At the time, due to a lack of clean drinking water, Birmingham suffered from frequent outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid.

Penygarreg Reservoir and Dam

Work began in 1893 and also involved building a village to house the construction workers and their families. This wooden settlement became what is now present-day Elan Village.

The engineers also built a railway to transport building materials and supplies to the project. This ran from a junction near Rhayader on the Mid-Wales Railway.

The water flows from the high valleys under gravity to Birmingham, 117 km away, along the Elan aqueduct.

The dams are superb examples of Victorian architecture

Reservoirs

The four main reservoirs and dams are: Garreg-ddu, Pen-y-garreg (with 6,055 megalitre capacity, the smallest of the four), Craig-goch, and Claerwen – the largest in terms of water capacity.

The timescale for construction was 1893 to 1904 in the Elan Valley, and 1946 to 1952 in Claerwen.

The dams also now provide hydro-electric power

Dam Busters

An interesting side note to the dams is that during World War II Barnes Wallis demonstrated an underwater explosion at Nant-y-Gro dam. This was a small dam that had been constructed to supply water for the building workers. The subsequent experiment was successful and the partially-damaged dam stands as a testament to Barnes Wallis’ ingenuity.

Walking

Nowadays, the area is of outstanding beauty for those that enjoy the outdoors. There are a series of walks that visitors can do to see the dams and the reservoirs. Furthermore, the district is particularly beautiful in the autumn with the changing colour of the foliage.

Access – Getting There

Elan Valley is a pleasant drive of about 1 hour from Aberystwyth on the coast. Alternatively, the drive north from Cardiff is around 2 hours and 30 minutes.

If you wish to stay in this lovely part of Wales, try the Elan Hotel in Rhayader or the Vulcan Lodge Cottages.

See a complete list of accommodation in and around Rhayader and the Elan Valley.